Only in America: How an Unknown Woman Stepped into the Public Square to Defend Her Son’s Religious Freedom and Became "The Most Hated Woman in America"
In 1964, Life magazine called Madalyn Murray (O’Hair) "the most hated woman in America." Another critic described her as "rude, impertinent, blasphemous, a destroyer not only of beliefs but of esteemed values." This essay presents an assessment of her beliefs and actions, in the...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Journal of religion & society. Supplement
Year: 2024, Volume: 25, Pages: 25-40 |
| Further subjects: | B
Cold War America
B Atheism B Madalyn Murray O’Hair B William J. Murray B Anti-Godless Communism B First Amendment B Separation of church and state B Prayer and Bible Reading in the Schools |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | In 1964, Life magazine called Madalyn Murray (O’Hair) "the most hated woman in America." Another critic described her as "rude, impertinent, blasphemous, a destroyer not only of beliefs but of esteemed values." This essay presents an assessment of her beliefs and actions, in the culture of the times—the 1950s and 1960s—and how they led her to represent both what Americans hated in their unbelieving enemies and feared in themselves as believers. First gaining notoriety in the 1963 case, Murray v. Curlett, which led to the Supreme Court banning school prayer and bible reading in the nation’s public schools, she launched a crusade against God, or more specifically to assure the complete separation of church and state. |
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| ISSN: | 1941-8450 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion & society. Supplement
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