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.
In yesterday’s New York Times, Laurie Goodstein had an interesting article about how bar/bat mitzvahs were getting a “new look” of sorts because — can you believe it?! — a lot of young Jews would just go through the motions without really caring much about the teachings of the faith: [Click headline for more…] Read more
You may have heard the story of a Montana judge who sentenced a teacher to only 30 days in jail for having sex with a 14-year-old student who later committed suicide. (The judge has since ordered a retrial.) Well, reader Zack pointed out to me something that has gone unnoticed by the media. Judge G. Todd Baugh wears a power bracelet: So this guy has a history of poor judgment… Read more
Pseudo-historian David Barton knows so little about history that his book on Thomas Jefferson was taken off the shelves for containing too many lies. He apparently also knows so little about math that he thinks correlation must imply causation. In a recent video, he spoke about how a “God-fearing approach to education” is what we all need, adding that the removal of mandatory Bible readings from public schools led to the education crisis we’re in now: [Click headline for more…] Read more
On the night of October 18, 2004, Arthur Shelton called the cops… on himself. He had just shot and killed his atheist roommate Larry Hooper. The reason? … Shelton stated that Hooper was the devil and that he shot Hooper “hopefully enough” and “as many times as I could; I still want to keep going.” Shelton indicated he wanted to make sure that Hooper was “gone.” … Officers soon arrived on the scene and arrested Shelton, who was cooperative. Shelton told the officers several times that he did not want to talk to anyone unless that person believed in God. He further stated that he trusted the officers because he believed that the officers believed in God. Shelton also stated that he shot Hooper because Hooper was “evil” and “possibly the devil.” Shelton talked to the officers about God and being an Eagle Scout. Shelton stated that he could be trusted to tell the truth because he was an Eagle Scout. During Shelton’s trial, it was generally agreed upon that he was mentally ill, though he wasn’t declared legally insane. He was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison, making him eligible for parole in 2030, when he will be 76 years old. … That’s the story that came to my mind when I heard about how 33-year-old Douglas Yim was found guilty of first-degree murder yesterday for killing 25-year-old Dzuy Duhn Phan after an argument over God’s existence. Yim is a Christian. Phan was an atheist. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Pastor Steven Anderson was “giving the Gospel” to a group of Muslims. And in telling his congregation that story, he manages to work in a reference to Mecca as a “giant black GameCube” (1:48): The Muslims weren’t “saved,” Anderson says later, but he hoped a seed was planted. That’s optimism for you… Read more