Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1773

Prison Proves That People “Absolutely” Choose to Be Gay, Says GOP Presidential Contender Ben Carson

On CNN today, Chris Cuomo asked his interviewee, neurosurgeon and Tea Party heroDr. Ben Carson, to explain his opposition to same-sexmarriage. (You know Carson’s sentiments aren’tgoing to be pretty, given that the possible GOP presidential candidate cracked an odd joke recently about bakers poisoning gay couples’ wedding cakes.)

When pressed by Cuomo, Carson denied that there is a civil-rights issue here, rejecting anyequivalence between the struggles of African Americans and those of gay peop...

Turkish Court Blocks Website of Atheist Group for “Provoking… Hate and Enmity”

It was almost a year ago that the first physical building dedicated to atheism opened up in Turkey:

But if you try to visit their website in the country, you’re out of luck. A court order has now blocked it:

As of March 4, Turkish internet users could not access www.ateizmdernegi.org without using tools to bypass blockings, such as a VPN.

The court ruling cites Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Law, which forbids “provoking the people for hate and enmity or degrading them.”

This is the sort of “ha...

GOP-Led Committee Votes on Bill Allowing Anti-Gay Discrimination During Democrat Opponent’s Bathroom Break

A Georgia bill, SB 129, would protect “religious freedom” — which is code for letting Christians discriminate against gay people without getting punished for it.

Last year, State Sen. Josh McKoon (R, above) tried to pass it… but failed. He’s trying again this year and the bill already got tabled last month. But McKoon figured out a way to get it past the judiciary committee he heads up: He called for a vote while his most vocal opponent went to the bathroom:

So after he quickly checked in with...

Alabama Supreme Court to Probate Judges: Stop Issuing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses Immediately

Last month, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore (below) ordered all probate judges in the state to not issue same-sex marriage licenses. That order didn’t go very far and most of the counties in the state have ignored the ban.

But now, Moore has taken it up a notch:

The Alabama Supreme Court handed down a special ruling Tuesday, ordering a stop to the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses by probate judges.

…

[The ruling states:]

Every day, more and more purported “marriage licenses” ar...

Prayer Totally Works! (But Read the Disclaimer)

In Matthew17:20,Jesus says

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Have you ever seensomeone move a mountain — or even an anthill — with only prayer?

For that matter, have you ever witnessedprayer bringing back a corpsefromthe dead, asMatthew 10:8promised thatany Christian with enough faith cando?

Me neither. The all-importantdisclaimer, the fine print,must h...

Jewish Government Official Recalls the Christian Whose Invocation Ended With, “Our Speaker Today Will Burn in Hell”

Earlier this year, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners adopted a new policy that would turn the courthouse grounds into a public forum following a kerfuffle involving a Nativity scene on the property:

That controversy reminded Mickey Maurer, the former Indiana secretary of commerce, of a time around a decade ago when he gave a speech at Franklin College about the economic development in the area. His speech was fine, but what happened before and after his talk was a little unusual…

The l...

Connecticut Town Takes Down Library Painting Because of Ludicrous Mother Teresa Copyright Claim

When regularsvisitthe public library in Trumbull, Connecticut, they may wellnotice that one of itspaintings is missing.

The painting, which Dr. Richard Resnick donated to the library, shows Mother Teresa and other women marching, holding signs that say messages including “Planned Parenthood,” “Mission of Charity,” “Feed the Poor,” “Remember the Ladies,” “Hospital Reform” and “Right to Vote,” among others.

Trumbull officials have temporarily removed [the] artwork displayed at the public library...

City of Windsor (Ontario) Says No to Flying Christian Flag Atop City Hall During March for Jesus

In 2012, the city of Windsor (Ontario) raised a flag atop city hall that had a large cross on it. There were some complaints as you might imagine and city officials did the right thing:

[Mayor Drew] Dilkens said raising the Jesus flag in 2012 was a mistake, and that some people complained to the city.

… “It seemed to be an error at that time so when the city clerk reviewed it in future years she determined that it was a religious flag, and followed the policy which council approved.”

That’s how...

UK Free School, Already Facing Closure, Found to be Promoting Creationism in the Classroom

The Durham Free School in the UK is an independent state-funded school (kind of like U.S. charter schools) even though it’s founded on “Christian values.” Earlier this year, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan ordered the school to be shut down after it was discovered that school officials cared *way* more about Christianity than the education it offered:

[The report] added that the school’s governors “place too much emphasis on religious credentials when they are recruiting key staff and not eno...

Colorado State Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt: Chapel Hill Muslim Victims Were Killed for Thinking Like Christians

Colorado State Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt is no stranger to saying ignorant things, but his latest tirade is incredible. Not only does he accuse Craig Stephen Hicks of killing three innocent Muslim students because he was an atheist — a claim which is completely unfounded — he says that Hicks killed the Muslims because they were acting like Christians:

He’s basing this off of an image Hicks had posted on Facebook (read: not even his words) which said radical Christians and radical Muslims have...