Here’s a sad story with a happy ending. A pastor in Ohio named Norman Hayes was brutally assaulted by a militant atheist, who took offense to the pastor’s line of questioning with his girlfriend (the attacker in question, James Maxie, has a history of violence and is a registered sex offender.) Maxie attacked Reverand Hayes, leaving him with a fractured nose and facial lacerations.

This story reached the ears of Chicago resident, Hemant Mehta, who runs an influential blog called The Friendly Atheist, and he seems to live up to the name. He began a campaign to raise money for Reverend Hayes. “This guy went through something rough,” Mehta told Religion News Service. “I think it is a nice gesture to say we feel horrible for what you went through. This shouldn’t have happened. We disagree with Christians all the time but that is not how we resolve our debate.” To date, his campaign has raised about five thousand dollars. Reverend Hayes’ son, Andy, has issued a thank-you to everyone who donated, saying “This isn’t about theology, it’s about humanity and how we treat each other” …