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.
On August 25th, there was a debate on the existence of God in Malaysia. According to Kok Sen Wai of the Malaysian Atheists, it was the “first time such a dialogue occurred” in the country as well as the largest ever gathering of atheists there (both claims I can’t verify). Anyway, you can see the full debate with commentary and analysis here, and the opening statement from Willie Poh on the atheist side is below: (via Kok Sen Wai) Read more
Normally, when a syndicated newspaper advice columnist tackles a question about atheism, I cringe. It’s never good information and you’re left wondering how the person earned a column in the first place. That’s not the case with Carolyn Hax, writer and columnist for the Washington Post. A mother wrote to Hax concerning her daughter… who just became an atheist: I love my daughter dearly, but I am troubled by this turn of events. She has never seriously misbehaved or otherwise… Read more
This one’s for the locals. For anyone in the area, Dan Barker will be speaking at the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago next Sunday, September 16th, from 10:30a-12:00p. The topic? “Outspoken Atheists: Help or Hindrance to the Secular Movement?” … Noting that atheist writers Dawkins and Harris are accused of being overcritical of religion, Barker will argue, “The one who pulls up weeds is just as much a gardener as the one who plants the seeds.” He’ll also delight us… Read more
Over the summer, I wrote an article for Free Inquiry in which I asked atheists to “take care of our own.” A few weeks ago, the magazine’s staff forwarded me a piece of “fan mail” they got at their offices… here’s the beginning: He solved alllll of math. All of it. I should just quit my job now. Also, atheists believe in Dracula. Or something like that. The full letter is below. If anyone can decipher it, I’d love to… Read more