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.
You may have heard the tragic story of Jahi McMath, the 13-year old girl from Oakland, California who was declared brain dead over a month ago: While a lot of the debate surrounded her story has dealt with the Terri Schiavo-like situation she’s in — a court allowed her parents to keep her on life support despite her condition — there’s another controversy brewing involving her school. EC Reems Academy of Technology and Arts recently held an assembly in her honor — a perfectly fine thing to do — but what transpired at the event was a travesty, as is the administration’s handling of the situation: The academy’s chief operating officer Lisa Blair said she has tried to honor Jahi’s family’s wishes by telling students that their classmate may still be alive, even though doctors say she is legally and clinically dead. The students responded with an outpouring of faith. “Most kids are Christian here,” Blair said, “and they believe that if you continue praying, there’s always a possibility. The students understand the debate. They’re just choosing spirituality over science.” … On Thursday, about 250 of Blair’s students donned purple T-shirts emblazoned with the words “#TeamJahi” and “Keep Calm, Pray On.” Read more
Foundation Beyond Belief just released the results from the Fourth Quarter of 2013. Check out the donations — $124,090 in total given by atheists — to the following organizations: Once again, three organizations received more than $10,000. We also raised $63,000 in response to Typhoon Haiyan for Citizens’ Disaster Response Center and Team Rubicon. Read more
