Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1950

In the United States’ “Hardest Places to Live,” a Focus on Hell, the Antichrist, and the Rapture

If you rate every county in the United States for factors like life expectancy, income, and education, you can eventually pinpoint the country’s toughest places — as well as the locales where life is, by and large, pretty damn good.

New York Times writer David Leonhardt did just that. Then, using Google data, he compared the Internet search terms in those two polar opposites — a proxy for what’s foremost on residents’ minds. “The [search terms offer] a glimpse into the id of our national inequality,” Leonhardt says, “a portrait of the very different subjects that occupy the thoughts of richer America and poorer America.”

In the hardest places to live — which include large areas of Kentucky, Arkansas, Maine, New Mexico and Oregon — health problems, weight-loss diets, guns, video games and religion are all common search topics. The dark side of religion is of special interest: Antichrist has the second-highest correlation with the hardest places, and searches containing “hell” and “rapture” also make the top 10.

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In the easiest places to live, the Canon Elph and other digital cameras dominate the top of the correlation list. Apparently, people in places where life seems good, including Nebraska, Iowa, Wyoming and much of the large metropolitan areas of the Northeast and West Coast, want to record their lives in images.

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… religious web searches that are relatively more popular in places where life is harder have … a dark cast. “They are not just about religion but about apocalyptic religion,” notes 

Frustrated Christian May Not Pick Up Roadside Trash Anymore Because Atheist Group Adopted That Stretch of Land

The Tallahassee Atheists recently “adopted” a nearly-two-mile stretch of road in Leon County, volunteering to periodically clean it up. It’s just a great community service project.

On Sunday, though, they received a strange complaint from a Christian who also picks up garbage on the road but may stop doing it.

His frustration stemmed from the notion that, if he cleans up the road now, it (somehow) means he’s supporting atheists who don’t believe in his God.

I thought the atheist group’s leader, Austin Aycock, handled the complaint well, alleviating his concerns without mocking what was a completely ridiculous objection:

While we do not share the same belief system as you, and while we may be responsible for the long-term clean-up of the road, I see no reason why you can not give glory to whomever you choose when you decide to pick up trash and litter off the roadside.

If this does not soothe your concerns, did you know that during the clean-up on August 10 we managed to pick up and dispose of 580 pounds of trash? This was no small feat, and took 3 hours and 17 people to pull off. Our charity inspired many others, non-believers and believers alike, to help in their local communities. Good deeds are contagious, you know.

More power to them.

If you’re in Tallahassee, by the way, check out the group’s Facebook page so you can join them on their next cleanup date.

Alabama Atheist Who Opposed City’s “In God We Trust” Display Received Death Threat from Correctional Officer

A couple of weeks ago, several non-Christians spoke to the Mobile County Commission (in Alabama) because the elected officials had voted to put a plaque reading “In God We Trust” in the city’s Administration Building. Despite the opposition, the Commission decided to move forward with the display.

Amanda Scott, a member of the Mobile Atheist Community, was one of the people speaking out against it:

In a boneheaded move, local news station WKRG posed a question to its Facebook fans — not about the legitimacy of the display, but about their opinions of Amanda:

What are your thoughts on a local woman who wants to see an Athiest motto placed next to the words “In God We Trust” at Government Plaza?

It was a horrible question, and the response was exactly what you think it’d be: A lot of awful comments directed at her… and no shortage of threats.

In fact, one of the threats (since deleted) outright called for Amanda’s murder:

It’s hard to make out that icon. So let me enlarge it for you:

It’s a symbol for the Alabama Department of Corrections, where Bennie O. Ashby, who called for Amanda to be shot, works as a correctional officer.

Let me repeat that: A government worker, whose job involves providing security for people in prison, called for an atheist to be killed because she opposed an “In God We Trust” display. (The link was first pointed out by Peregrin Wood at Irregular Times.)

Ashby may have made the threat on his private time, but the connection to his job is very public. With the badge as his icon, it’s entirely reasonable to think he was commenting as a government worker. I’m appalled the Department of Corrections would allow this type of individual on their staff. Would they seriously defend him by saying, “He didn’t do it while on duty, so we don’t care”?

I sent them an email last Wednesday explaining the whole story and requesting a response. It’s been nearly a week and I haven’t heard back. I also sent a message to Ashby himself last night asking if he had anything to say about his threat… he hasn’t written back either. That’s why I’m posting this now.

This is what some atheists have to deal with in the U.S. It wasn’t Amanda’s only threat, but it came from someone in a position of authority, whose salary is paid for by taxpayers. It’s just unbelievable.

And to be clear, I am *not* suggesting anyone make nasty comments of any sort against Mr. Ashby. Don’t do it. Don’t contact him at all. It’ll only make the situation worse. Just use this as evidence that anti-atheist bigotry is still very apparent in parts of our country.

