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.
For months now, the UGAtheists at the University of Georgia in Athens have been trying to stop sectarian prayers from being recited during a graduation ceremony this past December. Despite their best efforts, the university went ahead and made god a part of the graduation. Stephen Joiner, the public relations chair for UGAtheists, has the video and a rough transcript: “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Lord God almighty… Read more
… would the country still love him? Would the still be the most popular athlete (according to an ESPN poll)? Would he still get away with putting messages on his uniform if they read “Insha’Allah”? Salon’s Marcus Cederstrom says the odds are against it: So I ask, what if Tim Tebow were Muslim? How would our society react if during every interview, Tebow said “Insha’Allah” or “Allāhu Akbar” rather than thank his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Or instead of… Read more
You might remember when Christian rapper B-SHOC (a.k.a. Bryan Edmonds) was invited to speak at an assembly at New Heights Middle School in Jefferson, South Carolina this past September. Here’s how that went (the relevant part begins at the 3:04 mark): Even the New York Times covered the incident and called it part of a trend in which Christians are illegally proselytizing in public schools. Anyway, last month, Jonathan Anderson (an atheist) sued the district (PDF) on behalf of his… Read more