Hemant Mehta

Oh my god, @scaachi.bsky.social. slate.com/news-and-pol...

An atheist requested a "religious accommodation" to refuse AI at work—and his university agreed. David Durman says generative AI conflicts with his Humanist beliefs. Kudos to @americanhumanist.bsky.social for making it happen! www.friendlyatheist.com/p/atheist-wi...

An essay in Christianity Today says concerns about Christian Nationalism are exaggerated. But even that defense points to support for teacher-led prayers, Ten Commandments displays in schools, and Christian “moral values.” Those are real threats! www.friendlyatheist.com/p/a-sociolog...

Brazil’s doing the meme.

Here's a superb and fairly thorough report on the Christian Nationalist weirdo, Katy Cornell, running for WA State Rep in the Bremerton/Gig Harbor area.

WA House candidate Katy Cornell claims she's a "common-sense Republican" who wants unity. She's also a pastor whose church removed her controversial sermons from YouTube. But they were too late. Now those sermons are coming back to haunt her. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/the-sermon...

this is fucking appalling. i already knew james dolan (who owns the knicks and madison square garden) was a douche but this is next-level. www.nytimes.com/athletic/771...

This is one of the most holy sh*t stories I’ve ever read in my life. www.vanityfair.com/story/jared-...

After decades of sexual abuse scandals, Catholic leaders still seem more concerned with punishing those who reject their authority than holding abusers accountable. A damning indictment of an institution that claims to be a moral authority.

Franklin Graham wants Christians to vote for endless wars, high gas prices, and non-stop corruption, all in the name of Jesus. That's how morally bankrupt his religion is.

Scott Peyton's son was abused by a priest. Despite being a deacon, Peyton left the Catholic Church to worship elsewhere... so the Church excommunicated him. The priest? He's still technically a priest in the Church's eyes. Read that again. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/catholic-c...

Just been such a revolution in my worldview to realise that people like Musk actually believe this, this isn't just the nonsense they feed the rubes so they can do coldly rational mercantile calculations in smokey rooms among themselves. No. It's rubes all the way down, they're that stupid.

I'll be going live tonight to talk about the past week in church/state separation! Join me! We'll be talking about atheist empathy, Christian patriarchy, and so much more... youtube.com/live/j8IrM5E...

Elizabeth Struhs needed insulin to stay alive. Her parents withheld it and prayed instead. Now a Queensland inquest is examining whether government officials and health care workers could have prevented her death. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/elizabeth-...

Religious organizations shouldn’t get a free pass when it comes to government oversight. If faith-based groups are exploiting vulnerable workers, they should face the same scrutiny and accountability as anyone else. Religious freedom is not a license to break the law.

After years of being stonewalled in their FOIA requests, @atheists.org is suing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. They want information about oversight of faith-based groups who say they bring in workers on R-1 religious worker visas. atheists.org/news/litigat...

Two thoughts: This false, despicable ad is proof that Vivek Ramaswamy knows he is about to lose to Amy Acton. No mother who loves her daughter would do this. Her complicity reveals her.

The most dangerous thing about blind faith is that it can convince otherwise decent people to commit unimaginable atrocities while believing they’re doing God’s will. There is no belief so sacred that it should be beyond questioning.

Today's @slate.com crossword is mine! With a not-so-subtle message about how to LOCK IN before November. And a very bad grocery-themed dad joke. slate.com/life/2026/10...

Paul Mackenzie told his followers they could meet Jesus through starvation. A Kenyan court has now found him and 28 associates guilty in the deaths of 191 people. 190 of them were children. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/kenyan-sta...

I'm interviewing Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in just a bit to talk about church/state separation and other issues! Come watch. youtube.com/live/Bmb9IHu...

The Botkin sisters once told Christian girls to serve their fathers until marriage, then serve their husbands. Now they’re apologizing for all the harm that message caused. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/they-told-...

Whoa... In an interview, @markmaxwelltv.bsky.social asked IL GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey about the patriarchal textbooks at his Christian school. Bailey saw no problem with them. Then his staffer told Mark to wrap up the interview.

So proud of our team at @atheists.org, our Colorado Secular Advocacy Team, and our partners and allies for getting this done. This kind of work isn't flashy and rarely makes headlines. But for the people it helps, it is the difference between freedom and not.

Today's @slate.com crossword is mine! Lots of misdirects, Bible references, and a city whose spelling I had to double check twice. Do it! slate.com/life/2026/10...

Colorado parolees shouldn’t have to choose between their beliefs and staying out of prison. After years of advocacy by atheists and allies, the state has agreed to offer secular recovery options. Here’s how organizers made it happen. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/colorado-p...

