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.
Here’s why I love watching Dave Silverman appear on TV: He knows exactly what message he wants to get across. You might argue that he speaks in absolutes — there’s no nuance in any of his answers — but when you’re on camera for something like this, you don’t know if you will have 30 seconds to speak or a few minutes. So Dave gets right to the point, even if it is a bit exaggerated. Your call whether that’s… Read more
It’s hard enough dealing with all the grief surrounding anyone’s funeral. But there’s also the unique challenge of keeping religion out of it, if that’s what the family (or deceased) wants. Jane Wynne Willson’s book Funerals Without God has been around since 1989, but if you haven’t read it before, a new edition is now available on Kindle (with a snazzy new cover… which doesn’t really matter since it’s on the Kindle). It’s perfect for Humanists who might become officiants… Read more
How deluded is the Catholic Church? The men in charge of it recently accused nuns who fight poverty (but not gay rights and abortion rights) of promoting “radical feminist themes.” They’ve (wrongly) accused the Girl Scouts of partnering with Planned Parenthood and promoting contraception and abortion. Of course, they’ve argued with President Obama over their ability to restrict access to contraception. And there’s all the sex scandals and coverups… And they think the solution to all their problems is “better… Read more
You might remember former pastor Mike Aus as the man who went public with his atheism on Up with Chris Hayes the day after the Reason Rally. Aus recently spoke to the Humanists of Houston and video of his talk is now available: As always, if any parts stand out to you, please leave the timestamp and summary in the comments! Read more
Maybe you saw the story about the Mormon who is gay but happily married to a woman. Things are working out for them (so they say…) But what happens when you no longer want to suppress your spouse’s sexuality? Ashley is a 36-year-old Mormon who (knowingly) married a gay man, but unlike the other couple, they couldn’t ignore it and keep the charade going: I was quiet at first. He couldn’t look at me as he said it or after…. Read more