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 Oklahoma’s Rep. George Faught invited Pastor Bill Ledbetter of Fairview Baptist Church to speak to the House of Representatives? It happened a couple of weeks ago. In case you missed it, here’s the video and my take on it: Now, the Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent a letter (PDF) to Speaker of the House Kris Steele urging him to discontinue the practice of praying to open House sessions and inviting pastors to deliver “Chaplain of the week”… Read more
Yesterday, the Reason Rally announced the addition of Eddie Izzard to the roster. Today — and this may be even more interesting news — they’re announcing that Nate Phelps will be there, too. Phelps is the (estranged) son of Westboro Baptist Church leader Fred Phelps. Nate severed ties with his notorious family decades ago and now speaks out in favor of LGBT rights and raises awareness of religion-based child abuse. Considering that we now know his notorious family also plans… Read more
The Damsels of Dorkington, a hilarious group of heathens, are trying to raise enough money to travel for their performances in 2012. (In case you’re not familiar with them, this parody of “I Kissed a Girl” is a good place to start.) We are traveling to various conventions all across the country, and we typically don’t get much help (if any) from the conventions themselves. That leaves us stuck with pricey airline tickets, rental cars, and hotel fees. We want to… Read more
On April 29th, 2010, Mitch Kahle of the Hawaii Citizens for the Separation of State and Church and Kevin Hughes protested an invocation prayer in the Hawaii State Legislature. Long story short, the Sergeant at Arms wanted him to leave, Kahle resisted, the resulting skirmish was all caught on tape, Kahle and Hughes were roughed up in the process, and both men were arrested for disorderly conduct. All this for what was actually a very peaceful protest. You can read… Read more