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<small>(photo obtained from [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hemant_Mehta.jpg Wikimedia Commons], see: [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en license agreement])</small>]]

<small>(photo obtained from [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hemant_Mehta.jpg Wikimedia Commons], see: [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en license agreement])</small>]]

'''Hemant Menta''' (born 1983) is an author, blogger, and [[Atheism|atheist]] activist. He has also served on the board of directors for the organizations Secular Student Alliance and Foundation Beyond Belief.   

'''Hemant Mehta''' (born 1983) is an author, blogger, and [[Atheism|atheist]] activist. He has also served on the board of directors for the organizations Secular Student Alliance and Foundation Beyond Belief.   

He initially gained fame as the guy who "sold his soul on eBay" when he offered to go to the church of the highest bidder's choosing in early 2006.<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>  

He initially gained fame as the guy who "sold his soul on eBay" when he offered to go to the church of the highest bidder's choosing in early 2006.<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>  

Since the eBay auction, Hemant has appeared in the ''Wall Street Journal'', ''Chicago Sun-Times'', and ''Seattle Times'', as well as being featured on Fox News Channel.<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref> His popular atheist blog is called "The Friendly Atheist".<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>  His book'' I Sold My Soul'' on eBay came out in 2007.<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>

Since the eBay auction, Mehta has appeared in the ''Wall Street Journal'', ''Chicago Sun-Times'', and ''Seattle Times'', as well as being featured on Fox News Channel.<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref> His popular atheist blog is called "The Friendly Atheist".<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>  His book'' I Sold My Soul'' on eBay came out in 2007.<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>

== Hermant Menta and the Brights Movement ==

== Hermant Mehta and the Brights Movement ==

''See also:'' [[Brights Movement]] and [[Atheism and arrogance]]

''See also:'' [[Brights Movement]] and [[Atheism and arrogance]]

On the [[Brights Movement]] website, Menta is listed as an "Enthusiastic Bright".<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>  The Brights Movement has been widely criticized as being pretentious and arrogant (see: [[Atheism and arrogance]]). Given the Brights Movement's reputation for smugness, his endorsement of the Brights Movement and his current listing as an "Enthusiastic Bright" on the Brights Movement website, could be seen as a matter of hypocrisy due to the attributes of "friendly" (his blog is called ''The Friendly Atheist'') and "smug" being incompatible opposites (see: [[Atheist hypocrisy]]).

On the [[Brights Movement]] website, Mehta is listed as an "Enthusiastic Bright".<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>  The Brights Movement has been widely criticized as being pretentious and arrogant (see: [[Atheism and arrogance]]). Given the Brights Movement's reputation for smugness, his endorsement of the Brights Movement and his current listing as an "Enthusiastic Bright" on the Brights Movement website, could be seen as a matter of hypocrisy due to the attributes of "friendly" (his blog is called ''The Friendly Atheist'') and "smug" being incompatible opposites (see: [[Atheist hypocrisy]]).

Unlike the skeptic [[Michael Shermer]] who had second thoughts after endorsing the Brights Movement, Hemant Menta has never publicly denounced the Bright Movement for its smugness and remains listed on on its website as an "Enthusiastic Bright".<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html Hemant Menta listing - Enthusiastic Brights] at Brights Movement website</ref><ref>[http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/05-01-05.html Science and the Search for Meaning: excerpts from the Introduction to Science Friction] by Michael Shermer</ref>

Unlike the skeptic [[Michael Shermer]] who had second thoughts after endorsing the Brights Movement, Hemant Mehta has never publicly denounced the Bright Movement for its smugness and remains listed on on its website as an "Enthusiastic Bright".<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html Hemant Mehta listing - Enthusiastic Brights] at Brights Movement website</ref><ref>[http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/05-01-05.html Science and the Search for Meaning: excerpts from the Introduction to Science Friction] by Michael Shermer</ref>

The ABC News.com commentator John Allen Paulos remarked of the “brights” campaign, “I don’t think a degree in public relations is needed to expect that many people will construe the term as smug, ridiculous, and arrogant.”<ref>[http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/not_too_bright/ Not Too “Bright"], ''Skeptical Enquirer'', Chris Mooney, October 15, 2003</ref>  

The ABC News.com commentator John Allen Paulos remarked of the “brights” campaign, “I don’t think a degree in public relations is needed to expect that many people will construe the term as smug, ridiculous, and arrogant.”<ref>[http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/not_too_bright/ Not Too “Bright"], ''Skeptical Enquirer'', Chris Mooney, October 15, 2003</ref>  

''See also:'' [[Atheism and arrogance]]

''See also:'' [[Atheism and arrogance]]

Hemant Menta said of fellow atheist Chris Stedman:

Hemant Mehta said of fellow atheist Chris Stedman:

{{cquote|If you read the blog posts and Twitter comments about Chris, though, you’d think he was a religious man in atheist clothing. Or that he’s delegitimizing our work. Or that he’s undermining our goals. He’s not. He’s as much of an atheist activist as the rest of us. He just practices it by focusing on cooperation and conversation with people of faith instead of beating his chest with both fists and proclaiming his superiority.<ref>[http://freethoughtblogs.com/crommunist/2012/02/29/the-unfriendly-atheist/ The (un)Friendly Atheist], Crommunist blog at [[Freethoughtblogs]]</ref><ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/02/29/those-atheists-you-hate-arent-really-all-that-bad/ Those Atheists You Hate Aren’t Really All That Bad] by [[Hemant Menta]]</ref>}}

{{cquote|If you read the blog posts and Twitter comments about Chris, though, you’d think he was a religious man in atheist clothing. Or that he’s delegitimizing our work. Or that he’s undermining our goals. He’s not. He’s as much of an atheist activist as the rest of us. He just practices it by focusing on cooperation and conversation with people of faith instead of beating his chest with both fists and proclaiming his superiority.<ref>[http://freethoughtblogs.com/crommunist/2012/02/29/the-unfriendly-atheist/ The (un)Friendly Atheist], Crommunist blog at [[Freethoughtblogs]]</ref><ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/02/29/those-atheists-you-hate-arent-really-all-that-bad/ Those Atheists You Hate Aren’t Really All That Bad] by [[Hemant Menta]]</ref>}}