Hemant Mehta's Blog, page 1997

This is How You Can Help the Atheist Who Uncovered Multiple Constitutional Violations at His High School

A lot of you have contacted me asking how you could donate something to help out Isaiah Smith, the atheist who uncovered — and put a stop to — a whole slew of church/state violations at his high school.

Your desire to help was compounded by the fact that Isaiah was kicked out of his house due to his sexual orientation, forcing him to work full-time while he attends community college this fall.

Isaiah has now started a GoFundMe page (yes, it’s really him) and you’re welcome to chip in there. If you appreciate what he did, it’s one way to thank him.

A Wonderful Reminder That Our Minds Play Tricks on Us

As with so many of their videos, Ok Go’s latest, for “The Writing’s on the Wall,” reminds us to be skeptical of what we see because our minds don’t always reflect reality:

So good! I hope they release a “Making of…” video soon.

(Thanks to Alan for the link)

Flying Spaghetti Monster, Meet Onionhead

This is Onionhead:

He’s like a cross between the Flying Spaghetti Monster and Towelie, with his everything-will-get-better attitude of “Peel it, Feel it, Heal it.” He’s also the fictional mascot for the Harnessing Happiness Foundation.

Onionhead is this incredibly pure, wise and adorable character who teaches us how to name it — claim it — tame it — aim it. Onion spelled backwards is ‘no-i-no’. He wants everyone to know how they feel and then know what to do with those feelings. He helps us direct our emotions in a truthful and compassionate way. Which in turn assists us to communicate more appropriately and peacefully. In turn, we then approach life from a place of our wellness rather than a place of our wounds.

And that’s the point at which you’d walk away slowly.

But Onionhead is now at the center of a lawsuit. Employees of United Health Programs of America Inc. are suing their employers because, they say, they were forced to be a part of this bulbous (heh) monstrosity:

According to the [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's] suit, United Health Programs of America, Inc., and its parent company, Cost Containment Group, Inc., which provide customer service on behalf of various insurance providers, coerced employees to participate in ongoing religious activities since 2007. These activities included group prayers, candle burning, and discussions of spiritual texts. The religious practices are part of a belief system that the defendants’ family member created, called “Onionhead.” Employees were told wear Onionhead buttons, pull Onionhead cards to place near their work stations and keep only dim lighting in the workplace. None of these practices was work-related. When employees opposed taking part in these religious activities or did not participate fully, they were terminated.

There are only three former employees suing. Which makes you wonder what the current employees think about all this. Are they just rolling their eyes and playing along, fearful of doing otherwise?

(via Consumerist — Thanks to Zack for the link)

Secular Invocation Delivered in Osceola County, Florida

Last night, David Williamson of the Central Florida Freethought Community delivered a secular invocation to open up a meeting of the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners (in Florida):

Through the millennia we as a society have learned the best way to govern the people is for the people to govern themselves. Today, in this tradition, we travel from our homes and businesses across the county; citizens, staff, and those elected converge on this chamber to work as one community united and indivisible by nearly every measure. Each of us arrives as individuals with unique ideas and experiences but all… in a spirit of goodwill, to fulfill the needs of others.

Citizens request assistance and offer their concerns and we are ever grateful for their interest and for their trust in the process. Staff provides invaluable expertise in their particular field and we truly appreciate their continued service. Elected officials listen, debate, and choose the path forward for us all out of a sincere desire to serve and honor the people of Osceola County while shaping its future. We all offer our thanks in that often thankless task.

When we leave this chamber this evening let us carry with us this same spirit of service and goodwill tomorrow and every day that follows.

This is how we assemble to serve, and to govern, ourselves.

Beautifully done — and no mention of God needed.

It even got the attention of the local Fox affiliate:

CFFC plans to deliver several more invocations in the state. You can see their running list — along with a compilation of transcripts of secular invocations around the country — right here.

Creationist Group Releases Trailer for Anti-Science Documentary “Evolution’s Achilles’ Heels”

The same small batch of Creationist Ph.D. scientists who make an appearance anytime you’re looking for critics of evolution are now featured in a new documentary produced by Creation Ministries International called Evolution’s Achilles’ Heels:

This, I guess, is the inevitable result of animals accepting evolution

They got 15 Ph.D.s to appear in the film. 15! That’s almost the size of a single small college’s biology department. So that’s persuasive…

Comments are closed on the video, of course, because Creationists, unlike real scientists, only like information to flow in one direction. If they opened up the comment thread, maybe the scientist who said the human race should be “devolving, not evolving” would realize that would actually be the same thing… and the one who trots out the cliché line about how, if evolution is really true, then there’s “no basis for morality” would hear all sorts of challenges.

