From Pariahs to Patriots: Organized Atheism in America, 1925-2011 Open Access
Grudzina, Phillip David (2013)
Abstract
This honors thesis traces the history of American atheist groups from their origins through the recent past. I find that their overall size, composition, and leadership structure changed little until a small group of atheist intellectuals emerged in the twenty-first century. After the September 11th terrorist attacks the intellectuals began publicly criticizing numerous aspects religious belief and explicitly advocating atheism as a solution to sociopolitical problems. While much of their success stemmed from broad, generational developments, I show that their decisions and styles of activism directly impacted pre-existing atheist groups, ultimately causing them to embrace new tactics and modes of leadership.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1. Proto-Organized Atheism: 1925-1960 12
2. The O'Hair Era: 1965-1995 15
3. Doldrums and Disarray in the Shadow of O'Hair: 1995-2007 37
4. Atheist Intellectuals: Their Emergence and Impact 48
5. Organizational Integration and Growth: 2008-2011 75
Conclusion 84
Bibliography 87
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