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.
Sally Le Page sings the most scientifically-literate song about starfish you’ll ever hear: When was the last time you heard a song with lyrics like these? Hey, like all the vertebrates you can name us They started off with an anus As a little embryo ‘Cos we’re all deuterostomes But unlike their vertebrate brothers Their legs grow back with no problem And several can from just one hand Make a body fresh and new (via Shed Science) Read more
Troy Fitzgerald, the author of Cults and Closets, grew up as a preacher’s kid whose parents belonged to a cult. Being gay only made Troy’s relationship with his father worse: My father was so committed to the church and his role as a pastor that he rarely spent time with me growing up. He and I never had any quantity or quality time until he taught me to play racquetball and golf when I became a teenager, but the alienation that began in my adolescence could not be made up for and I never felt close to him. Even though he told me he loved me. He had a concept of how a boy should behave and compared me to my brother who was two years older who happened to love playing sports and was more athletic. I was more affectionate and artistic and enjoyed playing with my older sister more. Fearful I would not fit the mold of the boy he thought I needed to fit, he labeled me a “sissy” and warned me in my adolescence that I needed to change my behavior and “walk and talk” more like a “man” — be more like my brother. This saddled me with insecurity and I would struggle with self-confidence into adulthood. Eventually, when the church transformed itself into something resembling a modern-day megachurch with mainstream evangelical beliefs, his father was laid off with no savings and nowhere else to go: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Tyler Koltz has created a business that sells clothing and benefits humanity at the same time. It’s called Absence of Clothing. The way it works is that when you buy apparel from the online store, like the “Thank God I’m an Atheist” shirt or sticker seen above, “50% of all profits go to a charity or non-profit organization that benefits the world in some way.” Already, he’s given money to the Dallas/Ft. Worth chapter of Atheists Helping the Homeless. [Click headline for more…] Read more
I posted yesterday about activist Justin Vacula’s 18-month-long attempt to get an atheist ad on buses in the County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS) in Pennsylvania. The ad he submitted to them wasn’t an attack on religion. Hell, it wasn’t really even a promotion of atheism. All the ad did was mention the dreaded “A” word: (Maybe the COLTS leadership just hates periods?) On Tuesday, in response to Justin, the COLTS Board of Directors passed a newly-revised advertising policy that bans all forms of religious advertising. The ban is so far-reaching that it effectively bans ads promoting churches, quoting Bible verses, and even mentioning religion. [Click headline for more…] Read more