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.
On his late night show, Seth Meyers gave a great rundown of the farcical Congressional hearing on Planned Parenthood that was nothing more than a bunch of ignorant politicians talking down to the head of one of the larger health care providers in the country, just because they also happen to provide abortion services: Read more
Think about all those prosperity gospel preachers. The ones who brag about their wealth, fly in private planes, and tell their followers how they can eventually achieve the same lifestyle (even though that’s never going to happen) if they just believe. It’s a world in which Pastor Creflo Dollar can beg for a $65 million plane and Pastor Steven Furtick downplays his $1.7 million mansion by saying “it’s not that great of a house.” When you think about it, that’s the same world Donald Trump inhabits. Read more
The Lubbock Independent School District in Texas is home to Lowrey Field, where the four high schools in the area play their home football games. The 8,500-seat stadium also houses a digital billboard where companies like Whataburger, Fuddruckers, and United Supermarkets pay for ads to run during the big games. So, naturally, the man behind JesusTattoo.org wanted to place an ad there, too: (The website has nothing to do with tattoos, by the way. It’s just one guy’s failed idea of a “hip” way to convert teens to Christianity.) Read more
Melissa Klein and her husband Aaron are the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, a bakery in Portland, Oregon. They were in the news a lot earlier this year for refusing to bake a cake for a lesbian wedding, then releasing the couple’s information to the public, decisions that eventually cost them $135,000 in fines. They didn’t take a personal hit, however, as like-minded Christians donated more than $350,000 in an online fundraiser for them. More than $515,000 has been raised for them altogether. Despite the windfall, though, they haven’t paid the fine. And it’s not because they’re appealing it, since they’re not taking the proper steps to file an appeal: Read more
