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.
The guys at Two Friars and a Fool are promoting their upcoming book Never Pray Again: Lift Your Head, Unfold Your Hands, and Get To Work — great title, by the way — by going to Kickstarter and bringing attention to a coloring book side project that offers “helpful guidance for not praying when almost anything else would be more useful.” Like when there’s a burning fire: Read more
What words come to mind when you think of evangelical Christians? Ask just about anyone and the words “anti-gay” and “judgmental” will show up at or near the top of the list. With that in mind, there’s a new campaign that attempts to redefine evangelical Christianity in terms of what it’s for instead of what it’s against and it’s called “Imago Dei” (image of God): The Imago Dei, or Image of God, pledge is simple: “I recognize that every human being, in and out of the womb, carries the image of God; without exception. Therefore, I will treat everyone with love and respect.” That sounds like a wonderful idea… until you realize that the leadership of the organization includes prominent Christians who are well-known for being nasty bigots on the issue of homosexuality. They have zero credibility when it comes to treating gay people with respect because their public statements have served to dehumanize LGBT individuals. Read more