Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1711

Egyptian Cleric: Atheists Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Talk About God Unless They’re Outside the Country

Egyptian cleric Khaled Al-Gindi said on Al-Hayat TV earlier this month that atheists had the right to their beliefs… as long as they remained silent while in the country. Anything less was a “provocation” (of what, he didn’t specify).

A bit over the top, don’t you think, for a country that says it’s home to only 866 atheists?

(via MEMRI TV. Thanks to David for the link)

They Could Hang This Poster at the Creation Museum

Because the Genesis explanation of how we got here is *much* better than anything Darwin figured out:

(via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. Thanks to RED XIV for the link)

Christian Writer Says Married Women Can’t Biblically Refuse Sex

In the darker corners of the Internet, there’s a place called BiblicalGenderRoles.com, run by an anonymous self-described conservative Christian man in his early forties, who apparently just happens to have a hotline to the Almighty on these issues.

It’s a one-stop shop for your daily dose of Biblically-framed misogyny. Or, apparently, to find answers to rape-y questions, like, “Is a husband selfish for having sex with his wife when she is not in the mood?”

The post in question is part of a ser...

Boy Scouts of America President Says Ban on Gay Leaders “Cannot Be Sustained”

In 2013, the Boy Scouts of America finally said gay scouts would not be kicked out of the organization.

But gay scout leaders were still banned. (Not to mention atheists of any age, but that’s a separate issue.)

Now, the BSA’s own President, Robert Gates, says the homophobia has to stop or the organization won’t be around much longer:

In a speech Thursday in Atlanta to the Scouts’ national annual meeting, Gates referred to recent moves by Scout councils in New York City and elsewhere to defy the...

A Rebuttal to “5 Ways The Atheist Community Is Hurting Itself”

I generally like the website Cracked, but an article posted there by Mark Hill is just irresponsible, poorly-researched, and full of every anti-atheist stereotype you can imagine.

Hill is an atheist whose entire exposure to the “movement” seems to be limited to online feuds and whatever he found on Reddit, as if that should be enough to understand all of atheism. And now he’s going to tell us what’s wrong with us.

The piece is called “5 Ways The Atheist Community Is Hurting Itself.” (Which I’m...

Conservative Leader: If Atheists Can Officiate Weddings, It Will Lead to Christian Persecution

Last week, we learned that a group called Atheists for Human Rights had basically won the right for one of their members to become an officiant at weddings in Washington County, Minnesota. (It was illegal until then because that member, Rodney Rodgers, wasn’t a government official nor did he have an endorsement from a church.)

Technically speaking, a judge threw out the group’s lawsuit… but that’s only because county officials caved in and said atheists could officiate weddings. It’s a victory...

Christian “Praise Prom” Organizer Banned Scottish Boy Wearing Kilt Until He Changed Into Man-Pants

At any other prom, it wouldn’t have been a big deal for David Leix to wear his grandfather’s kilt in honor of his Scottish heritage.

But David attended “Praise Prom,” which is for Christian home-schoolers. Organizers thought he was wearing a skirt, so they banned him from entering until he came back wearing dress pants, forcing him to miss hours of what was supposed to be a wonderful memory:

Now, the organizer is doing damage control, saying she had no problem with his heritage. It’s just, you...

Faith-Healer Adam Miller Drops Lawsuit Against YouTuber Calling Him Out on His Claims

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about faith-healer Adam Miller and how he claims to be able to cure cancer, spinal injuries, poisoning, and AIDS.

Last December, Stephanie Guttormson decided to call him out on it on her Think Stephtically YouTube channel:

Adam Miller is a charlatan, he’s a swindler, he’s a snake oil salesman. You risk your lives delaying or forgoing proper medical treatment by going to him for help. And more importantly, for believing his unsubstantiated claims.

A couple of follo...

Christian Pastor Uses Bull to Draw in Converts

Have you ever seen a more perfect metaphor…?

In order to get media attention, a pastor at Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio (home of Hug Me Jesus) brought in a bull during a church service. (Because what else are you gonna do with all that tax-free money. Help people?)

In front of a packed church, Pastor Lawrence Bishop II, climbed up on the back of a snorting, anxious bull named Bonecrusher. The animal was let loose, and Bishop hung on tight as he was bucked around the ring he built inside his...

Happy Sixth Everybody Draw Muhammad Day!

Today is the sixth annual Everybody Draw Muhammad Day — a celebration of free speech in which artists refuse to let religious extremists dictate what they can and cannot draw. After everything that’s happened this year with Charlie Hebdo, the event may be needed more than ever. (Preferably without Pamela Geller around.)

For a couple of years, I hosted your pictures on this site (sorry for the now-messed-up formatting). It’s a lot of work and I just didn’t get around to it this time around, but...