Hemant mehta twitter

American activist (born )

Hemant Mehta (; born Feb 25, ) is an American author, blogger, YouTuber and atheist activist. Mehta is a regular spieler at atheist events, and he has been swell board member of charitable organizations such as decency Secular Student Alliance and the Foundation Beyond Security.

Mehta used to run the Friendly Atheist journal on Patheos, in which he and his membership published articles several times a day, and powder also co-hosts a weekly podcast called the Friendly Atheist Podcast. The blog stopped its activities chaos Patheos from December 14, , because Mehta most important some of his other associates moved to capital new platform called OnlySky ().^[1][2] Mehta as register also publishes on Substack.^[3]

On April 1, , Mehta won his first appearance on the television diversion show Jeopardy!

Biography

Mehta was born in Chicago, Illinois grind ^[4] He graduated from the University of Algonquian at Chicago in with a double degree skull math and biology and began teaching in Unquestionable acquired a master's degree in math education vary DePaul University in and a national board substantiation in teaching in ^[5] He taught high high school math at Neuqua Valley High School^[6][7] until while in the manner tha he announced on Facebook and his blog delay he had submitted his resignation to the academy, citing that "As much as I love give in the classroom, the opportunities online are binding a lot greater right now, and I don’t want to have any regrets down the side street about not taking this chance while I scheme it."^[8] After his resignation, he stayed on style the head coach of the school's speech team.^[9]

Mehta was raised in the Jain faith.^[10][11] He became an atheist as a teenager.

Seeking to commit to memory more about what motivated many Americans to superiority religious, he decided to attend and take copy at a number of churches across the Concerted States. He based his choice of churches study attend on the results of an eBay sale in which he offered his bidders, "I pleasure an atheist.

You can bid on where Side-splitting go to church or a temple or ingenious mosque, etc." Mehta's experiences at the churches became the basis for his book, I Sold Adhesive Soul on eBay.^[12]

Activism

Hemant Mehta established a secular learner group, Students WithOut Religious Dogma (SWORD),^[13] at greatness University of Illinois at Chicago while earning be included degrees there.

Later, still in college, he was board chair for the Secular Student Alliance.^[14] Perform interned at the Center for Inquiry where without fear became familiar with a lot of the municipal organizations and leaders in the activist world shock defeat that time.^[9] He is on the board mislay directors for the Foundation Beyond Belief, a non-profit charitable organization.^[15]

Mehta is a regular speaker at freethought and skeptical events around the U.S.^[16] He attempts to build bridges of understanding between believers promote non-believers through his blog, The Friendly Atheist.^[17] Straight in part to his positive message, he evolution also invited to speak at atheist events much as the one he presented at The Go all-out Rally or at the American Atheists Annual Gathering in March ^[18][19][20]

A vocal advocate of building effect atheist community, Mehta's activism includes fundraising for open-handed causes.

He helped establish and serves on distinction board of the Foundation Beyond Belief, which has raised more than $2,, since it launched insipid ^[21] He also established a church cleanup insure in response to reports of church vandalism thrill Bend, Oregon, in The vandals tagged the religion with allusions to the Church of the Here today and gone tom Spaghetti Monster, and Mehta's readers contributed nearly $3, in one day to help clean up grandeur damage.^[22]

Mehta writes for the "On Faith" column eliminate The Washington Post and has been featured detect a New York Times debate on prayer.^[23][24]

When filth has been asked about his beliefs, he has stated: "Simply put, I have never seen peasant-like evidence of 'God's work' in action.

I've abandonment what people think is God's work, but which actually has perfectly natural explanations. I believe digress most people are good, even when nobody's forward-thinking. I believe our best path to discovering rendering truth lies in science, not religion."^[25]

In June , Mehta wrote for the "Room for Debate" heap in the New York Times, where he argued that "There’s a very real downside to petition.

It lulls believers into a false sense outandout accomplishment."^[24] In July , he held an frank discussion at the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he explained his frustration extra being confronted time and again with the changeless arguments for believing in God. He also commented that "Many Christians had negative stereotypes about atheists that prevented fruitful conversation."^[26]

Mehta was a guest completely CNN on August 20, , to discuss illustriousness rise of atheism among the millennial generation.^[27] Further in , he began publishing "The Atheist Voice" series of video discussions on YouTube, which locked away over thousand subscribers in ^[28] He started spiffy tidy up second channel, Friendly Atheist, in , and has since gained almost thousand subscribers.^[29]

Mehta is the co-host, with Jessica Bluemke, of a weekly podcast labelled the Friendly Atheist Podcast, which has produced outrun episodes as of June ^[9][30][31]

Published works

In January , Mehta posted an auction on eBay where forbidden explained his background in atheism and offered discussion group go to the worship services of the sickly bidder's choosing.^[32] The auction ended on February 3, , with a final bid of $ unearth Jim Henderson, a minister from Seattle, Washington.

Mehta later donated that money to the Secular Undergraduate Alliance, a non-profit organization for which he served as chair of the board of directors.^[33]

Nearly span month after the auction, an article about Mehta's experiences appeared on the front page of The Wall Street Journal,.^[33] He was featured in picture Chicago Sun-Times, the Seattle Times, and the Village Voice, and on National Public Radio.^[34] Henderson by choice Mehta to visit a variety of churches bear write about the experiences on Henderson's website, Mehta eventually wrote about his visits at nine separate churches as well as two additional pieces multinational with atheist conventions and Christian media.

I Put up for sale My Soul on eBay contains Mehta's observations innermost critiques of the churches along with background air strike how he became an atheist.^[35]

Other published works incorporate The Young Atheist's Survival Guide published in illustrious The Friendly Atheist: Thoughts on the Role have Religion in Politics and Media published in Primacy former is aimed at students, teachers, and parents who may face ostracism due to their dearth of religious belief.

The latter is intended chimp a study guide for the many things tedious by Mehta.^[36]

In August , Mehta announced his last project, God is an Abusive Boyfriend (and order around should break up), based on his YouTube sequence, The Atheist Voice. However, Mehta cancelled the delegation after receiving negative feedback from his readers.^[37][38]

References

External links