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.
In Washington (state), Bremerton High School assistant football coach Joe Kennedy seems to be a well-liked, well-respected guy. But he’s blissfully unaware of what the law is regarding praying with students. He’s not supposed to lead it. He’s not supposed to participate when students do it because it’s a form of coercion. If he’s acting like a pastor, students are compelled to join in whether or not it’s “voluntarily.” That’s why the courts have repeatedly said that school prayers (like the kind you see at sporting events) must be student-led. Coaches and teachers and administrators aren’t supposed to join in. But Kennedy is now being treated as a martyr after he was told he couldn’t lead the prayer circle with his athletes. (He’s the guy standing up on the left side in the picture below.) Read more
Earlier today, Kim Davis returned to work from her self-imposed mini-exile to announce that she still won’t do her job and sign marriage licenses for gay couples who have a legal right to them. That may not matter, though, since a deputy clerk has already said he would sign off on them instead. Whether those are legal is another issue entirely. Read more
Gregory and Melanie Magazu have three kids, including a newborn, but they really want to adopt more. They feel that if they’re able to provide a home for foster children, it’s something they have to do. And I admire any couple willing to open up their homes like that. The problem is that their Christian faith requires them to hit their children. Read more
