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.
Sam Harris’ Project Reason just announced its annual video contest — first prize gets $10,000. You can’t submit videos until June 1st of next year, but if you have any ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments. Maybe someone can get to work and make them a reality! (I promise to demand at most half your prize money.) More information is on Harris’ site and you can see last year’s winner below: Read more
The National Catholic Reporter has put out their fifth survey cataloguing Catholic attitudes and practices in America. We should be throwing a party to celebrate these results. When asked what aspects of Catholicism are important to them, most Catholics fall in line with typical Christian teachings, but they take a Honey Badger approach to what the Vatican tells them. In fact, only 30% of Catholics say “Vatican authority” is important to them. What about priestly celibacy? Not a big deal… Read more
Christmas is near and that means it’s time for American Atheists to reveal their next billboard campaign! (The War on Christmas begins earlier each year, doesn’t it?) First, some background. Last year, AA President Dave Silverman put up this billboard on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel: That caused all sorts of controversy. (I mean, he called Christianity and the Christmas Story a myth! And he said we all KNOW it! With capital letters! Can you believe it?!)… Read more
If you were watching the Penn State vs Nebraska football game yesterday, you witnessed the scene before the kickoff: That was a pre-game prayer for both teams led by Ron Brown, an assistant coach at Nebraska. Lord, we know we don’t have control of all of the events that took place this week, but we do know that you have figured in it all. And we give you the glory that you’re going to protect this stadium, and this town,… Read more
This is a guest post by Rachel Holierhoek. Rachel is a Secular Humanist living in Canada with her partner, Roy, and their four children. … We were different. We were the only ones in our small town who belonged to the Worldwide Church of God, a church founded by Herbert W. Armstrong; a self-proclaimed apostle and prophet. Armstrong was a fundamentalist, end-times-are-coming Sabbatarian who also taught strict dietary restrictions and commanded the keeping of Old Testament holy days, forbidding Pagan… Read more