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.
I’m working on a project and I’d like to bounce some ideas off of medical school students who are currently in (or finishing) their M1 year or anyone starting med school in the fall. I guarantee anonymity. I won’t spam you or give your emails to anyone else. This is purely for me, so I can ask you all some questions. If you wouldn’t mind being my sounding board, just send me an email with your name, year in med school, and where you go (or will go). Thanks in advance! Read more
June 17th will mark the 50th anniversary of Abington School District v. Schempp, the Supreme Court case that finally ended mandatory Bible readings in public schools. Abington Senior High School, where a young Ellery Schempp took a stand against reading the Bible, is in Pennsylvania, which is why it might strike you as a little strange that the Public School Code of 1949 — the document explaining how the state’s public schools must operate and which gets amended when needed — still includes Section 1516, laying out how “at least ten verses from the Holy Bible shall be read, without comment, at the opening of each public school on each school day”: Yes, it’s completely unenforceable. Yes, the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional. But it’s still in the books. But if Rep. Mark Cohen gets his way, Section 1516 will soon be eliminated. [Click headline for more…] Read more
In 2012, there were no chaplains for atheists in the military while Christians had all they needed and then some: It’s long overdue, but non-religious chaplains had a chance to be included in the Army Chaplains Corps thanks to Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ). Yesterday, Andrews (an Episcopalian) suggested an amendment (PDF) to the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act that would bring Humanist, ethical culturist, or atheist chaplains to the military: The Secretary of Defense shall provide for the appointment, as officers in the Chaplain Corps of the Armed Forces, of persons who are certified or ordained by non-theistic organizations and institutions, such as humanist, ethical culturalist, or atheist. That’s an amendment that no reasonable person would object to. So, of course, Republicans objected to it: [Click headline for more…] Read more