On a brighter note, Amanda is handling all of this with professionalism and bravery. She told me via email that Ashby’s comment “sends the message that atheists in Alabama, like myself, cannot expect to receive fair treatment by state correctional officers.”

Last week, the Secular Student Alliance also gave her an Award for Outstanding Activism, adding:

Amanda, please know that you have the full support of the Secular Student Alliance. We know that an award from us doesn’t make up for the [harassment], but we hope it can serve as a reminder that you are doing fantastic work, and we are proud to have you as a part of the secular student movement.

We’re all proud.

If there are any developments, I’ll post an update.

Christians Should Stop Giving Money to Their Churches if They Don’t Have Enough for Themselves

The video below, part of The Atheist Voice series, discusses why Christians shouldn’t give money to their churches if they don’t have enough for themselves:

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.

The Unholy Trinity Will Tour Down Under

This past spring, Matt Dillahunty (The Atheist Experience), Seth Andrews (The Thinking Atheist), and AronRa (YouTube) formed what they called the “Unholy Trinity” and went on tour, speaking together in several cities. The events were successful enough that they’ll be doing it again in Australia next year.

The Atheist Foundation of Australia is putting together the schedule right now and they’d like to gauge interest to see if they need multiple events in each city (or more cities altogether).

If you live there and you’d be interested in attending an event, please help them by filling out this form! Anyone who fills it out will get first dibs on tickets before they go on sale to the public.

Should Atheist Parents Actively Guard Children Against Religion?

The video below, part of The Atheist Voice series, answers the question: Should atheist parents actively guard children against religion?:

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.

Canada’s Fight Against Government Prayer Heads to the Supreme Court

North of the border, many secularists (at least the ones I know) look on the spectacle of American religiosity in the media with a mixture of bemusement and incredulity: how can public officials get away with such blatant religious promotion. Yet Canada has its own religious demons, so to speak, that we’re working to exorcise from the public sphere.

The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has decided to take a closer look at one of those demons: the practice of opening government meetings across the country with an explicit or implied Christian prayer.

The specific case they’ve agreed to hear is that of Alain Simoneau, who brought a complaint against the city (ville) of Saguenay, Quebec, before the province’s human rights tribunal (the Tribunal des droits de la personne du Québec, QBTDP, or simply the Tribunal — and yes, naturally, the link is in French). In his application, Simoneau noted that public council meetings in Saguenay open with the recitation of a prayer (which begins and ends with the Sign of the Cross and includes a reference to Almighty God). He also objects to the presence of Catholic religious imagery (a crucifix and a Sacred Heart statue) in the room where the government’s public business takes place.

Simoneau, working with the Mouvement laïque québécois (MLQ), contends that these practices, as expressions of government non-neutrality on religious matters, violate the freedom of conscience and religion of non-Christian participants. Avidly interested in municipal politics, Simoneau is an atheist who has expressed his dissent from Catholicism by sending a formal act of apostasy to the Montréal diocese. (Get your own act of apostasy right here! Be aware, though, that since 2010, most sectors of the Church treat written formal acts of apostasy as junk mail.)

The Tribunal ruled in Simoneau’s favour:

… the Tribunal concludes that the reciting of the prayer at public Ville de Saguenay meetings and the presence of religious symbols in the rooms where the meetings are held impair Mr. Simoneau’s right to full and equal recognition of his freedom of conscience and religion without discrimination based on religion, namely, his right not to be subjected to, or forced to hold, a conviction or engage in a religious practice he does not believe in during public meetings led by people representing the political authority in the exercise of their duties.

However, the Quebec Court of Appeal overturned that decision, citing “Canada’s historical heritage” and noting several other Christian references in Canada’s national anthem and Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They found the prayer given was “broadly inclusive and non-denominational,” modeled after the one used in Canada’s House of Commons (Sign of the Cross notwithstanding). And they contended that the crucifix and Sacred Heart of Jesus were considered historical and cultural symbols, not symbols of religious devotion, “for a significant portion of the population.”

The Canadian Secular Alliance (CSA) has joined the MLQ to take the case to the Supreme Court of Canada, hoping to see the government’s religious neutrality upheld during the public business of government, making Canada “a more secular — and therefore more just — society.”

From the CSA website:

The CSA’s consistent and principled defense of secular ideals has now been implicitly recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada. In October, the SCC will consider the request of the Quebec Secular Movement (MLQ) to enforce the secularism of public institutions by prohibiting the recitation of prayers in municipal assemblies. The decision will affect all pending prayer cases currently before the courts in Ontario and the rest of Canada.

No small potatoes, that.

