Kylee McCluskey

Journal 16 Atheist Credo

1 Who is the Author or artist or musician of the original work?

The author for my 16th journal is a quote in a Supreme Court case Murray V. Curlett
written by Madalyn Murray who was a self-proclaimed atheist. This court hearing was
for better teachings of all religion at schools and to not have a required moment of
silence for prayer and reading the bible at her sons school. Later on she funded
Americans Atheist program which is still the main atheist group in America.

What is the full Title of the piece? What is the meaning of this title?

The full title of this piece is Atheist Credo. Atheist means to not believe in one all
mighty god and credo means an individuals belief that guides ones actions. The
meaning of this title as a whole means can be deceiving. At first thought I would think it
was about poor judgment from an atheist, but it really is about how they dont
correspond with each other. Ones religious belief doesnt affect morals.

What was the Historical context within which the work was produced? How does
the context affect the meaning and interpretation of the piece?

The court hearings were in 1961 and at that time religion was taught more frequently
in school and it was a normal thing to do so. It was frowned upon more heavily if you
did not have a religion in this time period and believed if you were atheist you were a
criminal. Though that was only if they identified as atheist, because many people didnt
exactly believe in a god but still attended church for family and social purposes. At this
time it was illegal in most if not all sates for an atheist to run for office. So when this
statement was released, it was a whole new perspective for everyone.

Who do you think the intended audience or audiences might have been at the
time the work was created? How does the audience affect the meaning and
interpretation of the piece?

The audience was for the people in the court house, such as the jury. After it
could have been for everyone in America, to realize that you dont have to be in a
religion. I think it worked out good and they liked it because it ended up with and 8
to 1 vote in Murrays favor.

5 What do you think the works main argument, point, or conclusion might be? How
would you analyze the argument? How would you compare this specifically to
other artistic works you have seen both in class or outside of class? What is your

personal response to the work? Most of your writing should answer this
question.

I think the main point of this writing is to show that it is okay to not believe in god, it
has examples as to why being atheist does not correlate with your values, and how you
present yourself. What ended up happening was that they took all religion out of school
instead of just changing the way it was taught. Some examples from the quote she said
about atheism is that we get to know ourselves and our fellow neighbors and not a
God. Another one I really like and agree with is that we Strive for involvement in life,
not and not escape into death like religion focuses on. I really like this piece because it
is how I go about life. I would consider myself more agnostic because I think there is a
higher power, just not necessarily one or multiple gods. Yet I am still a loving and caring
person with good values. I rate 10/10 would read again.