Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1717

This Graphic Novel Explains the Pseudo-Conflict Between Science and Religion

Sean Michael Wilson and illustrator Hunt Emerson have teamed up to create a cool guide to the evolution/Creationism faux-debate. It’s called Goodbye God?: An Illustrated Exploration of Science Vs. Religion.

Here’s a glimpse at one of the pages:

The book, which features an introduction from Lawrence Krauss, is available beginning today.

College Atheist Group Offers Secular Stoles for Graduating Members

The Students for Free-thought at the University of Michigan-Flint just did something I’ve never seen before: They created graduation stoles for their members to wear as they accept their diplomas:

Daniel Grasso, the group’s founder and Treasurer, told me that the stoles were a little pricey, in part because the logo had never been digitized, but the Secular Student Alliance helped them out a bit with funding.

More importantly, the members who wore the stoles did so with pride and the reactions...

Wife of Slain Atheist Avijit Roy: “Is Bangladesh Going to Be the Next Pakistan or Afghanistan?”

Back in February, author Dr. Avijit Roy (below) and his wife Rafida Bonya Ahmed were returning home from a book fair in Dhaka, Bangladesh where they were promoting Roy’s latest work when two assailants came after them with cleavers and “hacked them mercilessly.”

Roy died shortly afterwards. Ahmed soon issued a public statement in which she claimed “the local police stood close by and did not act” while they were being attacked. We learned this month that Asim Umar, the leader of the Indian bra...

Conservative Christian Comedian Doesn’t Realize His Critique of Islam Also Applies to His Own Faith

If you’ve never heard of Steven Crowder, please accept my apologies in advance.

He recently posted a piece on his Louder with Crowder site about the Qur’an that is simply too funny — and sad — to pass up. But not funny in the way that Crowder, a former Fox News contributor and conservative comedian, might hope.

In the piece, Crowder and co-author Krystal Heath attempt to present “5 Reasons The Qur’an Can Never ‘Coexist’ With The Constitution… Ever.” Keep in mind that Crowder is a pretty hardcor...

What It’s Like Growing Up When No One Tells You About “God”

Mathias Östlund grew up in Sweden, where religion is often an afterthought. He didn’t even know about the concept of God until he was eight years old.

In a piece for Thought Catalog, he explains what it’s like being raised with not even a working knowledge of religion:

Everyone seems to hold their particular belief as truth. But imagine if you were an 8-year-old kid being told that a long time ago, there was a man who could walk on water, create food out of thin air and resurrect from the dead....

Another Compilation of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Best Arguments and Comebacks

Here’s another compilation of Neil deGrasse Tyson‘s best arguments and comebacks. (I’m sure there are plenty more in the pipeline.)

(via Agatan Fnd)

Saturday Night Live‘s “Draw Muhammad” Sketch Virtually Identical to Bit from Canadian Comedy Show

On last night’s Saturday Night Live, one sketch featured a Pictionary-like game show in which contestants had to draw a clue for their teammates. It was easy enough to guess “Gone Girl,” but the next player’s clue?

“The Prophet Muhammad.”

Chaos ensued as he debated what, if anything, he should do:

I’ll post the clip when it’s available for sharing but, in the meantime, you can watch it at Mediaite.

***Update***: Here’s the sketch:

Incidentally, as one commenter on Mediaite notes, this was pretty m...

Norway Finally Repeals Blasphemy Law

Even though the law hadn’t been used to convict anyone in more than 100 years, Norway finally scrapped its blasphemy law this week in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks:

Norway has officially repealed its longstanding blasphemy legislation this week in a symbolic gesture aimed at supporting the freedom of speech in the country.

According to section 142 of the Norwegian Penal Code, those who broke the law could face fines or six months in prison.

It’s a long time coming. How shameful that any...

Toronto Streetcars Will No Longer Offer Special Sunday Stops Outside of Churches

Last year, the Toronto Transit Commission approved a plan eliminating several stops on streetcar routes. The reasoning involved efficiency (the fewer the stops, the faster the trips)and safety (since they wouldn’t stop mid-block).

But which stops would be shuttered?

As of June 7, Sunday services will no longer include special stops just outside of churches. (Several other general stops will also be eliminated.)

“It’s now 2015, and we don’t have similar stops for temples or mosques or other place...

Christian’s Advice to Fellow Christians: Don’t Be Critical When One of Our Own Does Something Embarrassing

What should Christians do when some high-profile leader says or does something awful?

We know what most of them tend to do: Nothing. Because silence is easier than saying something critical about someone within your broader religious circles. It’s exactly the sort of approach that allows those awful actions to continue and thrive.

I like being part of a skeptical community because I know no one is safe from criticism. If Richard Dawkins or Bill Maher says something dumb, we’ll join the chorus i...