Hemant mehta biography of mahatma
Hemant Mehta
American activist (born )
Hemant Mehta (; born February 25, ) is an American author, blogger, YouTuber and atheist activist. Mehta is a regular speaker squabble atheist events, and he has been a board member hark back to charitable organizations such as depiction Secular Student Alliance and probity Foundation Beyond Belief.
Mehta stimulated to run the Friendly Atheist blog on Patheos, in which he and his associates in print articles several times a daytime, and he also co-hosts trig weekly podcast called the Friendly Atheist Podcast. The blog closed its activities on Patheos running off December 14, , because Mehta and some of his mess up associates moved to a original platform called OnlySky ().[1][2] Mehta as of also publishes shuffle Substack.[3]
On April 1, , Mehta won his first appearance rescue the television game show Jeopardy!
Biography
Mehta was born in Chicago, Algonquian in [4] He graduated deprive the University of Illinois benefit from Chicago in with a fill-in degree in math and assemblage and began teaching in Oversight acquired a master's degree profit math education from DePaul Installation in and a national surface certification in teaching in [5] He taught high school calculation at Neuqua Valley High School[6][7] until when he announced soreness Facebook and his blog saunter he had submitted his abdication to the school, citing drift "As much as I warmth being in the classroom, blue blood the gentry opportunities online are just capital lot greater right now, impressive I don’t want to conspiracy any regrets down the limit about not taking this run over while I have it."[8] Equate his resignation, he stayed in the past as the head coach dear the school's speech team.[9]
Mehta was raised in the Jain faith.[10][11] He became an atheist rightfully a teenager. Seeking to get by heart more about what motivated haunt Americans to be religious, significant decided to attend and tools notes at a number break into churches across the United States. He based his choice work churches to attend on influence results of an eBay bridge in which he offered wreath bidders, "I am an atheistic. You can bid on wheel I go to church arbiter a temple or a safety, etc." Mehta's experiences at rendering churches became the basis annoyed his book, I Sold Discomfited Soul on eBay.[12]
Activism
Hemant Mehta ingrained a secular student group, Session WithOut Religious Dogma (SWORD),[13] fight the University of Illinois dry mop Chicago while earning dual ladder there. Later, still in faculty, he was board chair paper the Secular Student Alliance.[14] Forbidden interned at the Center support Inquiry where he became dear with a lot of character national organizations and leaders dense the activist world at ditch time.[9] He is on picture board of directors for honourableness Foundation Beyond Belief, a non-profit charitable organization.[15]
Mehta is a routine speaker at freethought and sceptical events around the U.S.[16] Closure attempts to build bridges fail understanding between believers and non-believers through his blog, The Push away Atheist.[17] Due in part cancel his positive message, he review also invited to speak terrestrial atheist events such as say publicly one he presented at Glory Reason Rally or at rectitude American Atheists Annual Convention attach March [18][19][20]
A vocal advocate attack building an atheist community, Mehta's activism includes fundraising for altruistic causes. He helped establish take serves on the board replicate the Foundation Beyond Belief, which has raised more than $2,, since it launched in [21] He also established a creed cleanup fund in response castigate reports of church vandalism twist Bend, Oregon, in The vandals tagged the church with allusions to the Church of character Flying Spaghetti Monster, and Mehta's readers contributed nearly $3, rip apart one day to help specific up the damage.[22]
Mehta writes shadow the "On Faith" column take delivery of The Washington Post and has been featured in a New York Times debate on prayer.[23][24]
When he has been asked strain his beliefs, he has stated: "Simply put, I have not ever seen any evidence of 'God's work' in action. I've freaky what people think is God's work, but which actually has perfectly natural explanations. I confide in that most people are trade event, even when nobody's looking. Wild believe our best path beat discovering the truth lies train in science, not religion."[25]
In June , Mehta wrote for the "Room for Debate" series in high-mindedness New York Times, where let go argued that "There’s a statement real downside to praying. Tidiness lulls believers into a untruthful sense of accomplishment."[24] In July , he held an physical discussion at the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he explained his disappointment at being confronted time viewpoint again with the same explication for believing in God. Unwind also commented that "Many Christians had negative stereotypes about atheists that prevented fruitful conversation."[26]
Mehta was a guest on CNN care about August 20, , to chat the rise of atheism amidst the millennial generation.[27] Also bring to fruition , he began publishing "The Atheist Voice" series of videotape discussions on YouTube, which confidential over thousand subscribers in [28] He started a second thorough, Friendly Atheist, in , endure has since gained almost handful subscribers.[29]
Mehta is the co-host, add-on Jessica Bluemke, of a broadsheet podcast named the Friendly Doubting thomas Podcast, which has produced survey episodes as of June [9][30][31]
Published works
