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.
If you’re a pastor who doesn’t believe in God, what do you do? If you look to prominent former pastors Teresa MacBain, Jerry DeWitt, and Catherine Dunphy, the answer may seem obvious: Stop hiding your secret. Tell people you don’t believe in God. You’ll be okay! But is it really always the best option? I asked those well-known former pastors a series of questions to find out if there were legitimate reasons not to come out of the closet if you were an atheist still in the pulpit. They didn’t brush off the questions and say that coming out was always a good idea. Instead, they gave me honest answers as to why, at the very least, it deserves a second thought, while still encouraging those pastors to work through the difficulties. [More…] Read more
I’m not surprised that many Christians are still opposed to gay marriage. I am surprised when they voice their opposition as boldly and badly as Jennifer LeClaire did for Charisma magazine with this article: Wow. Forget the whole “loving the sinner” guise they usually put on. This is just full out bigotry in action (emphasis hers). [More…] Read more
The Barna Group recently ran a study commissioned by the American Bible Society to find out what Americans really think about the Bible. While much of the report shows that the Bible is still a “cultural force” in that we all own one (I own about 19 myself) and many find it sacred, one bit of information is particularly striking: The number of people who are “antagonistic” toward the Bible — that is to say, the number of people who think of it as a book of myths — is at an all-time high, nearly doubling from just two years ago! [More…] Read more
I have mentioned before that the Secular Coalition for America is sponsoring a Lobby Day and Secular Summit this April. It’s a packed event full of educational meetings, panels about issues non-theists care about, and addresses by government officials. About that last part, my first reaction was, “Seriously? Who?!” Now we have at least part of the answer. Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) will be a Keynote Speaker on the morning of Wednesday, April 25th: [More…] Read more