Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1743

Vani Hari, the “Food Babe,” Doesn’t Know What She’s Talking About, Says Scientist Who Does

Yvette d’Entremont does an excellent job of explaining why Vani Hari, the “Food Babe,” has no idea what she’s talking about (which is the main qualification you need before appearing on Dr. Oz, which she’s done multiple times):

Vani Hari, AKA the Food Babe, has amassed a loyal following in her Food Babe Army. The recent subject of profiles and interviews in the New York Times, the New York Post and New York Magazine, Hari implores her soldiers to petition food companies to change their formula...

Your Wish Has Been Granted: They’re Finally Making a Sequel to the Left Behind Movie

Remember when you saw the Left Behind movie starring Nicolas Cage and cried out in the theater, “I MUST HAVE MORE JESUS!”?

Me neither. (Though I watched the movie and wrote a recap just for you.)

You’ll be happy to know that the producers are *finally* working on a sequel. Because after a bad case of diarrhea, it feels good to take a shit.

The last line in the Left Behind movie was an important one — “this is only the beginning.” There is a lot of story to tell. And ultimately, until my last bre...

Why a New Christian Book Focusing on Girls’ Changing Bodies Mostly Misses the Mark

When I was at Grove City College, one of my professors asked us if we identified with our bodies as our physical selves. That question was revolutionary to me, a child of evangelical church culture. To my Catholic peers, this idea was easy, even catechized for them to the point of blasé assumption. But I had never thought about it before — and apparently Dannah Gresh and Suzy Weibel haven’t really considered it, either.

Their new book, It’s Great to Be a Girl!: A Guide to Your Changing Body, i...

In All Seriousness, Will Ted Cruz Really Drive People to Atheism?

Yesterday, humorist Andy Borowitz published a piece at the New Yorker with the headline “Cruz’s Constant References to Jesus Drive Millions to Atheism“:

The Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s constant references to Jesus Christ in his speeches and campaign ads are sparking a strong interest in atheism among millions of Americans, atheist leaders report.

…

“It’s been amazing,” [executive director of the American Society of Atheists Carol] Foyler said. “We’re getting calls from people wh...

A Glimpse Inside “Atheist and Secular Oklahomans Day” at the State Capitol Building

Yesterday, several non-theistic groups held the first-ever “Atheist and Secular Oklahomans Day” at the State Capitol Building, urging legislators to base their decisions on secular, not religious, grounds. (Because who wants to emulate Indiana?)

They set up an “Ask an Atheist” table; handed out information about their groups, their demographics, and what they wanted from politicians; and spoke to legislators. In other words, they held an event that local groups could copy in just about every s...

Former Congressman Barney Frank: Atheist Politicians Shouldn’t Use the Word “Atheist”

Last month, when former Congressman Barney Frank was promoting his new memoir, we found out that he didn’t consider himself an atheist (contrary to what he had suggested in the past).

Today, in a video for Big Think, Frank offered this advice to atheists interested in winning political office: Stop using the A word..

Well, the problem with atheism, politically, starts with the phrase. I have advised people who are themselves non-believers, not to use the word atheist. It has a harshness to it....

Indian Atheist Requested the Constitution Instead of the Bhagavad Gita When Taking Oath, but the Judge Said No

This one’s hard to verify, so take it with a grain of salt.

According to the Indian Express, Sunil Bhalerao (below), an election official in charge of making sure everything is running smoothly, noticed something weird last year:

On April 5, 2014, at around 4.23 pm, his team intercepted a white Maruti Swift at Bhiwandi’s Sai Baba junction having the label of a political party and searched the car. The surveillance team, comprising a police constable, a videographer, a driver and Bhalerao himsel...

Texas High School Continues to Push Christianity on Students Even After Several Warnings

A few days ago, I posted about how Pittsburg High School (Texas) baseball coach Tommy Stewart not only conducted Bible studies with his players after practice once a week, he also punished those who didn’t attend by making them run for 20 minutes.

According to a letter to the school district from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, there was even more evidence of his attempts to push Jesus on his team:

We further understand that Coach Stewart shows religious videos to his players, including t...

Atheists Aren’t the Most Hated Religious Group in Canada, According to New Survey

When it comes to public perception of atheists in the U.S., we usually rank pretty low. In a 2008 survey, only Scientologists had a lower approval rating. And we know we’re at the bottom of the list when it comes to electability.

But that’s not the case in Canada.

A recent survey done by the Angus Reid Institute and Dr. Reginald Bibby of the University of Lethbridge found that atheists are not nearly as hated up north!

When it comes to public perception, 27% of Canadians have a positive image of...

Arkansas Methodist Church Told It Can’t Participate in Easter Parade, Likely Due to Its LGBT-Affirming Stance

The city of Eureka Springs, Arkansas was home to a huge “Celebrate Jesus Easter Parade” this weekend with several local churches taking part in the annual festivities.

But representatives from the Eureka Springs First Methodist Church were told they couldn’t participate even after being accepted initially.

Take a wild guess why…

Church member Suzie Bell believes it’s because of their stance on the LGBT community.

“They wanted to know what our banner was going to say, and it said “Jesus loves all....