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 Ontario, Roman Catholic schools are funded by taxpayers just like public schools. While that means the government is paying for religious education, it also means the Catholic schools can’t completely get away from following certain rules. For example, students are not required to take a religious education class… as long as their parents request an exemption from the school. Unfortunately, some parents have found those exemptions hard to come by. Read more
If you and your atheist partner want to get married in Washington, D.C. your wedding would have to be officiated by either a religious figure or a government official. The application requires the parties to identify the name of the officiant who will perform the marriage ceremony. The officiant is any District of Columbia Judge or anyone who is authorized by a religious organization to officiate marriages, such as a minister, priest, rabbi or imam, so long as he or she is registered with the Marriage Bureau to officiate marriages. What about a Humanist or Secular Celebrant? It wouldn’t count. They’re not on The List. Read more
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic school in Ohio. Like many religious institutions of higher learning, they seem to welcome students who hold a variety of beliefs, including ones that don’t always fall in line with Church teachings, which explains why the Muslim Student Assocation, Spectrum (a gay-straight alliance group), Face AIDS (A group that supports condom distribution in Africa), and Quidditch Club (witchcraft!) are all registered student organizations at the school. Read more