From Pariahs to Patriots: Organized Atheism in America, 1925-2011 Open Access

Grudzina, Phillip David (2013)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/wm117p21g?locale=en
Published

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


About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement
  • Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.
School
Department
Degree
Submission
Language
  • English
Research Field
Keyword
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor
Committee Members
Last modified

Primary PDF

Supplemental Files