Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1732

Here’s the Full Cards Against Humanity Deck Used at American Atheists’ Charity Tournament

At the American Atheists Convention in Memphis earlier this month, there was a Cards Against Humanity charity tournament. While I saw glimpses of some of the cards over social media, I was finally able to get my hands on a full set, which you can see below (click image to enlarge):

I love that AA knows how to make fun of itself

And it’s an honor to be included.

I think.

Entertainer John Davidson, a Preacher’s Kid, Explains Why He No Longer Believes in God

Following in the footsteps of Rep. Barney Frank, Penn & Teller, Bill Maher, Julia Sweeney, and members of the symphonic metal band Nightwish, actor and former game show host John Davidson has recorded a video explaining why he’s “openly secular”:

So after 50 years in show business, I’d like to repeat what I’ve said many times, but I’ve never done it on camera — I’m openly secular. I have a code of ethics and I don’t need… a Supreme Being in order to be moral. I have faith, I have hope, I have...

Neil deGrasse Tyson Competes in a Blerd Off

In honor of tonight’s premiere of Neil deGrasse Tyson‘s new show StarTalk (11:00p ET on the National Geographic Channel), enjoy this clip of him competing in a Blerd Off (black nerd-off) against Comedy Central’s Larry Wilmore:

How the FDA Can More Effectively Regulate Homeopathic Products

Earlier today, the Food and Drug Administration held a public hearing on the topic of “Homeopathic Product Regulation” and the Center For Inquiry’s Michael De Dora offered testimony on the issue.

Since banning homeopathic medicine is out of the question, what should the government do? De Dora offered these suggestions:

Testing for homeopathic products. As the FDA recognizes, the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act does not exempt homeopathic products from meeting the same standards of safety an...

Former Rep. Allen West: Church/State Separation is Responsible for Football Injuries

Last week, former Rep. Allen West spoke to a conservative group in Texas about the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s battle against formal pre-game prayers at public school football games.

West explained that he never got injured when he played high school football because there was a team prayer before the games:

Now see, I remember growing up in the inner city of Atlanta, Georgia. I went to Grady High School and I played football. And we didn’t have all this high-speed gear and everything li...

Controversial Quotation Quietly Removed from Jehovah’s Witnesses Publication (Without Apology or Retraction)

In the January, 2015 edition of the Jehovah’s Witnesses publication Awake!, a professor was quoted as saying many scientists doubted the theory of evolution.

It happened in the very first section of the issue:

Some might assume that a scientifically-minded person would pick “evolution” and that a religious person would pick “creation.”

But not always.

Rama Singh, professor of biology at Canada’s McMaster University, says: “The opposition to evolution goes beyond religious fundamentalism and inclu...

The L.A. Times Comes Up Empty in New Search For Motive in Chapel Hill Killings of Three Young Muslims

I had to triple-check the date on this Los Angeles Times story.

Craig Stephen Hicks murdered Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha on February 10, allegedly over an ongoing parking dispute. Frenzied speculation ensued about the motive, with even some atheists jumping to conclusions and writingthat Hicks’ hard-line godlessness just had to be the real impetus for the horrible slaying of the three young Muslims.

Last week, the Times sent reporter David Zucchino to...

Charlie Hebdo Editor Criticizes “Islamophobia” in Posthumously-Published Book

This is a guest post by Alan Bao.

…

On January 7, Stéphane Charbonnier and eleven others were assassinated when gunmen stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo. Now, three months after the deadly attack that took his life, Charbonnier is getting the last word.

In his posthumously-published book, Letters to the Fraudsters of Islamophobia Who Play Into the Hands of Racists, Charbonnier criticizes the idea of Islamophobia and those who would misappropriate it, claiming that “a lot of those who campaign...

It’s Tinder… for Christians

If it’s popular in the culture, you can bet Christians will make a shitty knockoff version of it. The latest example involves the dating/hook-up app Tinder.

The Christian version of it was just released yesterday. It’s called Collide and it lets you look at someone’s picture and favorite Bible verse, after which you can choose which way to swipe:

Should be interesting to see what happens when an app most people use for sex intersects with a culture that preaches abstinence until marriage.

(Image...

Friendly Atheist Podcast Episode 51: Megan Fox, Evolution Exhibit “Auditer”

Our latest podcast guest is Megan Fox, the apparent evolution-denier who “debunked” a science exhibit at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History and posted the video on YouTube.

(Yep. Really.)

In a long, far-ranging, and sometimes infuriating interview, we talked about the reactions to her “audit” videos, whether her gender plays a role in the backlash, and why she doesn’t consider herself a Creationist.

We also discussed why she believes not censoring the Internet in a local library’s adult s...