Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1790

Do Atheists Need a Wake-Up Call After the Chapel Hill Shootings?

On February 10, Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad, and Razan Mohammad (below) were gunned down by Craig Stephen Hicks; the three victims were Muslim, and their murderer was an atheist. When news of the shooting broke, the link between the shooter’s anti-theism and the victims’ faith was what seemed to dominate the narrative. While some emphasized the link between the shooting and atheism, some came straight out and said that New Atheists and New Atheism were to blame for the deaths.

Since th...

Article Reveals How Far Leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses Will Go to Cover Up Child Sexual Abuse Within the Church

When it comes to covering up abuse, Jehovah’s Witnesses are rivaling the Catholic Church, if not the Orthodox Jewish community in New York.

Trey Bundy of the Center for Investigative Reporting has a long and detailed expose of the policies used by JW church leaders that shows just how horribly they handle abuse cases, going so far as to tell local spiritual leaders “to form confidential committees to handle potential criminal matters internally” rather than going to the police.

Within the organ...

There’s Another Man?!

She never should have said His name:

(via the New Yorker)

It Can Be Rough to Worship at the Church of Apple

I made a graph to illustrate what happened as I read the news about Apple making an electric car.

Glad They Cleared Up That Mistake…

Boyd W. Thomas wrote a letter to the editor of the Lexington Dispatch (North Carolina) that’s just gloriously weird. It begins like this:

God states that seven kings must come before the rise of the Antichrist. Revelations 17:10 says the seventh king will reign for a short amount of time. Is Barack Obama the seventh king?

I guess when the article ran, though, the headline said something like “Is Obama the Antichrist?” Which caused the editors to have to correct their mistake in an even more mem...

Updates on the Copenhagen Shootings — Dead Gunman Is Named as Known Danish Criminal Omar El-Hussein

ABC Australia:

The suspected gunman in two fatal shootings in Copenhagen has been named as 22-year-old Omar El-Hussein, who police said had a history of gang-related violence.

Police raided an internet café close to where El-Hussein was killed and said he may have been inspired by the Islamist attacks in Paris a month ago. Local reports said El-Hussein had been released from prison two weeks ago for assault. Investigatorsbelieved he was to blame for killing two menin separate gun attacks –one a...

New Australian Cooking Show Features Two Hilarious Atheist Hosts (One of Whom Is “Food Intolerant”)

Earlier this week, the two women behinda web-based cooking comedy, Oz actors and directors and Kate McLennan, launchedall six existing episodes at once on YouTube. I binge-watched all of them yesterday and am smitten. Acerbic, zany, and more than a little neurotic (McCartney, having “a largely ornamental gut,” is “food intolerant”),the Katering Showis the parody that Martha Stewart and Paula Deen have richly deservedfor a long time.

In the final episode, below, the Kates, who say...

Fifty Shades of Grey Just Beat Out Passion of the Christ for Biggest February Opening Day Ever

If Christians weren’t already flipping out over Fifty Shades of Grey, this should do it:

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson attend a screening of Fifty Shades of Grey at the Ziegfeld Theatre on February 5, 2015 in New York

Universal is reporting a Friday estimate of $30.2M for Fifty Shades Of Grey, making it the highest February opening day ever, beating Newmarket’s Passion Of The Christ which opened on Ash Wednesday 2004 with $26.6M.

As for the full opening weekend, Passion of the Christ is still...

Tennessee Supreme Court Upholds Conviction of Mother Who Attempted to Heal Her Daughter’s Cancer with Prayer

In early 2002, a doctor told 15-year-old Jessica Crank she needed to go to an emergency room because of what was later diagnosed as Ewing’s Sarcoma, a cancerous bone tumor. Instead of doing that, her mother Jacqueline Crank turned to Jesus.

Jessica died later that year.

Tennessee law has a section with definitions for aggravated child abuse and neglect that includes a religious exemption:

Nothing in this part shall be construed to mean a child is abused, neglected, or endangered, or abused, negl...

Campaigner Against Fifty Shades Movie Claims That S&M Games Are “Brutality” — “No Woman Wants That”

It always amazes me that busybodieslike Ohio activistLynn Stevens don’t simply say “Thanks, that’s not for me.” Instead, their goody-goodyviewseems to be, “I don’t like it, and other people shouldn’t either.”

Lynn Stevens has been watching in horror as her friends make plans to see Fifty Shades of Grey, a film that tells the story of a recent college graduate involved with a man who introduces her to sadomasochism. “My stance is empowering women, not overpowering women,” said Stevens, who dire...