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.
After a long and drawn out battle over a Nativity scene on the grounds of the Franklin County Courthouse in Indiana (which you can read about here), the Freedom From Religion Foundation finally put up their own response to the Christian display late last month. It was a Secular Nativity, featuring the Founding Fathers, Statue of Liberty, and the Bill of Rights. There was also a banner that read “At this season of the Winter Solstice, LET REASON PREVAIL. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth & superstition that hardens hearts & enslaves minds.” Read more
In a segment for his show Billy on the Street, Billy Eichner had Rachel Dratch play a game called “Leah Remini’s Escape from Scientology!” It starts with Dratch signing a billion-year contract, as the Church requires of its members, then having her work through a series of obstacles that Tom Cruise would surely appreciate. Did she win?! (Spoiler: No one ever wins.) Read more
The administrators in Ripley County, Indiana thought they had come up with an ideal way to handle students who were suspended. Instead of letting them stay home, they had to participate in a program that involved completing their homework at a communal facility and doing community service projects. If they didn’t accept that option, they could go in front of a judge: Read more
On Monday morning, 50 students staged a protest outside Santa Rosa High School in Texas because one of their teachers, Charles Zeissel, had been temporarily suspended by the administration for speaking about religion in the classroom. We don’t know the context or details of what he said. All we know is that he discussed God and recited Bible verses in class on Friday. It’s hard to imagine what purpose that would serve in a math classroom, but the matter was serious enough for the Superintendent to take action: Read more
On Saturday night, Rev. Paul E. Veit spoke to New Life Community Church in Pennsylvania all about Creationism. While none of that is particularly newsworthy, it’s a bit entertaining to learn why “Dr. Dino” was brought in to speak to the church members: Dave Elick, pastor of New Life Community Church, said he brought in Veit to “contradict education” especially for younger people. That may be the best explanation I’ve ever heard for Creationism: It “contradicts education.” Just as it contradicts “facts” and “reality.” Read more
