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.
The Creationists at Answers in Genesis think they know why Libby Anne — who was raised in a fundamentalist family — is now an atheist. Obviously, she just didn’t understand the Bible. Or she attended a secular school. Or she took a wrong turn somewhere down the line. It’s insulting and demeaning and Libby Anne has responses to all of it: … if the only way to preserve your creationist beliefs is to not have them challenged — i.e. not… Read more
This Wednesday night, I’m participating in a two-person panel discussion on the intersection between religion and secularism (and how they’re opposed) at Northwestern University. The event goes from 7:00-9:00p in Harris Hall 107. It’s sponsored by the Secular Student Alliance and Northwestern University Interfaith Initiative (NUii). Stop by if you’re in the area! And as I write this, there’s no second panelist. So I think I win by default! Score one for the firebrands. Read more
I know a lot of you are unhappy with him right now, but I’ll tell you what I like about Sam Harris. He doesn’t shy away from talking about controversial topics and he doesn’t back down from his critics. Instead, he’s continuing an interesting discussion. In his latest piece, he’s categorizing most of the assumptions held by his critics and responding to two of the more popular ones. He begins with a thought experiment: Imagine that you work for the… Read more
Tomorrow, people of North Carolina will have a chance to vote on Amendment 1 — an awful bill that would not only deny same-sex marriage, but also civil unions… which also could imperil “some children’s health insurance benefits, along with child custody arrangements and safeguards against domestic violence” (according to the New York Times). Please vote against Amendment 1 and urge your friends and family members to do so. It would be irresponsible of you not to. We know most… Read more
