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.
You did it! When Jon Husted, the Ohio Secretary of State, held an online poll to decide which “I voted” sticker would be given out to voters this November, there were two options (out of six) which unnecessarily mentioned God. This was the one receiving the bulk of the Christian votes: So we rallied. Then rallied again. And again. The lead went back and forth between that God sticker and one of the alternatives, but slowly, the God sticker’s lead… Read more
Last year, my friend Anne Jackson published a really neat book called Permission to Speak Freely. It was like PostSecret for Christians. She asked her blog readers to respond to the question: What is one thing you feel you can’t say in church? The responses poured in and I don’t think any atheist would be surprised by what they said: I love the book because it shows that there are Christians in the pews who have the same thoughts which… Read more
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was wonderful. I zip-lined through the jungle. (And didn’t fall off and die!) I went snorkeling in the ocean. (Holy $#&%, there are some freaky things down there…) I drank 3928412 strawberry margaritas. (Who needs to learn Spanish when you can just point to red liquid-y things and make a chugging gesture with your hand?) And I had some delicious Mexican food… (I still think Taco Bell is yummier for the price. Screw all of you who… Read more
This is a guest post by Stef McGraw. Stef is a Junior at the University of Northern Iowa and a member of the UNI Freethinkers and Inquirers (UNIFI). With Hemant back in the country, our week of the students taking over has come to an end. I’d first and foremost like to thank Hemant for this opportunity, and I know that my fellow student bloggers would say the same. It isn’t every day that our posts get to be read… Read more
This is a guest post by Jessica Ahlquist. Jessica is a Junior at Cranston High School West. As my last blog post for Friendly Atheist, I wanted to write about my experiences in 7th grade with a creationist teacher who was actively teaching intelligent design in the classroom. His name was Mr. Gamba and he was the technology teacher at my middle school, Western Hills. On my first day of class, I was super excited (because I’m cool like that)…. Read more
