Blogger Hemant Mehta, more commonly known as The Friendly Atheist, recently made an appearance along side Pastor John Bluebaugh of Christian Life Center on Fox and Friends. This odd couple was there to discuss the recent vandalism of two Christian Churches in Bend, Ore, and the act of charity it inspired. You can watch the entire interview below.

News of the vandalism spread quickly. The symbols used to deface these places of worship were, as Mehta describes them, "an atheist online joke, the flying spaghetti monster," leading many to conclude that the vandals were probably nonbelievers.

This motivated Mehta to act: "I know a lot of atheists didn't want to see this happen. We believe in a civil discourse." Determined to right this wrong, The Friendly Atheist encouraged his readers, a group mainly composed of atheists and agnostics, to donate money for the clean-up effort. Astonishingly, they all managed to raise over $2,600.

As it turned out, Pastor Bluebaugh said that they didn't need the money, but he was touched by the deed: "to have a gentlemen like Hemant to step in and have concern for us was pretty amazing. It just thrilled our hearts."

Mehta assures us that all proceeds will go to the Foundation Beyond Belief. The organization is one that "helps non-theists give to a variety of secular charities in the areas of Peace, Education, Child Welfare, Poverty, etc."

Mehta makes it clear in interview, if there is one thing that he wishes the public to take away from this story, it is that "you don't need Jesus to be good, you can be good without god, and I think the people in my website chipping in just showed that."

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