Madalyn Murray O'Hair

Madalyn Murray O'Hair (April 13 1919 - 1995) was an American atheist, founder of American Atheists and campaigned for the separation of church and state, and murder victim (at age 76).

Legacy

Some atheists have contended O'Hair's aggressive (some say abrasive) strategy of direct confrontion with mainstream Christianity, which included specific attacks on its validity using quotes from the Bible, was flawed and ultimately undermined efforts to encourage and preserve secularism in schools and government. She has also been criticized for failing to adequately address issues of ethics and morality as they relate to a non-religious outlook (given that many Christians are reported to erroneously believe atheists are "by definition" amoral). By the time of her death the word atheist had become so closely associated with her name and personal views (especially in the United States) that it was already declining in popularity among atheists and various efforts have been made to introduce a new term into common use.

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