You can read the CSA’s position paper on official prayer in government spaces here. The CSA encourages all interested parties to make a contribution on their homepage. Donations will go toward covering the expenses of participating in what will hopefully represent a landmark case for Canadian religious freedom.

(Image via Doug Baines / Shutterstock.com)

Comedian Katt Williams Trashes Atheists and the Big Bang Theory in His Latest Special “Priceless: Afterlife”

In 2012, during his stand-up special “Kattpacalypse,” comedian Katt Williams told his audience that they needed to grow up and stop believing in lies.

Like evolution.

(The clip below, and just about everything that follows, is completely NSFW.)

You too old to be believing in evolution… evolution say people came from monkeys, and the question is, why is there still monkeys, you dumb motherfucker, you…

Lovely… and obviously ignorant since the answer to that question are easily available to anyone who looks for it. But, okay, he’s just trying to be funny and the crowd seemed to enjoy it.

Last night, HBO premiered Williams’ latest special “Priceless” — it’ll be airing again tonight and multiple times over the next few weeks — and he spent several minutes ripping on atheists. I don’t have a clip I can post yet, but about halfway through the show, he talks about his belief in God and how “these atheists have gotten out of control.”

Why is that?

Because, he claims, they sent him death threats. (I’m assuming he’s referring to comments made in response to that last video about evolution, but I could be wrong.)

Listen here, Mr. Motherfucking Atheist, ain’t nobody goddamn scared of you, motherfucker, because you ain’t got no backup.

Okay. I get the joke. Moving on.

He also gripes about how atheists have the audacity to tell him what he believes — like if he believes in God, then he doesn’t believe in science or evolution! (Which, in his case, is actually pretty accurate…)

Then we get to this part:

Atheists [are] fucked up. Atheists hear my whole story, hear what I believe, and he gonna tell me, “Naw, that don’t make no fuckin’ sense. At all.” Okay! Then tell me your shit. His shit is that two motherfucking atoms just came the fuck together, came together out of nowhere, banged together, and made this whole perfect Earth. [Get the] fuck out of here. You stupid enough to believe that… shit, after this show, go outside to the parking lot and bang on your car till it becomes a better car.… [imitates banging] “Still a Corolla, still a Corolla. What the…”

And then a little later:

Atheists want you to believe two motherfucking atoms banged together, made this whole earth. That should mean they should be able to get on the space shuttle, fly around, and find a place where them same two atoms had banged together before and made some other perfect shit.

That’s not what they see. Every planet they see is more fucked up than the last planet… how you know it’s fucked up? Ain’t nobody on it!

So we can add the Big Bang theory to the growing list of scientific concepts Katt Williams doesn’t understand.

I know, I know, I’m dissecting a comedy bit and taking it *way* too seriously. You could also argue he’s just playing up the ignorance for laughs. But I’ve seen enough of his routines over the years to know that he’s not making these things up. He genuinely believes them.

What’s more disturbing is that his audience eats it up.

I should mention that Williams has a reputation for saying plenty of offensive things about pretty much every group of people — so atheists aren’t alone in that regard. It’s just strange to me that he would write entire bits about how science is wrong (and atheists are dumb enough to believe it)… when he very clearly doesn’t understand the science he’s talking about.

Rich Preacher Sends 4,000 Bottles of Holy Water to Sierra Leone to Cure Ebola

Normally, when a story involves a rich Nigerian person sending money, you can safely ignore it. But in the case of millionaire preacher Temitope (T.B.) Joshua (below), his efforts to curb Ebola are completely misguided and it’s important to understand why:

To help the West African country [of Sierra Leone] fight the escalating Ebola crisis… Joshua says he has sent the Sierra Leone government 4,000 bottles of his patented holy anointed water and $50,000 in cash in a private jet, which also cost $50,000 to charter.

So he spent $100,000 to deliver $50,000… for the purpose of… well, I have no idea. Cash is great, but paper currency itself doesn’t cure anything, and there’s no telling if the money is being donated somewhere useful. Still, at worst, it’s just a waste.

Then there’s the holy water. For a guy who already claims to cure cancer and HIV (with no proof, of course), this is the bottom of the barrel.

This isn’t just ineffective, it’s harmful. It’s possible that people suffering from the disease — who need to be quarantined and given whatever scientific treatment options are available — could “anoint” themselves with the water, wrongly think they’re cured, and then go out in public again, spreading the virus even further.

I never thought I’d say this, but Joshua would be doing more for Ebola patients by praying for them, only because it would have no effect on them whatsoever.

Oh, by the way, if you give $50 a month to Joshua’s ministry, you can help with more disastrous “humanitarian” efforts like these… or, more likely, you’d help him become even richer.

Well, That Explains All Those Shows on “Science” Channels…

You can see the rest of the comic here

(via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal)