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 Root, a site with articles from an African-American perspective, is in the middle of a fantastic and fascinating series called “On Black Atheism.” Jenée Desmond-Harris has interviewed several black atheists and their responses are must-reads for everyone interested in how our community can become more inclusive to minorities. Rice University professor Anthony Pinn: TR: Could the civil rights movement have happened without Christianity? ABP: We give Christianity too much credit. Like Martin Luther King Jr. argued, the vast majority… Read more
Tiffany, a young leader in the secular community in Michigan, could use some help right now. Her mother has cancer but no health insurance. Tiffany is trying to raise money to help cover some medical costs and explains the situation here (PDF): My mother has cancer. She is 500 miles away from me (Northern VA and I’m in Michigan) and I feel helpless and hopeless. The prognosis is 2-3 more years, but I fear it won’t be that long. It’s… Read more
Just turn on the closed captioning, go to the 0:24 mark, and hear what little Elijah says to Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann: (via Joe. My. God.) … ***Update***: Many of you are wondering whether the child was coerced into saying this by his mother. I direct you to this screengrab from YouTube (Thanks to Drew): Read more
Yesterday, NPR covered the “Why are there no chaplains for atheists in the military?” story: Military chaplains, most of whom are Protestant Christians, are assigned many secular advising duties, including marriage, family and suicide counseling, Torpy tells weekends on All Things Considered guest host Rachel Martin. They touch so many parts of service members’ lives, he says, they can help improve what he sees as an environment of exclusion. “That lack of connection to atheist and humanist communities, the lack… Read more
Reddit Atheists are on a roll with their fundraising for Doctors Without Borders over the past couple of days — several users offered to donate a few cents (or more) for every “Upvote” given to them: Granted, some of those links are fake (thanks, 4chan), many are genuine. And all together, they’re close to their goal of raising $200,000. If you’d like to help them come over the top, consider chipping in here. That lovely sound you hear is silence… Read more