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.
I shouldn’t have read this right before taking part in a panel discussion. It’s a depressing and powerful take on what it was like to see a mass of Christians stuffing their faces with Chick-fil-A to oppose gay rights… written by a gay man who has had to deal with enough shit in his life: When they say, “Gay people picked this fight”, they say that it is alright for Dan Cathy to espousing bigotry and pay to have gay… Read more
Seen at PostSecret: I believe everything the card says, and yet, being Mormon seems much more acceptable in society — hell, we have someone who could be president despite it. Plus, while religious groups are slowly becoming more accepting of gay people (not necessarily by choice), the LGBT community has good reason to shun religious groups because of their past/current behavior. The funny thing is you could replace the word “Mormon” in the postcard with “atheist” and it would still… Read more
Ian Murphy wrote an article for Alternet about “The 5 Most Awful Atheists.” Here’s a summary of his list: Sam Harris: He thinks religious profiling might have merit and defends torture in some instances. Bill Maher: He’s misogynistic, condescending, and anti-flu-shots. Penn Jillette: He’s a libertarian. Ayaan Hirsi Ali: She’s practices “neoconservative lunacy” and is excessively anti-Islam. S.E. Cupp: She’s a self-loathing atheist I’ll give him S.E. Cupp. When it comes to atheism, she’s pretty embarrassing, talking about how she… Read more
Ted Cox put together a checklist for Secular Student Alliance groups that invite speakers to their school (but the list applies to any group, really). As someone who’s been to places where some of these items were, um, not followed, I agree wholeheartedly: 6) Pick the right room. Sure, we speakers would love to address an auditorium packed with hundreds of bodies. But, realistically, it’s hard to fill those big lecture halls where you used to doze off during biology… Read more
Joanne Hanks used to be a Mormon as well as one of many wives serving her husband. But she got the hell out of that lifestyle. (Hallelujah!) She tells her story in a new book called “It’s Not About the Sex” My Ass. The first chapter (with possibly NSFW depictions) is below, as is your chance to win a free copy of the book! Unbuttoning my blouse, I stepped into the bedroom. I heard him moan with anticipation. I dropped… Read more