(Interesting note: I didn’t hear a single woman’s voice in the trailer… which, I suspect, is either the result of a fundamentalist mindset or good decision-making by women everywhere.)

The movie premieres in one church in October and you can sign up here. (I’ll reimburse registration costs for the first few people who send me a review of the movie that I can post after attended opening night.)

(via Joe. My. God.)

Sen. Claire McCaskill Brings Down the Hammer on Pseudoscience-Purveyor Dr. Oz

We know Dr. Mehmet Oz pushes a lot of pseudoscience on his syndicated talk show. He went from being known as America’s most trusted doctor when he appeared on Oprah (and a very talented surgeon) to being known as a purveyor of quack medicine that has no basis in science.

Earlier today, he was called to testify before Congress at the request of Senator Claire McCaskill for one particularly egregious scam promoted, in part, by Oz:

McCaskill’s hearing follows recent enforcement actions against companies engaged in deceptive advertising of weight-loss products. Last month the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it is suing the Florida-based company, Pure Green Coffee, alleging that it capitalized on the green coffee bean diet fad by using bogus weight-loss claims and fake news websites to market its dietary supplement. The FTC claimed that weeks after green coffee was promoted on the Dr. Oz Show, Pure Green Coffee began selling their Pure Green Coffee extract, charging $50 for a one-month supply.

Watch the video of the exchange at Buzzfeed. McCaskill’s questioning makes you wonder who’s the trained scientist and who’s spouting drivel.

The senator made it clear to Oz that:

… the scientific community is almost monolithic against you in terms of the efficacy of the three products that you called miracles. And when you call a product a miracle, and it’s something you can buy, and it’s something that gives people false hope, I just don’t understand why you needed to go there.

(She added that she understands he’s in a business that’s all about getting viewers to tune in, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for a skilled doctor to advance nonsense.)

Oz’s response was stunning:

My job, I feel on the show, is to be a cheerleader for the audience. And when they don’t think they have hope, when they don’t think they can make it happen, I want to look… everywhere, including alternative healing traditions, for any evidence that might be supportive to them.

That’s what bullshit artists do. They look for anything that might support what the audience wants to hear. John Edward and James Van Praagh and all those other scammers who claim to speak with the dead could have said the exact same things.

Dr. Oz was supposed to be different. He has legit credentials. But instead of being an authoritative coach, telling the team what works and what doesn’t — even if they don’t want to hear it — he has become a wishful cheerleader on the sidelines, mindlessly supporting the team regardless of the reality of the situation.

McCaskill closed that segment of the hearing with a biting criticism of Oz:

… I know you feel that you’re a victim. But sometimes conduct invites being a victim, and I think if you would be more careful, maybe you wouldn’t be victimized quite as frequently.

McCaskill, by the way, is a member of the U.S Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. As she clearly should be. Unlike the corresponding House committee, led by Republicans, where members deny climate change and evolution, the Senate seems much more equipped to handle discussions about, you know, science.

Roane County (TN) Officials Want “In God We Trust” on the Courthouse, but One Commissioner is Fighting Back

Turns out there’s one very brave commissioner in Roane County, Tennessee.

The problem is that he’s outnumbered by a bunch of conservatives who think it makes perfect sense to stick the words “In God We Trust” on the county courthouse:

“You know what this building needs?” “Justice?” “Naw. Jesus!”

A proposal to put the phrase “In God We Trust” on the Roane County courthouse is moving forward but not without a fight from one county commissioner.

Roane County Commissioner Steve [Kelley] says he’s been an atheist since he was a teen.

“It means I don’t believe in God,” explained [Kelley]. “I don’t have any problem with religion, religion is fine, it serves an important role in our society but not everybody has to have a belief.”

…

“It kind of diminishes my citizenship,” said Kelley.

The battle to put the phrase on courthouses has been fought recently in surrounding counties including Morgan and Anderson, but Kelley says he’s concerned over the possibility of lawsuits for the county.

“Just because other people have done it doesn’t make it right,” he said.

