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== Hermant Mehta and his endorsement of the Brights Movement ==

== Hermant Mehta and his endorsement of the Brights Movement ==

[[File:Hemant Mehta.jpg|thumbnail|right|275px|[[Hemant Menta]] <br /><br />

[[File:Hemant Mehta.jpg|thumbnail|right|275px|[[Hemant Mehta]] <br /><br />

<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>]]

The atheist [[Hemant Menta]] is an author, popular atheist blogger, and atheist activist. He also served as a chair on the Secular Student Alliance board of directors. His blog is called ''The Friendly Atheist.''  Given the [[Brights Movement]]'s reputation for smugness (see: [[Atheism and arrogance]]), 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" and "smug" being incompatible opposites.<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>

The atheist [[Hemant Mehta]] is an author, popular atheist blogger, and atheist activist. He also served as a chair on the Secular Student Alliance board of directors. His blog is called ''The Friendly Atheist.''  Given the [[Brights Movement]]'s reputation for smugness (see: [[Atheism and arrogance]]), 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" and "smug" being incompatible opposites.<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>

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 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 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>

=== Hemant Menta's comments about fellow atheist Chris Stedman ===

=== Hemant Mehta's comments about fellow atheist Chris Stedman ===

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 Mehta]]</ref>}}

See also: [[Atheism and interpersonal intelligence|Atheism and social intelligence]]

See also: [[Atheism and interpersonal intelligence|Atheism and social intelligence]]