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.
Whenever we hear about Nativity scenes on public property, and secular displays put up in response, we’re usually talking about something snarky or explicitly non-theistic. A banner with an in-your-face message, a Satanic display featuring a not-so-well-known Bible verse, a secular Nativity featuring the Bill of Rights, etc. In New Haven, Connecticut, the Yale Humanist Community has put out a call for artists to create a special installation that would go up on the town green every year and offers something positive to the community: Read more
When it comes to putting the phrase “In God We Trust” in city council chambers or on law enforcement vehicles, there’s an unstated rule that says the reason for doing this is to display our nation’s motto. Promoting religion is the actual, but hidden, motive. They didn’t get that memo in Mitchell, South Dakota, where the city council members voted 7-1 in favor of putting the phrase up on the wall. Several local pastors who supported this move were adamant to explain the religious motive for doing so, and Council President Jeff Smith joined them: Read more
