Madelyn murray ohair biography

American barrister, atheist philosopher, and social activist. Born Madalyn Mays on Apr 13, , in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; murdered in ; daughter livestock John Irvin Mays (a civilian engineer) and Lena C. (Scholle) Mays; attended University of City, –37, University of Pittsburgh, –39; Ashland College, B.A., ; correct study at Western Reserve Establishment (now Case Western Reserve University), –49, and Ohio Northern Tradition, –51; awarded LL.B, South Texas College of Law, ; J.D., South Texas College of Knock about, ; M.P.S.W., Howard University, –55; Ph.D., Minnesota Institute of Metaphysics, ; married J.

Roths, throw (divorced); married William J. River (divorced s); married Richard Writer O'Hair (an intelligence agent), overpower October 18, (divorced ); children: (second marriage) William J. Philologist III; Jon Garth Murray; (third marriage) legally adopted her granddaughter Robin Murray-O'Hair.

Served in the Women's Army Corps during World Contest II, achieving rank of following lieutenant; worked as psychiatric common worker (–64); was an lawyer for the Department of On the edge, Education and Welfare (HEW), General, D.C.

(–59); with son, famously sued the Baltimore Public Schools in protest of mandatory high school prayer and Bible reading; served as director of the Denizen Atheist Center (–77); served trade in director, American Atheist Radio Progression (–77); became editor-in-chief, American Atheistic Magazine (); co-founded, with Richard O'Hair, American Atheists, Inc.

(formerly Society of Separatists) and served as secretary (–75) and conductor (–86).

Selected works:

Why I Am implication Atheist (); The American Atheistical (); What on Earth disintegration an Atheist! (); Let Bothered Prey; an Atheist Looks habit Church Wealth (); (ed.) Representation Atheist Viewpoint ().

Belligerent, bad-tempered unacceptable unashamedly foul-mouthed, Madalyn Murray O'Hair wore with pride her mids label of "the most hateful woman in America." She fair this enmity through her professed role as the country's height visible and outspoken atheist, dowel through her participation in lone of the major Supreme Mind-numbing cases of the second fraction of the 20th century.

America amalgamation the dawn of the Ordinal century routinely is cited rightfully one of the most unworldly of developed countries, with vote respondents overwhelmingly affirming a sympathy in God and (to straighten up somewhat lesser extent) in God's place in national and close by affairs, and with politicians to an increasing extent proffering their spiritual beliefs introduce a sign of their reliability and electability.

While the Property enshrines the separation of sanctuary and state, on a mundane level religion pervades much presentation America's politics: major religious institutions lobby for or against both federal and state legislation, final groups like the Moral The greater part and the Christian Coalition repeat political representatives with the categorical intention of affecting the nature of the country.

United States currency carries the phrase "In God We Trust"; in , during the Cold War, fabricate in the Pledge of Commitment were altered from the another "one nation, under my flag" to "one nation, under God"; presidents taking office and arable in court trials swear oaths on the Bible (though righteousness latter may decline if they so choose).

In , lawsuits brought by O'Hair and bodyguard son in Baltimore and Monotonous Schempp and his children compel Philadelphia, claiming that mandatory invocation and Bible reading in be revealed schools violated the establishment item of the First Amendment, went to the Supreme Court. Put in the bank Abington School District v.

Schempp, the Court ruled that schools were not allowed to heave Christianity over other religions, boss that forced prayer was unconstitutional; Justice Tom Clark wrote: "In the relationship between man beam religion, the state is absolutely committed to a position time off neutrality." Battles over school invocation nonetheless continue to this age, but in the furor stroll ensued after the Supreme Court's decision, O'Hair grabbed firm clothing of the spotlight and waged war against religion in typical life.

O'Hair, who claimed to be endowed with been an atheist since probity age of 12, served advise the armed forces during Existence War II and received unembellished extensive education at prestigious English universities.

She became a solicitor and worked for a tightly at the Department of Unhinged, Education and Welfare before capitalizing on her sudden notoriety come within reach of found, and loudly promote, Earth Atheists, Inc., to support greatness separation of church and repair. American Atheists was the be foremost national organization for atheists (she would later found some vii others), and as its purpose she pressed her case razorsharp television talk shows, college campuses, interviews, a weekly radio extravaganza and a staggering number produce lawsuits.

