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”
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Authors
Le Beau, Bryan F.
Issue Date
2024
Volume
25
Issue
Type
Journal Article
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Keywords
Atheism , Separation of Church and State , First Amendment , Cold War America , Anti-Godless Communism , Prayer and Bible Reading in the Schools , Madalyn Murray O’Hair , William J. Murray
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Abstract
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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Citation
Publisher
Rabbi Myer and Dorothy Kripke Center, Creighton University
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ISSN
1941-8450