So, an atheist walks into a church . . .
The man who sold his soul on eBay is coming to UMBC!
posted over 13 years ago
On Wednesday, March 30th, Hemant Mehta, internationally-famous epic blogger and speaker about religion and atheism, is doing a talk at UMBC titled "An Atheist Walks into a Church." This event is at 7:00PM in LH2-- and you don't want to miss it!
Hemant Mehta, now widely known as "The Friendly Atheist", once held an unusual auction on eBay: the highest bidder could send him to a church of his or her choice. The winner, who paid $504, asked Mehta to attend a number of Christian churches, ultimately resulting in his book "I Sold My Soul on eBay." What did he learn from his visits? Did the pastors say anything that made him question his atheism? Are the high school students he teaches aware of what he did? And how did he earn the wrath of a Christian Right group? Mehta will tell his story and answer all these questions at this special event presented by the Secular Student Alliance at UMBC.
Hemant Mehta graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with degrees in Mathematics and Biology. While there, he also helped establish their first secular student group, Students WithOut Religious Dogma (SWORD). He earned his Masters in Math Education at DePaul University and currently teaches high school math in the suburbs of Chicago.
He has worked with the Center for Inquiry and the Secular Coalition for America, received scholarships from American Atheists and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and now serves on the board of directors for Foundation Beyond Belief (a charity organization targeting non-theistic donors) and the Secular Student Alliance (which creates and supports college atheist groups nationwide).
Hemant appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and his book, I Sold My Soul on eBay (WaterBrook Press), was released in 2007.
His blog, the winner of the 2011 Bloggie award for Best Weblog About Religion, can be read at http://friendlyatheist.com/
You don't want to miss this awesome (and friendly!) talk!
This event is FREE and open to the public, with no tickets. Metered visitor parking is available in the Administration Drive parking garage for $0.25/15 minutes. http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/campusmap/pdf/2010Map_General.pdf
He has worked with the Center for Inquiry and the Secular Coalition for America, received scholarships from American Atheists and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and now serves on the board of directors for Foundation Beyond Belief (a charity organization targeting non-theistic donors) and the Secular Student Alliance (which creates and supports college atheist groups nationwide).
Hemant appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and his book, I Sold My Soul on eBay (WaterBrook Press), was released in 2007.
His blog, the winner of the 2011 Bloggie award for Best Weblog About Religion, can be read at http://friendlyatheist.com/
You don't want to miss this awesome (and friendly!) talk!
This event is FREE and open to the public, with no tickets. Metered visitor parking is available in the Administration Drive parking garage for $0.25/15 minutes. http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/campusmap/pdf/2010Map_General.pdf
Feel free to discuss this event below. What do you think "friendly atheism" means? Do you think there's a stereotype of atheists being aggressive or unfriendly (and if you do, please come to an SSA meeting and let us change your mind!)?
