Monthly Archives: July 2011

Hemant Presented With Freethought Backbone Award

Posted on July 29, 2011 by jesse galef

by Jesse Galef – I have an announcement about Hemant. Heads up: I’m going to gush a bit. Today marks the start of the Secular Student Alliance’s Annual Conference, which promises to be an exciting weekend full of inspiration, camaraderie, … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Jesse Galef, Secular Student Alliance | 23 Comments

Atheism Discussed on NPR

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Hemant Mehta

Yesterday, NPR’s “The Kojo Nnamdi Show” dedicated much of the episode to a discussion about atheism (click LISTEN at the top of the page to hear it). You can download the podcast directly through this page, too. I haven’t heard … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 12 Comments

Rolling Stone Found This Too Controversial

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Hemant Mehta

When comedian Ricky Gervais had the chance to be on the cover of a recent issue of Rolling Stone, he submitted a picture of himself as a sad clown with a gun in his mouth… and he considered submitting this … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Pop Culture | 61 Comments

If a Pastor Had to Confess…

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Hemant Mehta

If pastors knew they were going to be called out every time they told a demonstrable lie in the pulpit, would their sermons change? What if a buzzer went off every time they asserted something even they didn’t fully accept? … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Humor | 62 Comments

Rick Rolls Over FFRF Lawsuit

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Hemant Mehta

Bad title. Whatever. Two weeks ago, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sued (PDF) over Texas Governor Rick Perry‘s upcoming Prayer Rally, calling it a violation of church/state separation. They wanted to know why a governor was using his title to … Continue reading →

Posted in FFRF, General, Lawsuits | 16 Comments

City Council Donates $1,200,000 to Private Catholic School

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Hemant Mehta

South Bend, Indiana is home to the University of Notre Dame — so you can imagine how the city loves its Catholic population. But now they’re crossing the line. The backstory: St. Joseph’s High School is a private, Catholic school. … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Lawsuits | 21 Comments

American Atheists Names New Military Director

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Hemant Mehta

Americans Atheists named Army Sergeant Justin Griffith their new Military Director, taking over the now-retired First Sergeant Kathleen Johnson (who is now AA’s vice-president). It’s a smart choice — very few people have done more to get the lack of … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Military Atheists | 4 Comments

Don’t Deny It; This is Adorable

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Hemant Mehta

It has nothing to do with religion, but this is awesome. You can now let out a collective “Awwwwwwwwwwww!” (Or complain, if you’re the cynical/grumpy sort.) (via The J-Walk Blog)

Posted in General, Sports | 24 Comments

The BJU Interracial Dating Ban… In Print

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Hemant Mehta

I knew about the interracial-dating ban that Bob Jones University used to have — they ended it in 2000 — but I’d never seen the actual rule in the handbook until yesterday: Darrell at Stuff Fundies Like points out the … Continue reading →

Posted in General, GLBT | 35 Comments

Skeptical Resources for the Classroom

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Hemant Mehta

My friend Matt Lowry is a Physics teacher in Illinois and he recently gave a talk about “Skepticism in the Classroom” at The Amazing Meeting 9 with Barbara Drescher and JREF’s Michael Blanford. Some of the resources from that workshop … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, General | 10 Comments