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.
Remember when singer Miley Cyrus tweeted a quotation from Lawrence Krauss (“… forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today”) and faced the wrath of many of her Christian fans? Today, she retweeted a Kelly Osbourne quotation about religion…: “Religion. It`s given people hope in a world torn apart by religion. ” -Charlie Chaplin Osbourne wrongly attributes that line to Charlie Chaplin — it’s actually Jon Stewart who said that — but that’s besides the point…. Read more
Barring any schedule changes or bumps, the Freedom From Religion Foundation will be airing the following ad featuring John F. Kennedy’s famous line about church/state separation during Sunday’s “CBS Sunday Morning” as well as Monday’s “CBS Evening News.” It’s set to air nationwide, and if you don’t see it this Sunday, it’ll air the following Sunday. FFRF Co-President Dan Barker, who played the musical accompaniment to the ad, said: “Kennedy was right. Separation between religion and government must be absolute,… Read more
Michael O’Loughlin is a Catholic, but he understands why so many people are walking away from the Church: To those whose lives fit snugly within the constructs the church accepts, this ultimatum [“adjust your beliefs, join our tribe, and all will be well”] might be easy enough to embrace. But in a society where those constructs echo back to a quaint time that never actually existed, where individuals have more choices, where decisions have become mind-bogglingly complex, where women and… Read more
In case you missed it last night, the always amazing Rev. Welton Gaddy of the Interfaith Alliance spoke with Rachel Maddow about Rev. Dennis Terry’s introduction of Rick Santorum at a campaign event. Terry spoke in favor of a “Christian Nation,” adding that anyone who didn’t accept that should “get out!” Santorum gave the pastor a standing ovation… and then (later) said he didn’t *really* agree that Jews, Hindus, Muslims, etc. should “get out” of the country. Gaddy didn’t hold… Read more
Singer Meat Loaf… …. Yeah, that guy… thinks the “world’s gone to hell in a handbasket” and he cites Jessica Ahlquist as one reason: How did we get to this point? We got here because people stopped caring about other people and only care about their beliefs and what they want. The best example is in America: In this one high school, for 50 years a prayer was hung on a wall. And all of a sudden, a daughter and… Read more