Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1672

Alabama Mayor Takes Down Christian Flag Outside City Hall, Then Blames FFRF for Picking On His Small Town

For some reason, a Christian flag has been hanging outside the Glencoe (Alabama) City Hall for approximately two decades — it was put up by now-deceased Police Chief B.J. Alexander:

Months ago, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent an attorney for the city a letter warning him about the obvious problem:

“The Christian flag was designed by Protestants in the early 20th century and continues to be displayed in Protestant churches throughout the country,” explained FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew S...

Rep. Mark Pocan Honors Late FFRF Co-Founder for Congressional Record

Earlier today, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) stood on the House floor and honored Freedom From Religion Foundation principal founder Anne Nicol Gaylor — who died last month — for the Congressional Record.

Anne Nicol Gaylor at her 80th birthday party (via Annie Laurie Gaylor)

According to FFRF, this is what he said:

Mr. Speaker,

I rise today to recognize a constituent who dedicated her life’s work to advancing principles of justice and fairness in her community, her state, and her country.

Anne Nicol Gayl...

Oklahoma Legislator Files Bill to Keep Ten Commandments Monument on Capitol Grounds

Last week, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the State Capitol was unconstitutional:

Ten Commandments monument in Oklahoma (via James Nimmo)

But Governor Mary Fallin says the monument isn’t going anywhere. At least not until she’s exhausted every appeal from the other branches of government:

“Oklahoma is a state where we respect the rule of law, and we will not ignore the state courts or their decisions,” Fallin said. “However, we are also a...

Seahawks’ Russell Wilson: I Threw That Super Bowl Interception Because God Was Testing Me

Let’s take a quick stroll through the end of the last NFL season.

The Seattle Seahawks were losing to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (above) was having a horrible game, with four interceptions. All Green Bay had to do was recover an onside kick near the end of the game and they would have almost certainly preserved the victory… and then Brandon Bostick happened.

The Seahawks ended up winning the game in overtime but they really didn’t deserve...

Bryan Fischer: Marriage Equality Means Christians Will Soon Be Banned from Holding Public Office

Here’s a slippery slope argument for you: Gay marriage is now legal across the country… which means Christians will eventually be forbidden from holding public office.

If that makes sense to you, then you must be Bryan Fischer:

You may think that I am exaggerating, that I am hyperbolizing. I assure you, ladies and gentlemen, that I am not, that this is the direction that we are headed… It is, before long, going to become illegal for Christians to hold public office.

The day is coming when it wil...

The Million-Dollar Abortion Crowdfunding Campaign Was a Giant Publicity Stunt

Remember the anonymous woman who said she would go ahead with her planned abortion unless pro-lifers raised $1 million (which she said would be put in a trust fund for the child)?

Turns out it was a hoax. A great big publicity stunt.

The website ProLifeAntiWoman.com no longer has the woman’s plea. It’s now a website promoting the novel Strange Animals by Chad Kultgen. (The text that went viral was an excerpt from the book, it says.)

The campaign may have backfired, though. The book was just rele...

Christian Theologian: Gay Marriage is a “Far More Serious” Problem Than Slavery

There’s been a series of questions going around the online Christian world following the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision. Some are from the anti-gay crowd while others are from LGBT-affirming Christians.

But you have to check out the answer theologian Douglas Wilson gives to one question from the LGBT-affirming set:

16. Do you think supporting same-sex marriage is a more serious problem than supporting slavery?

Yes, far more serious.

… the hell?!

What world does this guy livein that sla...

Brevard County (FL) Commissioners Will Soon Formalize Plan to Block Atheists from Giving Invocations

Nearly a year ago, we learned that the Brevard County Commissioners in Florida (below) had limited their invocations to “faith-based” groups — and the Central Florida Freethought Community could only speak during the “Public Comments” portion of the evening.

The Commissioners sent a rejection letter to CFFC and everything. At the time, the Anti-Defamation League sent a letter urging the Commissioners to reconsider:

The Commission’s decision to prohibit an atheist from delivering an invocation w...

Take Note, Religious Right: Access to Birth Control Slashes Teen Pregnancy and Abortion Rates

For as long as contraception has been a thing, the Religious Right has tried to vilify it.

First, they said it was an affront to God’s Plans. When they realized that argument wasn’t working, they shifted to saying it would increase promiscuity. When that was shownto be incorrect, they pivoted to insisting on abstinence-only sex education (for the sake of the kids). Those programs have since been proven ineffective, but proponents continue to proclaim the curriculum necessary.

Well, hate to be t...

South Carolina Legislator Denounces Marriage Equality and “Abomination Colors” During Confederate Flag Debate

I think South Carolina State Senator Lee Bright is conceding the whole Confederate flag issue to the people who want to take it down from the State Capitol. This morning, as debate on the flag began, the misnamed Bright spent his three minutes whining about how the nation is going to hell in a handbasket because of marriage equality:

You wish, buddy.

I heard our President sing a religious hymn, and then Friday night, I watched the White House lit up in the abomination colors… it is time for the...