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.
Chris Calvey and the Atheists, Humanists, & Agnostics (AHA!) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are in a fundraising battle-to-the-death (or as he calls it, a “friendly competition”) against Christian and Muslim groups on their campus and they need your help! They’re trying to raise money for the (non-sectarian) Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin: By tapping into the generosity of the atheist internet hive-mind, I am declaring a fundraising goal of $500 – that’s 1,500 meals – by the end… Read more
Zach Moore of the Fellowship of Freethought in Dallas asked attendees at Skepticon what they’re thankful for and the result is this wonderful video: Summary: Atheists are thankful for family, friends, work, good health, happy lives, etc. That is so much better than thanking god or Jesus. Sure, Christians are thankful for their friends and family, too, but they never forget to mention that Jesus comes first. Read more
The American Humanist Association has launched a Christmas advertising campaign “aimed to raise awareness of discrimination against nonbelievers in America.” Billboards with the following image have gone up in New Jersey and Michigan: This week, a similar ad is also appearing in newspapers in several states where atheists have been the targets of discrimination. “Nonbelievers in America continue to be the object of discrimination,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “We hope this campaign will spur… Read more
Andy, the owner of Gelato Mio, just posted a more extensive apology to atheists on Reddit. This isn’t just PR-speak. I think he genuinely feels bad about what he did and wants to make things right. You can decide if he accomplishes that: To the World: Hello, my name is Andy and I’m the owner of Gelato Mio, a gelato shop located in Springfield, Missouri. There has been quite a lot of buzz and discussion concerning a picture of the… Read more
***Update***: Please read the update here. … Despite most of the food and drink establishments in Springfield, Missouri being grateful for our business during Skepticon IV, the owners at Gelato Mio made it very clear — at least temporarily — that they wanted nothing to do with us: Skepticon is NOT welcomed to my Christian Business They have since apologized. More on that in a moment. Now that the craziness has died down, let’s recap some of the lessons to… Read more