The phil donahue show madalyn murray ohair, Madalyn Murray O’Hair (April 13, 1919 – September 29, 1995) was an American atheist activist. She was the founder of the organization American Atheists and served as its president from 1963 to 1986. One of her sons, Jon Garth Murray, was the president of the organization from 1986 to 1995, while she remained de facto president during these nine years.
She is best known for the Murray v. Curlett lawsuit, which led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling ending official Bible-reading in American public schools in 1963. This came one year after the Supreme Court prohibited officially sponsored prayer in schools in Engel v. Vitale. O’Hair later founded American Atheists and became so controversial that in 1964 Life magazine referred to her as “the most hated woman in America”.
O’Hair was the first guest on The Phil Donahue Show when it debuted as a local program in Dayton, Ohio, on November 6, 1967; she would make several appearances on the program during its run. Host Phil Donahue would later call her message “very important”, but said that O’Hair was “unpleasant” to be around and that she mocked him off-camera for being Catholic.
O’Hair remained a polarizing figure into the 1980s. She served as “chief speechwriter” for Larry Flynt’s 1984 presidential campaign, and continued to be a regular talk show guest. Jon Murray succeeded her as leader of the American Atheists; he was not liked by many in the organization, and various chapters seceded from the main group. In 1991, the remaining local/state chapters were dissolved.
Her son William J. Murray became a Christian in 1980. Learning of this, she commented: “One could call this a postnatal abortion on the part of a mother, I guess; I repudiate him entirely and completely for now and all times … he is beyond human forgiveness.”
She is best known for the Murray v. Curlett lawsuit, which led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling ending official Bible-reading in American public schools in 1963. This came one year after the Supreme Court prohibited officially sponsored prayer in schools in Engel v. Vitale. O’Hair later founded American Atheists and became so controversial that in 1964 Life magazine referred to her as “the most hated woman in America”.
O’Hair was the first guest on The Phil Donahue Show when it debuted as a local program in Dayton, Ohio, on November 6, 1967; she would make several appearances on the program during its run. Host Phil Donahue would later call her message “very important”, but said that O’Hair was “unpleasant” to be around and that she mocked him off-camera for being Catholic.
O’Hair remained a polarizing figure into the 1980s. She served as “chief speechwriter” for Larry Flynt’s 1984 presidential campaign, and continued to be a regular talk show guest. Jon Murray succeeded her as leader of the American Atheists; he was not liked by many in the organization, and various chapters seceded from the main group. In 1991, the remaining local/state chapters were dissolved.
Her son William J. Murray became a Christian in 1980. Learning of this, she commented: “One could call this a postnatal abortion on the part of a mother, I guess; I repudiate him entirely and completely for now and all times … he is beyond human forgiveness.”
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