Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1692

Quebec Government Grants Certificate Allowing Raif Badawi to Live There… If He Can Get Out of Saudi Arabia

Now that the Saudi Supreme Court has upheld Raif Badawi‘s punishment of 1,000 lashes, 10 years in prison, and a 1,000,000 Saudi riyal fine (about $266,000) for the crime of “insulting” Islam, there’s a looming question of what, if anything, can be done to rescue him.

On Friday, his flogging was delayed (yet again, thank goodness) for some unknown reason. But until he’s freed entirely, there’s still reason to worry.

In the meantime, I’m happy to say that the government of Quebec has now taken th...

Lawyer for School District Accused of Endorsing Christianity Fails to Show Up at Mandatory Court Hearing

Last year, I posted about the Chino Valley Unified School District (in California), where Board of Education meetings resembled church services.

That’s not an exaggeration at all. Here’s just a snippet of what a meeting looked like:

Board of Education President James Na

… CVUSD Board of Education President James Na said [at a meeting] “our lives begin in the hospital and end in the church, and urged everyone who does not know Jesus Christ to go and find Him.” Mr. [Andrew] Cruz “closed by reading...

University of Toledo Football Coach, Caught Leading Team Prayer, Indirectly Says It Won’t Happen Again

In 2012, the University of Toledo posted a video on its YouTube channel featuring an “all-access” look at the football team’s pre-game festivities. At one point you can see Head Coach Matt Campbell leading a prayer with the team members:

This only became an issue recently, when an alumnus of the school contacted the Freedom From Religion Foundation about the problem. Because Campbell was still the coach, there was every reason to believe the prayers were still happening. So FFRF sent universit...

Florida School District Accused of Telling Kids They’re God’s “Possession”

How many church/state violations does a school district need to commit before they’ve crossed the line?

Correct answer: One.

But the Levy County School District in Florida committed at least seven.

According to a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation to Superintendent Robert O. Hastings, here’s what the District allegedly did:

1) Had invocation prayers at school board meetings

It is our understanding that each School Board of Levy County meeting begins with an invocation delivered by a...

State Officials in North Carolina Can Now Use Religion as an Excuse to Get Out of Conducting Gay Weddings

Lazy clerks and religious bigots in North Carolina got some great news this week.

On the other hand, the Republican legislature handed a rather raw deal to gay couples, those who support equality and actual freedom of religion, and taxpayers who prefer that government officials do the jobs they’re paid to do.

On Thursday, the North Carolina House, following the lead of the Senate, voted to override Governor Pat McCrory‘s veto of the “religious freedom” bill, SB 2, that allows magistrates to ref...

College Athlete Says She Lost Her Scholarship After Objecting to Her Coach’s Christian Proselytizing

Normally, when we hear stories about a college coach who forces athletes to participate in religious ceremonies, they involve atheist students.

What’s going on at Delaware State University, however, involves two religious parties.

According to a federal lawsuit filed this week, Natalia Mendieta received a full scholarship to play volleyball for DSU in 2012. Even though she had other similar offers, she was excited to start playing in Delaware. As long as she contributed to the team and remained...

New TV Show Will Highlight Modern-Day Miracles… (Because Trying to Explain Them Would Require Thought)

Looks like TLC will soon be airing a show that’s the antithesis of Mythbusters.

Instead of trying to get to the bottom of various myths — that takes too much work — Answered Prayers will just assume that whatever unexplained coincidences people share with them are part of God’s Master Plan.

Answered Prayers explores modern-day miracles hosted by celebrated actress and producer Roma Downey…

The series follows the remarkable stories of people in life-threatening situations who have experienced mom...

A Former Quiverfull Mother Explains Why She Left the Lifestyle

Last week, we posted an interview with Vyckie Garrison, the founding editor of No Longer Qivering (a website based upon the “quiverfull” lifestyle that she left years ago).

Seth Andrews just released a powerful video of her describing the difficulties of that culture and why she had to get out:

I’ve learned a lot from listening to Garrison — I just hope other women in her position realize there’s a way out, too. It’s not easy, but it’s not nearly as horrible as they might imagine.

Atheist Comedian Eddie Izzard: I’m Running for Mayor of London in 2020

Well, if an atheist wants to run for elected office, doing it overseas is probably a good bet.

Comedian Eddie Izzard (who performed at the 2012 Reason Rally) said in an interview that he plans to run for Mayor of London in 2020:

American politicians who aren’t religious may claim they are, out of fear or pandering. But comedian Eddie Izzard will run for mayor of London an an atheist, and he expects no fallout.

That’s because Brits aren’t so religiously punishing to candidates now, partly because...

Michigan Law Now Lets State-Funded Faith-Based Adoption Agencies Discriminate Against Gay Parents

Yesterday, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder sign into law a

This scene makes the Baby Jesus cry

The three-bill package, widely opposed by LGBT advocates, had reached his desk less than 24 hours earlier after approval Wednesday in the Republican-led Legislature.

…

“The state has made significant progress in finding more forever homes for Michi...