Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1724

In a Pleasant Surprise, Venice (Florida) City Council Votes Against “In God We Trust” Plaque

Here’s something you don’t hear every day: Nice job, Florida!

The Venice City Council voted 5-2 this week against adding an “In God We Trust” sign in the council chambers:

“The question of God in the government should be avoided. It just raises too many issues and it isn’t necessary,” says [resident Raymond] Schiller.

Schiller spoke on behalf of several residents in opposition to the plaque. He says it might have been appropriate in the past — but not now.

“The secular community is growing. To ha...

A California Megachurch Took Over a Local Public School Board and the Results are Disastrous

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...

Premarital Sex Will Destroy Your Soul and Ruin Your Body, According to Presentation at Catholic Girls’ School

Coloma Convent Girls’ School in Croyden (England) introduced students to an interesting perspective on sex, courtesy of a group called Pure in Heart UK. The Croyden Guardian reports that the group was speaking (by invitation) at the school and ended the presentation by handing out a pamphlet called the “Single Catholic’s Guide.”

A real tweet from the group.

Among other things, the pamphlet warned:

In fact, many who slept around or had sex outside of marriage have discovered that it was destroyin...

Pawtucket (RI) City Council Member Halts Meeting Until Man Stands Up for Pledge of Allegiance

At last week’s meeting of the Pawtucket City Council in Rhode Island, during the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, Councilor Mark Wildenhain wouldn’t start saying it until everybody stood up.

And Joe Hart wasn’t standing up.

Hart, a Cumberland resident who said he’s planning to move to Pawtucket, has been coming to council meetings for many months and said he has never stood up for the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s not that he hates his country or is looking to disrespect it, said Hart, but...

After Stopping Bible Giveaway, Atheist Mom Says Threats Have Forced Her to Pull Son Out of School

Earlier this month, in Duncan, Oklahoma, Woodrow Wilson Elementary School teacher Erica Mackey announced she had a surprise for her third-grade students:

The student reports that Mrs. Mackey announced that she had “the holy Bible” and asked if anyone would like one. Nearly all the students walked up to her desk and she handed them out. After seeing his classmates take Bibles from the teacher, the child felt peer-pressured and coerced to do the same.

Thankfully, that child told his mother, and s...

Wisconsin High School Removes Sexist Prom Posters Telling Boys to “Protect Her Character”

Last week, these posters were on the walls of Lincoln High School in Manitowoc (Wisconsin) in anticipation of Saturday’s Prom:

There were several problems with those signs, but here were the big ones:

1) The message was that girls’ “character” needed protecting… implying that if they did anything remotely sexual at prom, they would lose their integrity. A similar message wasn’t directed at the boys.

2) The posters were sponsored by two local Christian organizations… which shouldn’t be allowed at...

Jehovah’s Witnesses Actually Believe These Things

A new Instagram account run by the people at JWAlumni.org features passages taken directlyfrom Jehovah’s Witnesses publications… and they show just how messed up the religion can be:

So many more examples right here.

(Thanks to Jade for the link)

At Least They’re Honest…

Seen outside a church in St. Joseph, Michigan:

Of course they like sheep. Sheep don’t ask questions.

(Image via reader Garman)

Understanding the Religious Freedom Restoration Act

The video below, part of The Atheist Voice series, explains the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the law that recently created a stir in Indiana.

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.

Missouri Woman, a Satanist, Will Claim “Religious Freedom” to Get Out of 72-Hour Abortion Waiting Period

“Mary” is a Missouri native who wants an abortion… but there are a couple of big obstacles in that state:

… 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.

That’s from a GoFundMe page to hel...