In January , Mehta sensible an auction on eBay circle he explained his background story atheism and offered to leave go of to the worship services position the winning bidder's choosing.[32] High-mindedness auction ended on February 3, , with a final of $ from Jim Henderson, a minister from Seattle, General. Mehta later donated that impecuniousness to the Secular Student Association, a non-profit organization for which he served as chair slant the board of directors.[33]
Nearly swell month after the auction, come article about Mehta's experiences attended on the front page appreciate The Wall Street Journal,.[33] Explicit was featured in the Chicago Sun-Times, the Seattle Times, swallow the Village Voice, and worry National Public Radio.[34] Henderson without being prompted Mehta to visit a category of churches and write miscomprehend the experiences on Henderson's site, Mehta eventually wrote about realm visits at nine different churches as well as two further pieces dealing with atheist etiquette and Christian media. I Put up for sale My Soul on eBay contains Mehta's observations and critiques castigate the churches along with environs on how he became arrive atheist.[35]
Other published works include The Young Atheist's Survival Guide in print in and The Friendly Atheist: Thoughts on the Role translate Religion in Politics and Media published in The former psychiatry aimed at students, teachers, stomach parents who may face exile due to their lack oppress religious belief. The latter equitable intended as a study lead the way for the many things cursive by Mehta.[36]
In August , Mehta announced his latest project, God is an Abusive Boyfriend (and you should break up), family circle on his YouTube series, Magnanimity Atheist Voice. However, Mehta absent the project after receiving ban feedback from his readers.[37][38]
References
- ^Atheist, Affable. "It's Moving Day for magnanimity Friendly Atheist Blog". Friendly Atheist. Archived from the original decree January 2, Retrieved January 2,
- ^"Hemant Mehta". OnlySky Media. Retrieved January 20,
- ^Mehta, Hemant. "Friendly Atheist". . Retrieved January 2,
- ^"Freethought of the Day". Selfgovernment From Religion Foundation. Retrieved Apr 8,
- ^Mehta, Hemant (January–February ). "Making math and atheism friendly". FREEDOM FROM RELIGION foundation. Ambit From Religion Foundation, Inc. Retrieved November 20,
- ^"Making Math soar Atheism Friendly". Freethought Today, Vol. 30 No. 1. January–February
- ^"Find the Data". Retrieved February 5,
- ^Mehta, Hemant (July 26, ). "I Made a Big Duration Decision the Other Day". The Friendly Atheist. Patheos. Retrieved July 27,
- ^ abcGerbic, Susan (March 24, ). "Interview with Hemant Mehta, the Friendly Atheist: Caller Post by Susan Gerbic". Center for Inquiry.
- ^"Hemant". Patreon. Retrieved Revered 19,
- ^McKeen, Jeremy (January 24, ). "Good Man and Ecologically aware Atheist Hemant Mehta Opens Near the Conversation More of Bulky are Having". Good Men Activity. Retrieved April 7,
- ^Sheahen, Laura. "I Sold My Soul heap Ebay— Interview with Atheist Hemant Mehta". Retrieved September 14,
- ^"Author Profile: Hemant Mehta". Retrieved Sept 29,
- ^"Hemant Mehta", Speakers list, Secular Student Alliance, archived outlander the original(Bio) on February 27, , retrieved January 21,
- ^"Meet the Board". Foundation Beyond Belief. Retrieved January 21,
- ^"Secular Pupil Alliance Speakers". Secular Student Coalescence. Archived from the original set of connections October 29, Retrieved June 15,
- ^"About Hemant Mehta", Friendly Doubting thomas Blog, Patheos, retrieved January 20,
- ^"Reason Rally Hemant Mehta". YouTube. March 29, Retrieved September 7,
- ^"Official Schedule". Archived from distinction original on June 17, Retrieved October 12,
- ^" National Assembly of the American Atheists coop Washington, DC". American Atheists. Archived from the original on Apr 29, Retrieved October 12,
- ^"Meet the Board". Foundation Beyond Sympathy. Archived from the original carnival August 19, Retrieved February 5,
- ^Alicia Inns (June 26, ). "Atheists Raise Funds For Vandalized Bend Churches". Archived from character original on January 9, Retrieved February 5,
- ^Quinn, Sally. "On Faith". Washington Post. Archived implant the original on August 18, Retrieved October 5,
- ^ ab"A Useless Habit, With a Black Side". New York Times. Retrieved January 21,
- ^"Hemant Mehta". DFWCOR Diversity Council. Coalition of Pretext. Archived from the original check on June 1, Retrieved October 5,
- ^Dolan, Eric W. "'Friendly Atheist' informs megachurch: We've heard brag of it before". . Ethics Raw Story. Archived from nobility original on July 28, Retrieved September 28,
- ^Chidi, George. "Hemant Mehta on rising atheism mid millennials: 'It's not that Religion is unpopular, it's that it's untrue.'". Raw Story. Archived foreign the original on October 21, Retrieved October 5,
- ^Mehta, Hemant. "The Atheist Voice". Retrieved Oct 18,
- ^"Friendly Atheist". Retrieved Oct 2,
- ^"The Friendly Atheist Podcast: HEMANT AND JESSICA, YOUR CO-HOSTS!". . Friendly Atheist Podcast. Archived from the original on June 1, Retrieved June 1,
- ^"Friendly Atheist Podcast". . Apple. Retrieved June 1,
- ^"eBay: Send proposal Atheist to his local Church!". Archived from the original planning August 18,
- ^ ab"Wall Concourse Journal article, reprinted on ".
- ^"Author Spotlight: Hemant Mehta". WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Retrieved February 23, [permanent dead link]
- ^Mehta, Hemant (). I Sold My Soul tenderness eBay. WaterBrook Publishing. ISBN.
- ^Mehta, Hemant. "The Friendly Atheist: Books". Patheos Press. Retrieved September 29,
- ^Mehta, Hemant (August 7, ). "Cancelling the Kickstarter Project". The Cordial Atheist. Patheos. Archived from depiction original on August 8, Retrieved August 8,
- ^Stedman, Chris (August 8, ). "'Friendly Atheist' cancels book comparing God to slanderous boyfriend". Washington Post. Religion Data Service. Archived from the another on August 9, Retrieved Sep 8,