That last part is key because similar moves have survived legal challenges on the basis that the phrase is our nation’s motto… (because that somehow takes away any religious reasons for having it.) It’ll be paid for by private donations, but that doesn’t diminish the effect it’ll have on non-Christians who have to enter the building.

It’s ironic, really, to put that sign on a courthouse of all places. That’s supposed to be a place where we win or lose on the basis of our testimony and evidence, not because a higher power deemed it so. God is the last person you want to be trusting in a courthouse — after the judge, your lawyer, your eyewitnesses, etc.

But you know how it goes with Christians like these. They’re like dogs who need to pee around their food to mark their territory. They won’t be satisfied until their version of God is acknowledged everywhere in the county — Jews, Hindus, Muslims, and atheists be damned. They don’t care that they’re sending a signal that suggests, “You don’t matter to us.”

In any case, thanks to Steve Kelley (below) for being the sole voice of rationality in a sea of ignorance and Christian privilege:

(Thanks to Chris for the link)

A New Book Tackles the Supposed Hypocrisy of Atheists

We’re used to Christian apologists trying to explain the logic of their faith — and atheists offering rebuttals that amount to “Christianity? Logic? HA!”

One of the more infamous books of that genre is I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek. It was one of those books that I had to read with a red pen next to me, just so I could mark up all the errors. (It was slightly less challenging than a mid-week New York Times crossword puzzle.)

So when I heard Geisler, this time with Daniel J. McCoy, had written another book, I had to check it out. A new challenge!

Their book, out today, is called The Atheist’s Fatal Flaw: Exposing Conflicting Beliefs (Baker Books, 2014) and it focuses on the supposed hypocrisy of atheists.

In the (abridged-for-space) excerpt below, the authors write about the problem with atheists who criticize the idea of submission.

(Note: I don’t normally post excerpts from Christian books — certainly ones that contain ideas I strongly disagree with — but I thought I would do so in this case because the topic concerns atheists directly.)

What starts badly enough, as favor toward the humans of earth, poisons into favoritism toward the people of God. As [Sam] Harris puts it, “There is, in fact, no worldview more reprehensible in its arrogance than that of a religious believer: the creator of the universe takes an interest in me, approves of me, loves me, and will reward me after death.” Atheist magician Penn Jillette says simply, “Believing there’s no God stops me from being solipsistic [entirely absorbed with one’s self].” According to [Christopher] Hitchens, their salvation claim is solipsistic: “How much vanity must be concealed — not too effectively at that — in order to pretend that one is the personal object of a divine plan?” Says Harris, their gratitude is solipsistic: “It is time we recognized the boundless narcissism and self-deceit of the saved. It is time we acknowledged how disgraceful it is for the survivors of a catastrophe to believe themselves spared by a loving God.” Even the notion of sin, according to [Bertrand] Russell, is solipsistic: “Self-importance, individual or generic, is the source of most of our religious beliefs. Even sin is a conception derived from self-importance.” Hitchens explains, “‘There but for the grace of God,’ said John Bradford in the sixteenth century, on seeing wretches led to execution, ‘go I.’ What this apparently compassionate observation really means — not that it really ‘means’ anything — is, ‘There by the grace of God goes someone else.’”

It is our aim now to demonstrate, respectfully and without overstatement, that the atheist basically overturns the tables he has just set up. We just observed that the atheist repudiates the concepts of submission to and special favor from a divinity. Yet consider the following passage by Russell, out of his celebrated “A Free Man’s Worship”: “In this lies man’s true freedom: in determination to worship only the God created by our own love of the good, to respect only the heaven which inspires the insight of our best moments.” To thus call Russell a “worshiper” is probably a misinterpretation, yet no nonbeliever could deny that this patristic atheist was advocating some form of submission — submission not to God but to that which is created by our loftiest humanistic ideals. Similarly, the Humanist Manifesto 2000 claims, “As humanists we urge today, as in the past, that humans not look beyond themselves for salvation. We alone are responsible for our own destiny, and the best we can do is to muster our intelligence, courage, and compassion to realize our highest aspirations.” Although at first this declaration appears to denounce all forms of submission, it is truly a call to submission — to submit “our intelligence, courage, and compassion” to “our highest aspirations.” The aim is a uniting under our highest aspirations. We submit not as the loftiest creation of God’s hands but to the loftiest creation of ours. In other words, our freedom lies not in choosing not to submit so much as in choosing what to submit to. Submission is not the problem; rather it is to whom or to what one will submit. [Richard] Dawkins suggests a hypothetical:

Whether by detecting prime numbers or by some other means, imagine that SETI does come up with unequivocal evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence, followed, perhaps, by a massive transmission of knowledge and wisdom… How should we respond? A pardonable reaction would be something akin to worship, for any civilization capable of broadcasting a signal over such an immense distance is likely to be greatly superior to ours. Even if that civilization is not more advanced than ours at the time of transmission, the enormous distance between us entitles us to calculate that they must be millennia ahead of us by the time the message reaches us.

