Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1683

Smoker Eddie Van Halen Blames His Tongue Cancer on Guitar Picks & Electromagnetic Energy

We often hear religious people go to absurd lengths to explain things that have perfectly natural explanations. (What caused that tornado? Gay people, not weather patterns.)

So when a rock star does something similar, might as well call him out on it.

Eddie Van Halen, who appears on the cover of the latest Billboard magazine, has a very odd explanation for losing “one-third of his tongue to a cancer that eventually drifted into his esophagus”:

“I used metal picks — they’re brass and copper — whi...

New Poll Shows Americans Believe Faith (Specifically Christianity) is Necessary to be “Truly American”

In case you’re wondering why “atheist” ranks so low on the Presidential electability list, it helps to look at new polling results revealed yesterday by the Public Religion Research Institute.

When it comes to being “truly American,” 69% of people think believing in God is a pretty important ingredient while 53% linked Christianity to patriotism:

… roughly nine in ten (89%) Americans say that speaking English is important to being “truly” American, including roughly two-thirds (66%) who say it...

A Reminder of Why Gov. Bobby Jindal is an Awful Candidate for President

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is the latest GOP candidate to throw his hat into the 2016 ring. While I’m sure readers of this site have no plan to vote for him, it’s worth remembering just why that is.

(To be clear, candidates’ religious beliefs shouldn’t excludethem from running for office. But their inability to think reasonably and rationally — however you define that — has always been up for debate, and Jindal is a candidate who has displayed ignorance time and time again.)

He thinks exor...

10 Things I Learned About the UpStairs Lounge Arson, the Biggest LGBT Mass Murder in America’s History

Forty-two years ago today, an almost unimaginable inferno, caused by arson, burned and suffocated 32 people to death. All were patrons of New Orleans’ UpStairs Lounge, a gay bar. I wrote about it in 2013 here.

Over the past few days, I’ve been reading Johnny Townsend‘s 2011 book about the massacre,Let the Faggots Burn: The UpStairs Lounge Fire. For all its shortcomings, including a disjointed narrative structure, it’s a gripping account of the horrors that transpired that night, as well asa re...

If We Take Down The Confederate Flag, We Must Also Ban the “Gay Reich” Rainbow One, Says Bryan Fischer

You’ve no doubt heard the current debate about the morality offlying the Confederate flag in the United States, particularly the one on the State House grounds in South Carolina, the state in whichDylann Roof murdered nine people at a historic Black church last week.

As communities mournthose whose lives were taken in Charleston and now tackle the matter of a historically oppressive flag during tragic circumstances, American Family Associationpundit Bryan Fischer has the audacity to declare th...

Disney May Be Developing a Film About Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin has had a rough go in theaters over the years. The most recent biopic, 2010′s Creation with Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly, made less than a million dollars worldwide and was barely memorable.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012), which included Darwin as a mere side character, did considerably better, but let’s face it: You didn’t watch it. Hell, this is probably the first time you even heard about it.

Charles Darwin in The Pirates! Band of Misfits

But if Disney gets involved,...

New Facial Recognition Software Lets Pastors Know Who’s Not Attending Church

Since it’s not enough to believe God’s watching over your congregation, church leaders now have a new tool to do that work for Him. It’s called Churchix and it’s a facial recognition system that lets you know who’s in the pews:

Churchix identifies event attending members in videos and photos. All you need to do is enrol high quality photos of your members into the software data base, then connect a live video USB camera or upload recorded videos or photos — and Churchix will identify your memb...

Judge Tosses California Lawyer’s Ballot Initiative Calling For Mass Execution of All Gays

Remember that guy in California who filed a ballot initiative (that came to be known as the “Sodomite Suppression Act“) requesting the mass execution of all gay people?

For only $200, Orange County lawyer Matthew McLaughlin filed a ballot initiative back in March with the following instructions:

“The People of California wisely command, in the fear of God, any person who willingly touches another person of the same gender for purposes of sexual gratification be put to death by bullets to the he...

Flint (Michigan) City Council Said Yes to Prayers at Meetings, and the Very First One Was Illegal

The last time we talked about the Flint, Michigan City Council, officials there were considering spreading Scientology in order to save the city. Not their fault. Someone made a proposal, so they were obligated to hear it even if they didn’t act on it.

On Monday night, though, the bad ideas were entirely their own.

Flint City Council. Council member Jackie Poplar is in the bottom row, second from the left.

Their attorney, Peter Bade, told them they were allowed to have invocations at meeting pro...

Springfield (MO) City Council Tables Plan to Put Up “In God We Trust” Sign in City Hall

A couple of weeks ago, Springfield (Missouri) City Council member Justin Burnett (below) proposed a resolution to put the words “In God We Trust” in city hall. Making this awful idea even worse was his admission that it had “nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion.”

Sure…

But what else did you expect from someone whose schooling involved the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) curriculum?

Last night, at a city council meeting, faced with a lot of opposition, the council vot...