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 a guest post by Alise Wright. *** The most famous example of this year’s list of Christian students being unashamed of their faith was South Carolina student Roy Costner IV. The Pickens County School Board had banned prayers in the graduation speeches and he had written one that had been approved by the board. But after speaking with his pastor, he approached the podium, ripped up his speech, and recited the Lord’s Prayer. He said it presumably to show his faithfulness to his Christian values that his parents instilled in him and that his pastor encouraged him to display. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Is there anyone who doesn’t abuse his or her position at graduation ceremonies anymore? Already this spring, we’ve seen student speakers and teachers use their power to promote prayer, and now we have a superintendent doing it, too. Earlier this month, Superintendent Damian LaCroix of the Howard-Suamico School District in Green Bay, Wisconsion spoke at the commencement ceremony for Bay Port High School and used his time to encourage parents in the audience to pray, pray, and pray, and told students to be the people God wants them to be. You can hear the full speech beginning at the 1:27:04 mark of the video below: [Click headline for more…] Read more
A new survey of LGBT adults by the Pew Research Center reveals a lot about the intersection of homosexuality and religion. Let’s run through the data (PDF): When it comes to the religious beliefs of LGBT adults, 48% are non-religious and as astonishing 17% of them are atheists or agnostics: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Catherine Dunphy, Executive Director of The Clergy Project, recently appeared on State of Belief, a radio show hosted by Rev. Welton Gaddy of the Interfaith Alliance. The interview is short, but full of good information about pastors who lose their faith and need a way out of the church. In particular, I would draw your attention to this exchange near the end: [Click headline for more…] Read more