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.
Just the other day, I posted about a “prayer caravan” organized by Cullman County Schools (Alabama) Superintendent Billy Coleman. The idea was that he would lead a group of people to all the schools in the district and pray… becauseI guess that raises test scores in Alabama or something. They’ve been doing this for a few years running. We also learned from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (PDF) that the caravan wasn’t the school’s only violation of the law: We were also informed that schools in the Cullman County system recite the Lord’s Prayer over the loudspeaker each morning. We understand that an attempt to mask this illegal practice is made by giving students “the option” to participate. So why bring this all up again? Because FFRF has learned that they’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg when it comes to violations of church/state separation in the district: [Click headline for more…] Read more
During Ramadan, Muslims are not supposed to eat or drink from dawn to sunset (with some exceptions). In Tunisia, the laws don’t prohibit eating during the day, though some restaurants are closed during normal business hours because of the religious holiday. Adel Almi is a Tunisian preacher who runs the “Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” and he has threatened to photograph and publicly shame anyone who eats during the daytime. Ditto with anyone who goes to the beach, which he says is also forbidden. He’s even gone to the Tunisian Interior Minister, asking him to enforce penalties in the case of any fasting violations. Given the religious extremism some people hold, you wouldn’t want to be “caught in the act,” or else you might face some really awful consequences… But here’s the amazing part: There’s a Facebook campaign called “Photos Taken During The Ramadan Chmeta Fi Adel Almi” and it’s a collection of people postings images of them at the beach and/or eating out! Here’s the report from the Middle East Media Research Institute: [Click headline for more…] Read more
A few days ago, Rachel Held Evans wrote on CNN’s Belief Blog about why millennial Christians (like her) were leaving the church: … When I read her piece, though, I felt she only covered half the story. Yes, churches are pushing young people away, but atheists are also pulling those young people closer to our side. CNN has now posted my piece in which I address what our side is doing right: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Over the weekend, Pastor John Hagee railed against Harry Potter readers, Ouija board users, and rock music listeners because they’re all heading away from Jesus and toward Satan: Here’s the truly horrific part: He’s not joking. People like him exist! And there are thousands of people listening to him in that church, presumably agreeing with him. [Click headline for more…] Read more