Post by AuntieSocial on Nov 26, 2003 12:44:27 GMT -5
American Atheists fight for founder's remains
The born-again son of the group's murdered leader has given her a Christian burial, says Duncan Campbell [/b]
Click here to read the article on the original site
By: Duncan Campbell
Published: April 4, 2001
Publication: Los Angeles Dispatch
Conservative Christians in the United States had absolutely no doubt where Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the founder of American Atheists, would go when she died, and it was not a place where angels sang and Saint Peter operated the door policy.
But now an angry dispute is under way over just what should happen to the remains of the woman once described by Life magazine as the "most hated woman in America", who disappeared in 1995 and whose murdered remains have only just been recovered.
The row helps to spotlight just how hard it is to be an atheist in the United States where every politician has to profess sincere beliefs and every other award winner feels obliged to thank God for their good fortune.
One of O'Hair's children, who has become a born-again Christian, has spirited her remains away to a hidden grave with a preacher in attendance. He said that he believed his mother may well have had a change of heart and "turned to Jesus" in the hours where she was waiting, bound and gagged, to be killed.
Now the American Atheists are considering a legal battle to have the remains of their founder given to them on the grounds that the last thing she would have wanted would be a Christian burial. They claim she abhorred such ceremonies and wanted to be cremated and have her ashes scattered to the winds.
O'Hair was a larger than life character who took on the Christian establishment in the US and campaigned to have compulsory prayers removed from the school system, after objecting to the fact that her son, William, had to take part in them.
Her action was supported in a 1963 Supreme Court decision and she was described by Life as "the most hated woman in America". William later became estranged from his mother, converting to Christianity on Mother's Day in 1980.
Six years ago O'Hair, then aged 76, disappeared along with her other son, Jon, her granddaughter Robin and $500,000 in gold coins which belonged to the United Secularists of America.
Their former office manager, David Waters, has now admitted kidnapping and killing the three in a plot to steal the coins. In January, following a confession, he took the police to the bodies which were buried in the hills nears Austin, Texas.
A fellow conspirator, Gary Karr, is already serving a life sentence. But while the criminal side of the case is reaching its conclusion, the issue over who is entitled to O'Hair's remains is just beginning.
William O'Hair, who now lives in Washington and writes books including Let Us Pray: A Plea for Prayer in Our Schools and My Life Without God, arrived at the funeral home in Austin to collect his mother's, brother's and daughter's remains and to organise a ceremony with a Baptist pastor at a secret site.
He has now issued a written statement about his decision. "It is with great trepidation that I write at all about this burial," said the statement. He had not prayed for his mother's soul, he added. "The deceased person is in glory with God or in hell. Either way, prayer is fruitless."
But he speculated that his mother may have undergone a last-minute conversion after she had been tied up by her murderers. "That last day they were bound and gagged with duct tape, maybe unable to speak, able only to think. In those hours, did they have a change of heart and turn to Jesus? Only when we reach glory will we know."
But the American Atheists are not convinced. This week, their president, Ellen Johnson, said that William O'Hair had no right to carry out the burial. "Hopefully, we'll still get those remains back," she said.
The dispute helps to highlight some remarkable statistics about belief. A survey carried out by the International Social Survey Programme found that only 3.2% of Americans say that they do not believe in God, while throughout Europe around six times as many would profess atheism.
In the US, 86% of the population believes in heaven, twice the figure for the UK, and 76% believe in hell.
While social attitudes have changed dramatically in the last 20 years in the US, to the extent that 92% would now elect a woman for president (up from 76% in 1978) and 95% would be happy with a black president (up from 73%) less than half the country would even now consider voting for a professed atheist. Madalyn sure had her work cut out for her.
The born-again son of the group's murdered leader has given her a Christian burial, says Duncan Campbell [/b]
Click here to read the article on the original site
By: Duncan Campbell
Published: April 4, 2001
Publication: Los Angeles Dispatch
Conservative Christians in the United States had absolutely no doubt where Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the founder of American Atheists, would go when she died, and it was not a place where angels sang and Saint Peter operated the door policy.
But now an angry dispute is under way over just what should happen to the remains of the woman once described by Life magazine as the "most hated woman in America", who disappeared in 1995 and whose murdered remains have only just been recovered.
The row helps to spotlight just how hard it is to be an atheist in the United States where every politician has to profess sincere beliefs and every other award winner feels obliged to thank God for their good fortune.
One of O'Hair's children, who has become a born-again Christian, has spirited her remains away to a hidden grave with a preacher in attendance. He said that he believed his mother may well have had a change of heart and "turned to Jesus" in the hours where she was waiting, bound and gagged, to be killed.
Now the American Atheists are considering a legal battle to have the remains of their founder given to them on the grounds that the last thing she would have wanted would be a Christian burial. They claim she abhorred such ceremonies and wanted to be cremated and have her ashes scattered to the winds.
O'Hair was a larger than life character who took on the Christian establishment in the US and campaigned to have compulsory prayers removed from the school system, after objecting to the fact that her son, William, had to take part in them.
Her action was supported in a 1963 Supreme Court decision and she was described by Life as "the most hated woman in America". William later became estranged from his mother, converting to Christianity on Mother's Day in 1980.
Six years ago O'Hair, then aged 76, disappeared along with her other son, Jon, her granddaughter Robin and $500,000 in gold coins which belonged to the United Secularists of America.
Their former office manager, David Waters, has now admitted kidnapping and killing the three in a plot to steal the coins. In January, following a confession, he took the police to the bodies which were buried in the hills nears Austin, Texas.
A fellow conspirator, Gary Karr, is already serving a life sentence. But while the criminal side of the case is reaching its conclusion, the issue over who is entitled to O'Hair's remains is just beginning.
William O'Hair, who now lives in Washington and writes books including Let Us Pray: A Plea for Prayer in Our Schools and My Life Without God, arrived at the funeral home in Austin to collect his mother's, brother's and daughter's remains and to organise a ceremony with a Baptist pastor at a secret site.
He has now issued a written statement about his decision. "It is with great trepidation that I write at all about this burial," said the statement. He had not prayed for his mother's soul, he added. "The deceased person is in glory with God or in hell. Either way, prayer is fruitless."
But he speculated that his mother may have undergone a last-minute conversion after she had been tied up by her murderers. "That last day they were bound and gagged with duct tape, maybe unable to speak, able only to think. In those hours, did they have a change of heart and turn to Jesus? Only when we reach glory will we know."
But the American Atheists are not convinced. This week, their president, Ellen Johnson, said that William O'Hair had no right to carry out the burial. "Hopefully, we'll still get those remains back," she said.
The dispute helps to highlight some remarkable statistics about belief. A survey carried out by the International Social Survey Programme found that only 3.2% of Americans say that they do not believe in God, while throughout Europe around six times as many would profess atheism.
In the US, 86% of the population believes in heaven, twice the figure for the UK, and 76% believe in hell.
While social attitudes have changed dramatically in the last 20 years in the US, to the extent that 92% would now elect a woman for president (up from 76% in 1978) and 95% would be happy with a black president (up from 73%) less than half the country would even now consider voting for a professed atheist. Madalyn sure had her work cut out for her.
