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.
Later tonight, I’ll be heading to Skepticon 5, the free/massive/awesome/student-run/skeptic/atheist conference, in Springfield, Missouri. Last year, I gave a talk about math. This year, the organizers are clearly punishing me by having me follow the incredible science/math writer Jennifer Ouellette. Punks. Anyway, if you’re unable to be there in person, the Skepticon team has announced they will be live-streaming all the talks! Read more
When I ran my college atheist group, it was a triumph when we brought in one awesome speaker. When I heard that the Atheists, Humanists, & Agnostics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were running their own conference last year (and again this coming year), I thought that was about as good as it could get. They’ve just blown out whatever glass ceiling might have been in place. Read more
I recently attended a talk by PZ Myers at Murray State University. It was titled: The Inescapable Conflict Between Science and Religion. The talk, as you might expect, was really good, but that is not exactly what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about one of the questions that caught my attention after the presentation. A student asked, “How can we attract more African Americans to our group and have a more diverse atheist community?” PZ answered the question by saying: “Ask the African Americans in the audience and they might be able to give you a better answer than mine.” Read more
Congressman Dyson stepped onto the verbal tightrope cautiously. “Pastor, uh, we asked you here tonight to discuss a highly sensitive matter. Knowing we share significantly overlapping concerns and issues regarding the Middle East, it is our hope you might be willing to work with us — well, not exactly with us — but, shall we say, on your own, but with like goals in mind. Call it something of a silent partnership.” Read more