Madalyn Murray O'Hare VS. NASA (1969)An Atheist is a person who questions every kind of authority, and this is the thing that is important. Because if we can, without blinking an eye, question the ultimate authority, god - who must be obeyed, then we can question the authority of the state" |
Madalyn Murray O'Hare is best known for winning the Murray vs. Curlett lawsuit, which resulted in the Supreme Court ruling that it would be illegal for public schools to read the Bible. But she also filed a lawsuit against the nationally worshiped organization, NASA. On Christmas Eve 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts read the first ten verses of the Book of Genesis. Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman read from the Bible on National News. As an atheist, Murray felt as if her rights for religious freedom were infringed upon. NASA responded by telling Buzz Aldrin on the Apollo 11 mission that he could no longer quote from the Bible, but they allowed him to conduct the first communion in space. She then went to court saying that since NASA was a federal agency, reading from the Bible was a direct violation of the separation of church and state. She stated that the astronauts were being forced to read the Bible. And since she was a tax-payer, the agency should not allow a bible to be brought aboard the spaceship. She also claimed that the Apollo 8 flight date was picked for religious reasons. After her remarks that the presence of religion was unconstitutional, the lawsuit was dismissed. Judge Jack Roberts responded to the complaint by saying that it "failed to state a cause of action for which relief could be granted." He also said that the citizens of the United States did not have to watch the televised event. And if the astronauts were forced to read the Bible, their rights would have been infringed upon, not those of the viewer. Roberts also mentioned that bringing a Bible on board the flight didn't promote Christian values. Since the astronauts were Christian, they were offered a Bible for their time on the life-endangering journey. Roberts concluded by stating that the date of the flight was just coincidence. The First Amendment states that the government shouldn't be hostile against religion, just neutral. He felt that NASA was only accommodating the astronauts, not promoting any sort of religious values or lifestyles. Murray didn't let this defeat affect her. She continued to advocate for separation of church and feminism and continued to reach for a society that assured peace and equality for all. Unfortunately, when she was 76, Murray, her son, and her granddaughter were kidnapped and murdered by three men. But her constant activism to preserve the original ideals created by the founding fathers will be remembered forever. And her death only left her a martyr for the American people to cherish and love.
Bibliography:
"Putting the Bill of Rights to the Test." National Archives, www.archives.gov/
files/publications/ebooks/putting-the-bill-of-rights-to-the-test.pdf.
Accessed 25 Oct. 2017.
The Real Atheist Leader Madalyn Murray O'Hair. 3 Dec. 1969. MYSA,
www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/entertainment_columnists/jeanne_jakle/article/
San-Antonio-set-Madalyn-Murray-O-Hair-movie-11017741.php#photo-12587357.
Accessed 9 Jan. 2018.
Most, Jeff. NASA in Congress. Space News, 6 Dec. 2016, spacenews.com/
time-running-out-in-congress-for-nasa-authorization-and-other-space-bills/.
Accessed 9 Jan. 2018.
"Putting the Bill of Rights to the Test." National Archives, www.archives.gov/
files/publications/ebooks/putting-the-bill-of-rights-to-the-test.pdf.
Accessed 25 Oct. 2017.
The Real Atheist Leader Madalyn Murray O'Hair. 3 Dec. 1969. MYSA,
www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/entertainment_columnists/jeanne_jakle/article/
San-Antonio-set-Madalyn-Murray-O-Hair-movie-11017741.php#photo-12587357.
Accessed 9 Jan. 2018.
Most, Jeff. NASA in Congress. Space News, 6 Dec. 2016, spacenews.com/
time-running-out-in-congress-for-nasa-authorization-and-other-space-bills/.
Accessed 9 Jan. 2018.
Mary Elizabeth Bull Speaks to Court (1980)
Mary Elizabeth Bull served on the National Committee to Revive School Prayer and pronounced her testimony to court. She denounces the action of Madalyn Murray O'Hare and is in disbelief that the trial made it to the Supreme Court. As stated above, she believes that moral values can only be instilled in a student if they also learn spiritual values. During this time, the nation is at conflict as they decide where the boundary should lay between church and state.
|
Bibliography:
Bergstrom, Charles V. HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COURTS, CIVIL
LIBERTIES, AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE
JUDICIARY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Washington D.C., U.S. Government
Printing Office, 1981.
Bergstrom, Charles V. HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COURTS, CIVIL
LIBERTIES, AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE
JUDICIARY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Washington D.C., U.S. Government
Printing Office, 1981.