Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1684

Mike Huckabee: We Don’t Need to Talk About Racism. We Just Need to Bring More People to Jesus

You thought there was a race problem in America?

Silly you. It’s been over for a long time. God solved it.

Just ask GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who explained all of this on Fox News Channel this morning:

I keep hearing… people saying we need more conversations about race. Actually, we don’t need more conversations. What we need is conversions because the reconciliation that changes people is not a racial reconciliation. It’s a spiritual reconciliation when people are reconciled to...

The Satanic Temple Just Sued Missouri in Federal Court Over Its 72-Hour Abortion Waiting Period

Back in April, I wrote about “Mary,” a Missouri native who wanted an abortion but had to navigate an unnecessary obstacle.

… Planned Parenthood of St. Louis is currently the only abortion provider in the state. Not only does Mary live hundreds of miles away, but there is also a dehumanizing 72 hour waiting period between her initial appointment and the procedure itself. This means that Mary must either find lodging or make the trip twice. She doesn’t have the means to do this.

As it turned out,...

Dr. Ben Carson Debated Evolution with a “Leading Atheist” and Thinks He Won

Over the weekend, Republican Presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson spoke to a crowd at the Faith and Freedom Coalition‘s “Road to Majority” conference in Washington D.C. and he referenced an exchange he once had with an unnamed “leading atheist” (3:48 mark):

I remember a few years back I was engaged in a debate in Hollywood with a leading atheist. This guy thinks that anybody who believes in God is a total moron. And as we got to the end of the conversation, you know, and he’s denigrating anyb...

Atheism is a Religion Like…

The video below, part of The Atheist Voice series, explains why atheism is not a religion.

A rough transcript of the video can be found on the YouTube page in the “About” section.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the project — more videos will be posted soon — and we’d also appreciate your suggestions as to which questions we ought to tackle next!

And if you like what you’re seeing, please consider supporting this site on Patreon.

Friendly Atheist Podcast Episode 60: Dianna E. Anderson, Purity Culture Critic

Our latest podcast guest is Dianna E. Anderson, author of Damaged Goods: New Perspectives on Christian Purity, all about the intersection of the church and sexuality.

Anderson grew up in South Dakota. After stints as an English teacher in Japan and a radio producer in Chicago, she’s turned her focus to writing. Damaged Goods is her first book.

We spoke with her about why sex is often seen as shameful in parts of Christianity, what conversations the broader evangelical culture is having about se...

Christian Leader: Let’s Help Muslims Observe Ramadan by Introducing Them to Jesus

During this time of Ramadan, a month of fasting for Muslims worldwide, Jerry Rankin, president emeritus of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, knows exactly how Christians can help Muslims during the holiest time of their year:

You know what this picture is missing? The One True God.

What if Christians fervently prayed during the month of Ramadan that God would reveal himself to Muslims in this time of seeking?…

…

It is tragic that we should be so wrapped up in our self-interests an...

Gays Are Setting the World On Fire, According to Janet Porter and Mike Huckabee

Happy Pride Month, fellow uncontrollable arsonists! May your alternative lifestyle glow with the fire of a thousand blazing freedoms.

I’m paraphrasing Janet Porter, the president of conservative Christian group Faith2Action, in avideo excerpt from the anti-LGBT documentary Light Wins. This one in particular isabout how LGBT people are ruining the country by supposedly shutting down businesses run by vocal opponents of equality. Mike Huckabee makes an appearance, too.

Right Wing Watch nabbed the...

Another Florida Megachurch Preacher, Billy Graham’s Grandson, Resigns After Affair

A high-profile pastor resigned over the weekend after admitting he had had an affair.

In general, I think the media shouldn’t criticize people for what they do in their private lives unless they were hypocrites, like pastors preaching Christian moral superiority or that gay marriage will destroy society. (That’s why Ted Haggard, who frequently spoke out against homosexuality, was fair game.)

But Tullian Tchividjian (above) is the grandson of Reverend Billy Graham and nephew of Franklin Graham....

Comedian Marc Maron and President Obama Discuss Faith in Interview (Albeit Very Briefly)

We know President Obama‘s father was non-religious. In a 2006 speech, Obama said that his father “was born Muslim but as an adult became an atheist.” His mother was Agnostic (though Obama once referred to her in Dreams from My Father as a “lonely witness for secular humanism”).

On Friday, comedian Marc Maron interviewed President Obama for his WTF podcast and the episode was released earlier today. If you listen to the show regularly, as I do, you knew religion was going to come up at some poi...

New Gallup Poll Shows That Atheists Are No Longer the Least Electable Group in America

For decades now, Gallup has been asking voters about their dealbreakers when it comes to electing a President:

If your party nominated a generally well-qualified person for president who happened to be ________, would you vote for that person?

Every time they’ve asked that question, “atheist” has been at the bottom of the list.

In 2012, there was cause for celebration simply because more than half of those surveyed said they wouldn’t hold atheism against a politician.

Gallup released a new poll t...