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.
This is the scene in front of the Baxter County Courthouse in Mountain Home, Arkansas: As you can see, it’s a giant Nativity scene (with what appears to be Santa Claus and a Christmas tree thrown in for good measure). Well, we know how the rules for this work: You can’t *just* promote Christianity with your holiday displays on government property. And that’s exactly what the Appignani Humanist Legal Center said to County Judge Mickey Pendergrass in a letter sent on Wednesday: Read more
For reasons that I can’t understand right now, Bill Nye the Science Guy has agreed to debate Creationist Ken Ham at the Creation Museum on February 4. The topic: “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern scientific era?” There’s no debate to be had here. The answer is already an unqualified “Not a snowball’s chance in hell.” So why bother with the charade? No matter what Nye says, this will only end in victory for Answers in Genesis. Here’s why: Read more
Chris Kluwe (pronounced CLUE-wee) is the NFL punter and LGBT activist who made headlines in 2012 after a letter he wrote to bigot Democratic Maryland delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. went viral. He didn’t stop being outspoken after that, either, a fact that’s quite courageous considering the NFL ranks only slightly above the Catholic Church when it comes to acceptance of gay people. He’s also speaking at the upcoming American Atheists convention this April and authored a book titled Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies: Today, in a post for Deadspin, Kluwe explains that his support for LGBT rights, done as a private citizen and not as an NFL representative, may have cost him his job: Read more
