Hemant Mehta is the founder and editor of FriendlyAtheist.com, a YouTube creator, and podcast co-host. He is a former National Board Certified math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago. He has appeared on CNN and FOX News and served on the board of directors for Foundation Beyond Belief and the Secular Student Alliance. He has written multiple books, including I Sold My Soul on eBay and The Young Atheist's Survival Guide. He also edited the book Queer Disbelief.
Sal Villarreal helped found the Secular Latino Alliance and has a great post about his personal journey up at Medium. Maybe the most eye-popping part of his piece is that he was a Christian trying to help his wife remain equally devout, when he saw that Ken Ham and Bill Nye would be debating Creationism vs. Evolution. He thought that conversation would be the perfect way to convince her that religion and science were indeed compatible. Then he heard Ken Ham talk. Read more
I assume that part of the Republican platform is that if their candidates tell a lie, they have to stick with it for the duration of the campaign. Thousands of Muslims cheered in New Jersey during 9/11? Sure, why not. Pyramids built to store grain. If you say so. Planned Parenthood sells baby parts? Who cares if someone shoots up a clinic because of it. That last lie is one that Carly Fiorina perpetuated at the first Republican debate, and she’s still standing by it despite the lie being debunked by credible organizations everywhere. In an interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Fiorina got mad at him for daring to even bring it up: Read more
The other day, I posted about how the head football coach at Naperville Central High School in Illinois had been praying with his team: The Freedom From Religion Foundation had sent a warning letter to the District. In response, Superintendent Dan Bridges promised that the coach didn’t (and wouldn’t) lead prayers. Which is a good start, but he also can’t participate in them. That’s an issue the District didn’t address, prompting a second letter from FFRF. The story has since hit the local media and, of course, everyone’s siding with Coach Michael Stine because they don’t understand how laws work. Read more
Bob Scott, the new mayor of Franklin, North Carolina, made it a point to take his oath on a Constitution instead of a Bible. He told the American Humanist Association, of which he’s a member, that he made the decision because “there is so much controversy surrounding separation of church and state. I am a firm believer in keeping religion and government separate.” Read more
