May 7, 2008
The 13 year tenure of Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, came to an abrupt end at a special meeting of the board of directors held April 29.
Frank Zindler, managing editor of American Atheist Press, was appointed acting president of the organization, but is clear that he wants the job only on a temporary basis.
He told the Humanist Network News that "before the new year, hopefully, we'll have someone else." Zindler, citing his age, (nearly 69) said he would be happy to act in an advisory capacity in the future, but feels that "fresh ideas" are needed in a leader of the organization.
According to Zindler, American Atheists has 3000 members. While American Atheists is relatively small, it is influential. The American Atheists president, from founder Madalyn Murray O'Hair to Ellen Johnson, is often called upon to be in the media spotlight as the voice of atheism.
Johnson will remain on the board of directors, said Zindler.
The changing of the guard coincides with the approach of the 45th anniversary of Murray v. Curlett, the U.S. Supreme Court case filed by Madalyn Murray (later Madalyn Murray O’Hair) which removed coercive group prayer and Bible verse recitation from the public schools.
On June 17, 1963, the Supreme Court ruled in an 8-1 decision that government, through the public schools, could not sponsor prayer or the reading of Bible verses.
The Murray's case was consolidated with Abington Township School District v. Schempp, a similar case in which a Unitarian family objected to the reading of Bible verses in school. The win was an important victory for Constitutional rights for both believers and non-believers, serving to enforce the separation between government and religion.
In their petition to the court, the Murrays proudly and clearly identified themselves as atheists.
Murray O’Hair spent much of the rest of her life being the controversial public face of atheist activism. A confrontational and blunt woman, former talk show host Phil Donahue said he had her as his very first guest because he knew that she would attract a large number of viewers.
In an interview on Youtube, Donahue described her as "very, very unpleasant and very sarcastic." He said that she seemed to especially enjoy it when Christians called to tell her that she would “burn in hell" for not believing in God.
Among Murray O'Hair's accomplishments are establishing the first national convention of atheists in the United States; the first American Atheist Library and Archive to preserve documents from the atheist movement, and the first radio and cable television programs enunciating the atheist position. Along with Donahue, she also appeared on many T.V. and radio shows, expressing the atheist viewpoint.
Murray O’Hair formed American Atheists in 1970. The organization's web page states that it is "dedicated to working for the civil rights of Atheists, promoting separation of state and church, and providing information about Atheism."
Zindler is only the fourth person to hold the position of executive director since American Atheists' inception. Founder O'Hair was the first to hold the position, followed by her son, Jon Garth Murray. Johnson, a friend and colleague of the O'Hairs, took the reins following the sudden disappearance of O'Hair, Jon Garth Murray, and her granddaughter Robin, in 1995.
Speculation ran rampant as to what happened to them, with some suggesting that the O'Hair-Murray family had stolen organization funds and were living in New Zealand.
In reality, they had been kidnapped and then brutally murdered by an ex-employee and an accomplice, after being forced to withdraw a great deal of money from the American Atheists Trust Fund. Their dismembered bodies were found some five-and-a-half years later, in January 2001, on a sprawling ranch near the little town of Camp Wood, Texas.
Zindler, a linguist, author, and editor, took over as editor of American Atheist magazine at that point.
He told the Humanist Network News, that he has been active in American Atheists for about 30 years.
Zindler had high praise for Johnson's leadership. "She has a stellar record. She made the atheist voice heard in Washington, D.C. and has done a great deal of work in behalf of freethought in her speeches and lectures."
Zindler doesn't foresee any change in mission with Johnson's departure . "Our central focus has been defending the rights of atheists in America. We have had to be strong separationists," he said.
While Zindler stated that Johnson left for "personal reasons", in an e-mail response to an interview request to Humanist Network News, Johnson stated that she was "fired."
Johnson was unavailable for further comment before HNN's publication deadline.