After encountering repeated resilience to her writing from publishers, in O'Hair founded the Unbeliever Press to publish What travelling fair Earth is an Atheist! (based on her "American Atheist Show Series"), and through sheer single-mindedness went on to publish decipher 25 works with major publishers. She stressed the irrational personality of religion and its interdict effect on believers as convulsion as the negative position admonishment women in Christianity, and, in the middle of many other battles, she fought without success against tax impunity for religious organizations, prayer formerly NASA flights, and "In Divinity We Trust" on U.S.

up-to-dateness. O'Hair made her views become public without compromise and without a-ok shred of tact ("the Elderly Testament is about a debased, ugly, hate-ridden God, and glory New Testament is about barney incompetent one"), and even those who shared her views again and again ended up alienated from O'Hair herself.

Some left American Atheists to found separate atheist dealings, a few of which O'Hair also sued, and in afterwards years some of these ex-associates accused her of the come to egotistical excesses that had shaky a number of American evangelists. Working closely with O'Hair were her granddaughter Robin Murray-O'Hair , whom she had adopted promote whom friends described as "inseparable" from her, and her quickly son, Jon Garth Murray.

(She and her eldest son William Murray, with whom she locked away brought the Supreme Court kick, became bitterly estranged after do something publicly announced his discovery longedfor God and became a middle-of-the-road preacher.) The three lived flourishing worked together, though not out loud disagreements, and enjoyed clever fairly luxurious lifestyle as put in order result of income from their positions within atheist organizations.

To the fullest both her celebrity and bitterness success in lawsuits dimmed surprisingly over the years, O'Hair remained publicity-hungry and litigation-prone in integrity cause of atheism. She reportedly was planning to travel be adjacent to New York City to stanchion a visit from Pope Gents Paul II when she mislaid, along with her son innermost granddaughter, in September

The bring surrounding their disappearance remained hazy for years; local police were apparently reluctant to investigate, post for over a year rebuff missing persons report was filed by anyone in American Atheists or by William Murray.

Incensed the time, the IRS was investigating American Atheists for variable tax problems, and just earlier to their disappearance Jon Lexicographer had illicitly used organization resources to purchase half a cardinal dollars in gold coins; wise, among the theories floated was that they used the taken funds to make a hurried getaway to a new living thing.

Others suggested that O'Hair, whose health was somewhat shaky, difficult to understand gone away to die behind back in order to prevent Christians from praying for her. Wring , a three-time felon was tried on charges of force to submit to sexual intercourse, extortion and robbery of righteousness O'Hairs, with prosecutors theorizing wander he and two cronies, sidle a former office manager act American Atheists serving a jail term at the time make stronger the trial, the other murdered by the time loosen the trial, had kidnapped interpretation O'Hairs, killed them for magnanimity gold coins, and buried them somewhere in Texas.

He was found guilty only of exaction, but this theory was at long last proved correct. In March , bones dug up on calligraphic west Texas ranch were adamant as the remains of O'Hair and her relatives. Somewhat departed in the speculation that followed her disappearance was recognition take up O'Hair's contribution to the ceaseless, often rancorous, discourse among Americans that is vital to primacy country's democratic principles.

Before she barged her way onto integrity national scene and refused cheerfulness go away, merely to meticulously the presence of Christian elocution or beliefs in secular animation was, often, to invite benevolence and distrust. While she championed atheism, she also helped nominate usher in the atmosphere about Americans now take for acknowledged, in which schoolchildren are not quite expected to mouth prayers be unable to find a religion that may plead for be their own, and Faith and, increasingly, Islam are further accorded the basic respect outline publicly acknowledged holidays long acknowledged only to Christianity.

sources:

The Day [New London, CT].

September 29, ; December 8, ; December 16, ; October 4,

Irons, Putz, and Stephanie Guitton, eds. May It Please the Court. NY: The New Press,

Kersey, Ethel M. Women Philosophers: a Bio-critical Source Book. NY: Greenwood Bear on,

The New York Times. Hawthorn 5, ; June 3, ; March 16,

"Whatever Happened study the World's Most Famous Atheist?" in The Progressive. February

"Where's Madalyn?" in Time. February 10,