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.
Photographer Chris Johnson is working on a project that features 100 atheists (myself included) talking about what gives them joy and meaning in this life: Each portrait will be paired with a short message from the subject about some aspect of joy, meaning or passion in life. It could focus on the love of a beautiful relationship, the joy of a rewarding career, the pleasure of a treasured pastime, the impact of a powerful experience, or any other topics. The… Read more
Positively Aware is an HIV treatment education journal. I’ve never read it, but given their latest cover, which asks “Can faith help sustain us when living with HIV?” maybe I don’t need to… Perhaps it wouldn’t be a big deal if it was only talking about religious people with HIV who can use their faith as a crutch… but it’s not. The issue focuses on how religion can help everyone deal with it. Mark at The Honest Atheist is HIV… Read more
The Bideford town council in Devon (in England) did something even American cities don’t do. Instead of praying before meetings, they scheduled them right on the agenda. It took one of the councilmembers, Clive Bone, to finally try to put a stop to it. First, a compromise was offered — the Council could pray *before* meetings — but it was rejected. Then it went to the courts. The good news: It worked! No more prayers during meetings. (Thanks, National Secular… Read more
Last year, Christa and Danny Schultz sued the Medina Valley Independent School District in Castroville, Texas because they knew their son’s high school graduation ceremony would include a prayer. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery agreed with them, saying that the graduation prayers would “violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment.” Unfortunately, the district appealed and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals took their side. They said since it was a student-led prayer and not a school-sponsored prayer, it… Read more
With nearly a quarter million dollars raised for secular causes over the past two years, the Foundation Beyond Belief is growing quickly — and we’re about to expand to another country altogether: The way our 501(c)(3) status works, we can only fund charities based in the United States (regardless of what they do). This is a chance to expand that reach: Humanists in Australia are now moving from questions to action, working rapidly to establish an FBB Australia. Though based… Read more