I'll be interviewing Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday. What would you like me to ask him, especially in the areas of church/state separation?

This is Emma Tucker, who knows better, using this phrasing in both the hed and the lede but it's also the dumbest thing in the world to be motivated to change, like, exactly what makes an editor do this

A Batavia (NY) City Schools board member (who is also a pastor) called the Salem Witch Museum "Satanic" and voted against a senior class trip that included a visit there. The museum’s response? Free tickets for every Batavia senior who plans to visit. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/salem-witc...

Following the downfall of Kimberly Guilfoyle, Christian conspiracy theorist Eric Metaxas is asking Trump to make him the next U.S. Ambassador to Greece.

After a federal court green-lit a pathway for Oklahoma's first taxpayer-funded religious charter school—which would have been a disaster—it just got REJECTED because the Charter School Board didn't have five votes to approve it. One member was absent. www.kosu.org/jewish-chart...

I'll be going live tonight to talk about the past week in church/state separation! Join me! We'll be talking about high school musical drama, Pete Hegseth's latest horrible idea, and so much more... youtube.com/live/o7EhdRD...

Sad news in the world of atheism: Philanthropist Lou Appignani has died at 93. Among other things, he gave millions of dollars toward the study of humanism at the University of Miami and helped fund the legal center for the American Humanist Association. More to come soon...

Florida's proposed science standards downplay evolution and climate change, making it easier for schools to skip or minimize them. Education Commissioner Henry Mack says the goal is avoiding "ideology." Students deserve so much better than this. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/floridas-n...

Imagine being so terrified of a teenage girl playing a fictional character that you’d rather cancel an entire musical than let students enjoy the arts. This isn’t protecting children. It’s punishing them to appease right-wing extremists.

A Texas district canceled a high school production of "Little Shop of Horrors" after a girl was cast as Seymour. Officials cited the state's anti-drag law (which was struck down in court), then offered other lazy excuses. What a debacle. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/texas-scho...

Prominent white evangelical leaders don’t want kids watching Ms. Rachel. They say Pride flags are dangerous. They want "Thou shalt not kill" posted in classrooms. But a live-streamed government-sponsored execution? That's just fine. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/the-pro-li...

The Hamilton County Schools board in TN was warned that putting the Ten Commandments in every school could trigger a costly lawsuit. A majority voted for it anyway. They knew the risk. They chose indoctrination. Now students may pay the price. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/a-tennesse...

Christian Nationalists in Battle Ground, Washington wanted prayers before city council meetings. They probably assumed only Christians would volunteer. The first person to sign up was a Satanist. You truly love to see it. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/a-city-ove...

Yiiiiikes. Illinois GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey says right-wing Christian pseudo-historian David Barton has been "foundational" in his political journey.

A Satanist recently gave an invocation in Ottumwa, Iowa that ended with "Hail Satan." A pastor then asked the council to "reverse the curse." The mayor capitulated. What a mess. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/satanic-in...

I'll be going live tonight to talk about the past week in church/state separation! Join me! We'll be talking about Jim Bakker, Satanic invocations, and so much more... youtube.com/live/1lfQP5g...

Dale Partridge's position on interracial marriage: ✅Acceptable when he does it ❌ Unacceptable if his daughter marries a Black man The racism is vile. The hypocrisy is breathtaking. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/a-pastor-i...

Conservatives failed to create a taxpayer-funded Catholic charter school in Oklahoma. They're now using a proposed Jewish school to revive the same scheme. And a federal judge just gave them the green light to proceed. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/federal-ju...

Jim Bakker is dead at 86. His legacy? Fraud, fake cures, giant apocalypse-fueled food buckets, and decades spent turning Christian fear into personal wealth. His ministry was never about saving souls. It was about converting fear into cash. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/jim-bakker...

Today's @slate.com crossword is mine, with references to Sen. Eric Schmitt's colossal screw-up. Go do it! slate.com/life/2026/10...

Gabe Poirot says he spent 18 days in Heaven and met a Jesus who was six feet tall, made of fire, and overflowing with testosterone. Fox treated this as news. There's no evidence of this. Just a deeply manipulative story and a book to promote. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/a-christia...

The First Commandment literally orders students: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” The state has no right to tell children how many gods to worship, which gods to worship, or whether to worship any at all.

A Texas judge has ordered Galveston ISD to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms. The district said the posters were unconstitutional and harmful. They resisted until now. Ken Paxton didn’t care. Forced Christianity is the point. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/texas-judg...

Idaho's attorney general just created a dark-money loophole for churches: 1) Wealthy donors give church "unrestricted" donations. 2) Church spends its "general" funds attacking ballot measure. 3) The church’s names may be public but not their donors. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/idahos-att...