Hemant Mehta Interview: Atheism

In this interview I speak with Hemant Mehta, who is a thoughtful, articulate and likeable atheist. I first heard of him through Off The Map, and their eBay Atheist website. Hemant is involved with quite a few things mentioned below, and blogs regularly at Friendly Atheist.

Smulo: Hemant, please tell us something about yourself, including what you do for work, and what some of your involvements are:

Mehta: I am 25 and I currently teach math at a high school in the Western suburbs of Chicago. I am the chair of the Secular Student Alliance board of directors and a board member of the Secular Coalition for America. I do a lot of writing on my website in my spare time.

Smulo: Rumor is, you Sold Your Soul on eBay and wrote a book about it. What is the story behind this?

Mehta: The short version is that I wanted to check out church for myself so I auctioned my time on eBay. For $10, a bidder could have me going to the church (or mosque or synagogue) of his/her choice for one visit. An ex-pastor won the auction for $504 and thought it’d be interesting to have me visit 10 different Christian churches (instead of one church 50 times, which is what I owed him). A publisher heard about this and offered to send me to more churches around the country after my initial visits were done and that led to the book!

Smulo: Did you grow up in a religious family?

Mehta: I did – my family is Jain. It’s a smaller religion, from India, but it’s very influential. Mahatma Gandhi believed in many of its tenets. Jains primarily believe in non-violence – we’re all vegetarians. But where they lose me is with their supernatural thinking – karma, Heaven, Hell, reincarnation, etc.

Smulo: How would you define atheism?

Mehta: To me, atheism means not believing in God. I don’t think anyone can definitively say “there is no God” so atheists lean as close as possible to that part of that spectrum without quite reaching the end of it.

That’s different from an agnostic, who chooses not to take any side on that issue.

Smulo: What is the story behind you being an atheist?

Mehta: I grew up religious, but when my family moved during my early teenage years, I began to question the existence of God. Many other questions followed and all the research I did seemed to lead to this thing called “atheism” – which I’d always thought was a bad word. Eventually, though, I ended up embracing it. So while a traumatic event got me thinking about (a lack of) God, it was my questioning and reading that made me think one didn’t exist.

Smulo: Your blog Friendly Atheist includes Mike Clawson, who is a Christian, as a contributor. What made you decide to involve a Christian in your blog?

Mehta: Mike had frequently commented on my other postings, and his thoughts were always honest and interesting, while never straying from his faith. He was a Christian who understood where atheists were coming from. He knows that we’re not going to convert so he doesn’t try to do that. Mike tries to teach us that not all Christians are alike, and he’s not afraid of calling atheists out when we do or say something idiotic. I appreciate that sort of honesty.

Smulo: I know this next question is loaded, but a truthful response would be helpful for Christians to hear: What is your perception of Christians and Christianity?

Mehta: While I meet a lot of honest, interesting, fun, and likable Christians on a daily basis, the first words that come to mind when I think Christian deal with the social stereotype: they’re homophobic, more interested in tearing apart other peoples’ marriages than trying to make their own any better. They’re judgmental, thinking they know what’s best for everyone else without realizing how they come off when they say it. They’re also timid, letting other Christians speak for them without criticizing the speakers. (How many times have I heard someone say “That other Christian doesn’t speak for me” while doing nothing to promote different, more positive voices?) If enough Christians spoke up, the likes of Rick Warren and Pat Robertson would give way to people like Shane Claiborne and Brian McLaren.

Too bad the only critics you’ll hear come from the atheist side of the fence.

Smulo: What do you think is the stereotypical Christian perspective on atheists and atheism? Do you think it’s accurate or not?

Mehta: Of course it’s inaccurate. Too many Christians rely on their own people to tell them what atheists are like (“You know, I used to be an atheist once… but now I’m a Christian…) instead of talking to a real live atheist. They’d learn a lot if they tried it  . We’re everywhere!

Smulo: Thank you very much for participating in this interview. I’ve admired your intelligent thoughts, and ability to connect with people from different perspectives from your own.

Mehta: Thanks for asking some great questions!