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).

Urban legend

Madalyn Murray O'Hair achieved posthumous notoriety among users of the Internet through a seemingly unsquashable urban legend. An endlessly circulating email (mostly exchanged among Christians) claimed "Madalyn Murray O'Hare is attempting to get Touched by an Angel and all TV programs that mention God taken off the air" (the email invariably misspelled O'Hair's name). It cited a petition to the FCC which had nothing to do with O'Hair and was denied in 1975, concerning the prevention of educational radio channels being used for religious broadcasting. In 2002 these emails were still circulating, seven years after O'Hair's disappearance and long after her confirmed death. A variant acknowledging her death was circulating in 2003, still warning about a threat to Touched by An Angel months after the program's last episode had been aired.

Related Topics:
Internet - Urban legend - Touched by an Angel - God - FCC - 2002 - 2003

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~