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.
As the parent of a young daughter, the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School has hit my family hard. It is impossible to think of the tragedy without projecting the face of my own child onto the young victims, or trying to identify with the agony and anguish of their families, especially the parents. Because of this I cannot help but view people’s responses through the lens of how they would be received if seen or heard by one of those grieving mothers or fathers. It is also a challenge because as an atheist (or, as I prefer, a Humanist), I cannot escape the avalanche of directives to pray and proffering of religious explanations for the carnage. Read more
One of the stories I share in The Young Atheist’s Survival Guide is about Brian Lisco and his quest to start a Secular Student Alliance group at Stephen Austin High School in Sugar Land, Texas. Here’s the quick version as seen in USA Today: Brian Lisco, 18, a senior [at] Stephen Austin High School in the Houston suburbs, found his efforts to form a club were delayed for three months by one hurdle after another. At one point the principal… Read more