Christian Love: ‘Her Murder Was an Act of Mercy’
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2023/12/21
Fort Langley is a small part of the municipality of the Township of Langley in British Columbia, Canada. It is a wonder, a beauty, and a National Historic Site. I have been part of one of its many community association boards. I have been part of the Township of Langley’s Heritage Advisory Committee for several years before.
Most of the individuals in these have been later middle-aged or elderly individuals with a devotion to the “village” (Fort Langley) and the municipality. I love this place. I hate it, too. Its ambivalence derives from ambiguous circumstances around everything about it.
The newest, and certainly most influential, aspect of the community has been the growth and sustained cultural impact of the Evangelical Christian community in Fort Langley. I know of many of them and know of them calling several friends. And I’m critical.
Because I know of the more unsavoury facets of the community living there my entire life, I am aware of the political aspirations and machinations of many in the Evangelical Christian community there. They mostly come from Trinity Western University.
The largest private university in Canada with an admirable growth history and questionable moral background and present. I recall an instance of an individual who was quite unpleasant but expressed sincere views about non-Christian believers, particularly atheists.
Many in this community and beyond do not hear these views expressed in their communities. Therefore, to me, it is important to describe these and present them as honestly as possible. It’s a fact. Non-religious people are persecuted by religion constantly and globally.
Even in more gentle countries like Canada, it is typically based on hatred, a hatred born of fear and a fear bound by ignorance. Ignorance drawn from ‘holy’ scripture. Madalyn Murray O’Hair was born on April 13, 1919 and died September 29, 1995.
She was one of the earliest precursors to the New Atheist movement and an important and outspoken figure for direct communication of bold atheism. It’s akin to a refinement seen in the militant atheism of Richard Dawkins or the militant agnosticism of Sam Vaknin.
Now, surprisingly, O’Hair was murdered by a former employee who happened to be atheist, working for an atheist organization. The basis of the murder was purportedly over financial matters. So, what’s the relation of this small Evangelical Christian university community and heritage community to one of the most prominent atheists ever?
First, some background on O’Hair. O’Hair played a pivotal role in advocating for the separation of church and state, a cornerstone of American democracy. Despite being labelled ‘the most hated woman in America,’ O’Hair’s activism was not about opposing religion.
Her work led to landmark Supreme Court rulings, notably the abolition of mandatory Bible readings in public schools, ensuring educational environments free from religious bias. She brought atheists to the mainstream conversation.
O’Hair’s life challenged the stigmatization of atheism in America, demonstrating that atheism deserves respect and understanding. My encounter with her ideas and work wasn’t necessarily in working in freethought communities.
Rather, it was in a casual conversation with an elderly gentleman. He brought this woman up in a genial conversation about faith with me in a local religious gathering place. Then, when I queried, “Wasn’t she murdered?” Because I recalled a brief reading in the past about her. He was well aware of her.
He replied, “Her murder was an act of mercy.” He was a creationist, a Christian, a Bible believer and ethicist, and astonishingly cruel-minded, influenced by his religious faith. Murder as mercy. It wasn’t a theological based murder or a killing by a Christian. The reaction, though, sticks. I’d never heard of such a concept before. Yet, I know many harbour such views quietly. And I’ll never forget that, as countless others: no doubt.
Yet, it struck a chord. It set off notes of the Old Testament’s devaluation of human life. It sang the sour song of the New Testament delusion of a hereafter, for which any act becomes excusable to some. This is the Fort Langley I intimately knew; this is the Fort Langley I emotionally left.
I sometimes wonder how many in religious communities have to murder that part of themselves to move forward for a better life because the truth of a Christian community was too bleak, stark, and strident in the dismissal of universal human dignity.
License
In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.in-sightpublishing.com.
Copyright
© Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012-Present. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. All interviewees and authors co-copyright their material and may disseminate for their independent purposes.
In-Sight Publishing 
Trackbacks & Pingbacks