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.
Every year, John Brockman asks his braintrust at The Edge a thought-provoking question and compiles their answers. This year’s question has just been released: What scientific idea is ready for retirement? I *loved* Richard Dawkins’ answer: Essentialism. The idea that there’s an “ideal” human and cat and dog. It’s an idea, Dawkins says, that has no scientific basis and that has impeded our understanding of evolution: Read more
Certain Hindu and Buddhist groups in Nepal have a tradition of worshiping pre-pubescent girls, known as Kumari, who are deemed manifestations of the goddess Durga. These girls are selected at ages as young as four — and they’re forced to “retire” by the time they hit puberty. It’s like “Toddlers & Tiaras” minus the pretending. These girls were chosen. For centuries, they didn’t get an education during their reign because, of course, they’re “divine” — a policy that didn’t change until 2008 thanks to a Supreme Court ruling — and they’re catered to for the near-decade they live in their privileged world. By the time their hit their teenage years, they’re like injured college athletes left to fend for themselves because their colleges aren’t paying for scholarships anymore. As of this week, though, they’re going to get a little bit of help. Read more
If you want attend a meeting of the Pinellas Park City Council (in Florida), take a good look at the book resting by the Mayor’s seat atop the dais: It’s a Bible that was gifted to the council by the local Kiwanis Club several years ago — which City Manager Doug Lewis claims makes it a historical artifact instead of an affirmation of any religion: Read more
Here’s a tough-but-practical question: If you and your partner are broke, should you get married and have kids? My instinct is to say “If you want” and “No,” in that order. Money isn’t a prerequisite for marriage, but it’s certainly true that fights over money are a common cause for divorce. And if you have a choice, why not hold off on the children until you’re more financially stable? That, to me, at least seems sensible. Pastor Mark Driscoll doesn’t say that. Instead, he uses the question as a starting point to tell the questioner that he’s not really a man and he needs to find another man to teach him how to become a man. Because men. But first, a random creepy comment: Read more
