The American Association for the Advancement of Atheism (AAAA – 4A) was an

atheistic Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

and

antireligious Antireligion is opposition to religion. It involves opposition to organized religion, religious ritual, religious practices or religious institutions. The term ''antireligion'' has also been used to describe opposition to specific forms of supe ...

organization established in 1925. It was founded by Charles Lee Smith, and the organization's "only creedal requirement was a formal profession of atheism".

Activities

The Special Committee on Un-American Activities (1938-1944) wrote that "The American Association for the Advancement of Atheism is attempting to abrogate nil laws enforcing Christian morals; to stop 'bootlegging of religion in public schools'; to stop 'issuance of religious proclamations by Government officials,' such as

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

, etc.; to tax ecclesiastical property; to repeal Sunday ( blue law) legislation; to tax and nationalize church property." The Junior Atheist League was founded in 1927, and enrolled students from the age of seven to seventeen.

Elizabeth Dilling Elizabeth Eloise Kirkpatrick Dilling (April 19, 1894 – May 26, 1966) was an American writer and political activist.Dye, 6 In 1934, she published ''The Red Network—A Who's Who and Handbook of Radicalism for Patriots'', which catalogs over 1,3 ...

in ''The Red Network'' wrote that "Blamegiving Day has been officially established by the Association as a day of protest against Thanksgiving

services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a p ...

." The program for a Blamegiving event run by the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism advertised itself as “a protest against Divine negligence, to be observed each year on Thanksgiving Day, on the assumption, for the day only, that God exists.” ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' further delineates Blamesgiving Day, writing that "A protest sermon explained the purpose of Blamesgiving: 'While others are expressing their gratefulness for the good things of the past year, there can be no harm in making a similar list of things that were not so good.' In the 1920s, Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov "submitted to the Soviet government a project for hybridizing humans and apes by means of artificial insemination" and the "American Association for the Advancement of Atheism announced its fund-raising campaign to support Ivanov's project but gave it a scandalously racist interpretation". Charles Smith merged the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism with the Truth Seeker Organization in the late 1930s. After 1937, Smith cultivated controversy and dissent with him changing the subtitle of his publication "The Truth Seeker" to “the journal for reasoners and racists” and perpetually publishing

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

scientific racism Scientific racism, sometimes termed biological racism, is the pseudoscience, pseudoscientific belief that empirical evidence exists to support or justify racism (racial discrimination), racial inferiority, or racial superiority.. "Few tragedies ...

and

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...

until his death in 1964, which resulted in alienating many from the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism. Melton, J. Gordon. (2003). ''Encyclopedia of American Religions''.

Gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).

References

{{Authority control Atheist organizations Organizations established in 1925 Antitheism

Activities

See also

References