Why is submission pardonable, necessary, perhaps even virtuous toward them but not to God? According to Dawkins, it’s a matter of whether or not the object of submission exists:

In what sense, then, would the most advanced SETI aliens not be gods?… The crucial difference between gods and god-like extraterrestrials lies not in their properties but in their provenance. Entities that are complex enough to be intelligent are products of an evolutionary process. No matter how god-like they may seem when we encounter them, they didn’t start that way.

But is it merely a matter of whether or not the object of submission exists? Dawkins is obviously right that a nonexistent God is unworthy of our submission. Even submission accompanied by a certain worshipfulness is unproblematic in itself. It is even pardonable to submit to what has become godlike, only not to God. Submission is not the problem; God as object is.

So their repudiation of submission is half-repudiated.

We are not necessarily crying “Contradiction!” Just as a believer can wonder at how man is, in the words of Blaise Pascal, the “pride and refuse of the universe,” the atheist can affirm man as on equal footing with his evolutionary brethren and yet worthy of special dignity. Both can be true in their own sense. The inconsistency lies in the hypocrisy of the rebuke: “How dare you call me dignified; it insults my dignity.” One could argue that their name choice beats any religious self-designation in terms of grandiosity: “We [brights] are, in fact, the moral backbone of the nation: brights take their civic duties seriously precisely because they don’t trust God to save humanity from its follies.” We are not calling atheism religious. We are merely pointing out that special favor is not the problem. Apparently we humans can recognize dignity and even bestow dignity on ourselves, but God can do neither. Again, the problem is not favor toward humanity; the problem is God as source. To sum up, atheists want neither submission to nor favor from God, even though both seem to exhaust the possibilities in dealing with a God. Moreover, since neither submission nor favor seems to be the problem, the problem must be God.

The Atheist’s Fatal Flaw: Exposing Conflicting Beliefs is available on Amazon beginning today. I suggest buying a red pen while you’re at it.

(The excerpt is used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group.)

Scam Artist Preacher Benny Hinn: Give Me $1,000 and You’ll (Somehow) Become Rich!

Benny Hinn, the scam artist with a net worth of $42,000,000 who poses as a preacher and “heals” people (though he never releases their medical records), knows exactly what you have to do to make him yourself wealthier: Just send him $1,000.

No, really, God said so:

If you have been at a low-level harvest for a long time, then it’s time to release your prosperity with higher seed-level giving and a greater expectation of an unprecedented harvest. It’s time to move into high gear and release the prosperity anointing over yourself and your loved ones!

Today, I am asking you to move up to a higher level. I believe strongly that I am supposed to ask God’s people right now to prayerfully consider giving a sacrificial gift of $1,000.

…

We know that miracles happen when we give God something to work with.

So take that step of faith that moves you into a higher level of favor and increase. Sow a generous gift of $1,000 or whatever God places on your heart today.

I can tell you from personal experience that your life will never be the same!

Because if you give him a thousand dollars, then you’ll get incredibly wealthy! (And so will he, but let’s not belabor that point) And if you’re gullible enough to fall for the Christian version of the Nigerian Prince scam and don’t get your money back… well, then you’ll probably be too depressed about your missing grand to worry about writing a letter of complaint to the unreachable Hinn.

Actually, Hinn writes that he’s asking for $1,000 because there’s something special and biblical about the number 1000. But it’d be *crazy* to just ask for 1,000 pennies, right? Of course it would. Jesus totally meant dollars. American dollars.

You may recall that I wrote about Hinn last year when he was heckled at an airport:

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(via Joe. My. God.)

I Feel Okay About Bill Nye Losing This Debate

Finally, the matchup we’ve been waiting for: Bill Nye vs. Isaac Newton in an Epic Rap Battle (featuring Weird Al Yankovic as Newton):

I love the “cameo” 1:30 into the video

(via WWJTD)