An insane anti-atheist witch hunt in progress

Anyone who's ever seen, met, known or read about (or from) Hemant Mehta, known as the Friendly Atheist, will be aware just how incredibly nice, courteous and, well, friendly, the guy is in general. Even the relatively little I've heard of and from him has been more than enough to convince me of this man's benevolence and practically infallible respect for one and all. (Something that will probably never be said about me. Poo.)

Hemant is also the head of the wonderful Secular Student Alliance (SSA) which, if I remember correctly, is a conglomerate of various atheist, skeptic and generally non-theist school groups and organizations. As far as actual jobs go (*snicker*), he's also a math teacher somewhere in the suburbs of Chicago.

Problem is, his reputation and employment are now being targeted by fanatical anti-atheist nutjobs: the Illinois Family Institute (yes, they actually italicize "family"). Here is what Laurie Higgins writes in the attack:

District 204 parents really should spend some time perusing Neuqua Valley math teacher, Hemant Mehta's website to determine whether he is the kind of man with whom they want their children to spend a school year. He absolutely has a First Amendment right to promote any feckless, destructive, offensive, and immoral ideas he wants via his blog, but, as I mentioned in my earlier article, parents have the right not to have him as a teacher and a role model for their children. I want to be very clear about what I'm suggesting: I am suggesting that parents who have serious concerns about Mr. Mehta's potential influence on their children's beliefs politely insist that their children be placed in another teacher's class.

So, basically: Hemant, shut up with your atheism, even if you never bring it up in class! How dare you be an outspoken atheist on a blog that has nothing to do with your classroom or your students! Me angwy!! Or some such.

As evidence of why Hemant is such a bad, bad teacher and children should be pulled out (and, by extension, Hemant himself should be sacked), she trudges up three posts from his blog which mention such admittedly odious topics as ...

charging preachers who spread messages of hate and intolerance, even if derived from the Bible, with hate speak;

a young woman in a polyamorous relationship (meaning "multiple people in love", for those who don't know) who tries to deal with intolerant parents who refuse to respect her choices; and

Dan Savage, the "homosexual activist" (and she uses this as though it were derogatory) who tries to convince a young man resisting same-sex attractions based on religion, that frankly, you can fuck all you want and to stop worrying about divine retribution for being born gay and having homosexual impulses that you're well within your right to act upon.

Yes, such disgusting blogging topics are apparently far too horrendous for pearl-clutchers like Laurie Higgins from the Illinois Family Institute, who would obviously have children separated from any possible sources of external thinking or differing ideas or viewpoints. Which logically means she would happily force children to live without television, radio, Internet or newspapers. After all, the slightest contact with alternative methods of thinking and believing could lead to kids expanding their minds to new things – and we can't have them doing that, now can we?

But even if all of the above is ridiculous, what's even more hilarious (if you may call it that) is that it's totally irrelevent, as none of it is ever brought up, mentioned, alluded to or in any way acknowledged in Hemant's classes. As with any responsible teacher, Hemant holds a truly secular classroom, purged of anything religious or faith-based, from Christianity to Atheism and anything in between. Religion (and atheism) has no place in a math classroom. Hemant knows and respects this ardently. It's ridiculous to even think otherwise.

So then, if none of this stuff is ever mentioned in Hemant's classroom – then how is it relevant?

The answer is as simple as it is obvious: it isn't. All this is, is yet another anti-atheist witch hunt. Nothing more. Godless-people-hating Christian nut sees atheist, screams for atheist to be shunned and ostracized. It's nothing original.

Another interesting thing is how the IFI is quick to state that they aren't actually calling for Hemant's firing. Nooo – of course not. And that thing about them sending eMails to all of Hemant's colleagues and coworkers, informing them of his evil viewpoints as though they weren't obviously aware of who he was and what he believed in (who the hell isn't or doesn't?) – nah, of course they're not trying to raise opposition to Hemant and basically have him ostracized by his own peers. What a silly thought. Poodoo.

But, by far what's most ironic of all, even with all the previous ridiculousness, is how Higgins closes her charge ...

It's all about diversity and choice.

I'm serious. It's right there; she actually said it herself. That refusing to let children be exposed to a wider world of conflicting ideas and viewpoints, from which they would be forced to learn to think critically and develop their own opinions – not to mention, calling for the firing of a teacher she simply doesn't agree with on idealogical and theological grounds – is "all about diversity and choice".

S'cuse me for a second, I need to pull shards of exploded Irony Meter out of my eyeballs.

I guess the IFI and Laurie Higgins have run out of homosexuals to disparage and other such groups to hate on, and are now turning on everyone's favorite punching-bags, us godless hedonists. This woman is disgusting and vile, quite representative of the pathetic group she's associated with. Let it be known.

So, what can you do? Well, other than send in angry eMails (which is always good, as long as it's non-threatening), anyone in the area could conversely insist their children have their math classes in Hemant's classroom (can that even be done though, I wonder?). Or you could just write a bunch of blog comments here and there about how Higgins is a bitch, the IFI are wackjobs and Hemant is one atheist who is simply above reproach.

(via Blag Hag)