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Hemant Mehta, aka the Friendly Atheist, has been kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

If you aren’t familiar with Hemant, take a quick sec to read his story. Also, you can read about Hemant’s influence on FriendlyChristian.com here. Lastly, I’m in the process of reading/offering my comments on his book, “I Sold My Soul on eBay: Viewing Faith Through an Atheist’s Eyes,” which you can pick up at Amazon.com. Read my review of Chapter 1 here. I know it’s annoying to click links, but these are important to the rest of this post.

Bill: As an outspoken Atheist, how do you deal with the criticism that I know you must get (even though you ARE the Friendly Atheist)?

Hemant: The criticism can be constructive, in which case, I read what people have to say. Sometimes, it’s just petty or wrong, and I can ignore it. When the eBay auction happened, I got used to people saying nasty things about me. But almost always, they didn’t know the whole story or were mischaracterizing me. You develop thick skin when something like that happens. And you laugh because some of the knocks are just funny :)

Bill: Newspaper articles, popular websites, books, center stage at Willow Creek…do you ever stop and think, “Is this really happening?”

Hemant: Funny, isn’t it? But it’s nice to know that people are interested in this dialogue and that they’re willing to listen to what I might have to say . Some of these people may never open up a Richard Dawkins book, but they’ll read mine. But it’s all very surreal. I don’t want to squander the terrific opportunity I’ve been given.

Bill: As a rookie in the “Friendly [fill in the blank]” world, what two pieces of advice would you give me?

Hemant: Do your research as much as possible when writing a post. If you miss or misconstrue an important piece of information, people will (rightly) attack you.

Blogging could take up a lot of time. Continue doing it only if you’re enjoying yourself!

Bill: How do you think your audience would react if Mr. Hemant Mehta became a Christian?

Hemant: They’d be almost as shocked as I would be. But like any atheist, I’m open to evidence for God. I just haven’t seen or heard anything convincing.

Bill: Tell the FriendlyChristian audience something about yourself that we might not know.

Hemant: I’m freakishly double-jointed. Clasp your hands together behind your back. Now, without letting go, bring them over your head to your front. I can do that!

Bill: As a Chicago Cubs fan, have you ever found yourself secretly praying to God requesting divine intervention?

Hemant: Never. Tempting, though… Most Cubs fans don’t even blame God for the team’s woes. They blame things like billy goats and Bartman. Clearly, Cubs fans are a sane group of people…

None of that matters, of course. This year, they’re going all the way!

Bill: I am constantly questioning my beliefs. I get a bit of grief for it. Your thoughts?

Hemant: Good for you. Keep questioning. The Christians who are upset are not the kind of people willing to examine their faith. The atheists who wish you’d just cross over need to let you come to a decision on your own. The question of faith is a personal one. No one can force it on you. So ignore everyone that wants you on their side. When (If?) you make up your mind, just let us all know!

Bill: Finally, you’ve got center stage at FC right now. Leave us with some words of wisdom.

Hemant: Don’t be afraid to question cherished beliefs.

Whether you’re religious or not, don’t be a *&@# about it.

And always wear sunscreen.

A big thank you to Hemant. I love hosting this site!!!

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