Charles Lee Smith (1887 – October 26, 1964) was an American

atheist 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 ...

and

white supremacist White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

author and activist widely known for being the last successful conviction for blasphemy in the

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Biography

Raised a Methodist in

Maud, Oklahoma Maud is a city on the boundary between Pottawatomie and Seminole counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 867 by the 2020 United States census. The locale was named for Maud Stearns, a sister to the wives of two men who owned ...

, he entered

Epworth University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

to study theology; however, study and debate there led him to become an atheist instead. In November 1925, he founded the

American Association for the Advancement of Atheism The American Association for the Advancement of Atheism (AAAA – 4A) was an atheistic and antireligious organization established in 1925. It was founded by Charles Lee Smith, and the organization's "only creedal requirement was a formal professio ...

(A.A.A.A. or "the 4A's") in New York City, which lasted until the death of his successor James Hervey Johnson. It attempted to organize student affiliates at universities and high schools, creating at least 30 student chapters. The Los Angeles branch, "The Devil's Angels" included among its members Queen Silver, whose activities with the 4A's inspired the fictionalized movie ''

The Godless Girl ''The Godless Girl'' is a 1928 American sound part-talkie drama directed by Cecil B. DeMille. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects along with Engl ...

''. The Rochester Chapter was known as "The Damned Souls", at Philadelphia "God's Black Sheep", at the University of Wisconsin "The Circle of the Godless", and "The Legion of the Damned" at the University of North Dakota. However, the organization declined over time. Between 1926 and 1928, Smith came into conflict with

John Roach Straton John Roach Straton (surname rhymes with "Dayton"; April 6, 1875 – October 29, 1929) was an American Fundamentalist Baptist pastor. Straton was the son of the Reverend Henry Dundas Douglas Straton and the former Julia Rebecca Carter of Virginia ...

, which resulted in Straton suing Smith for harassment via the mails. His two most famous debates were with William Landon Oliphant, a Minister, Oak Cliff Church of Christ,

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Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. This debate was held in the meeting house of the brethren in

Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee () is a city in and the county seat of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklah ...

. This debate took place on August 15 and 16, 1929, and debated the propositions, "There is a Supreme Being (God, Creator)"; "Atheism is Beneficial to the Race, and is most conducive to Morality of any Theory Known to Man"; and "All Things exist as to the result of Evolution, Directed by no Intelligence". This debate was published four times in book form from 1929 to 2013. On March 20, 1934, Smith debated

Aimee Semple McPherson Aimee Elizabeth Semple McPherson (née Kennedy; October 9, 1890 – September 27, 1944), also known as Sister Aimee or Sister, was a Canadian-born American Pentecostalism, Pentecostal Evangelism, evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920 ...

over evolution. In 1935 Smith published ''The Bible in the Balance'', which criticizes the Bible as unworthy of belief, and became a popular pamphlet for the A.A.A.A. In 1937 Smith took over as an editor of ''

The Truth Seeker ''The Truth Seeker'' is an American periodical published since 1873. It was considered the most influential Freethought publication during the period following the Civil War into the first decades of the 20th century, known as the Golden Age ...

'', a free-thought magazine in

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, where he continued as editor until his 1964 death. During his editorship, he subtitled ''The Truth Seeker'' as "The Journal for Reasoners and Racists".

Blasphemy conviction

In 1928 Smith undertook a course that ended with him the last documented person to be convicted of

blasphemy Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

in the United States. That year, Smith rented a store-front in

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, Arkansas, where he gave out free anti-religious atheist literature. The sign in the window read: "Evolution Is True. The Bible's a Lie. God's a Ghost." For that, he was charged with violating the city ordinance against blasphemy. Because he was an atheist, he therefore refused to swear the court's religious oath to tell the truth and so was not permitted to testify in his own defense. The judge then dismissed the original charge and replaced it with one of distributing obscene, slanderous, or scurrilous literature. Smith was convicted, fined $25, and served most of a 26-day jail sentence. His high-profile

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behind bars drew national media attention. Upon his release, he immediately resumed his atheistic activities, was again charged with blasphemy, and this time convicted. In his trial, he was once more denied the right to testify and was sentenced to ninety days in jail and a fine of $100. Released on $1,000 bail, Smith appealed the verdict. The case then dragged on for several years until it was finally dismissed. The local fundamentalist Baptist minister

Ben M. Bogard Benjamin Marcus "Ben" Bogard (March 9, 1868 – May 29, 1951) was a Missionary Baptist pastor, writer, educator, radio broadcaster, and champion debater in primarily the U.S. state of Arkansas. In 1924, Bogard participated in founding the America ...

, known for successfully lobbying for an Arkansas state law banning the teaching of evolution in the public schools, unexpectedly defended Smith's right to free speech in the belief that he could defeat him in a fair debate.

Late life

In 1956 Smith published the two-volume tome ''Sensism: The Philosophy of the West'', promoting a pure atheistic philosophy, viewing all supernatural religions and thought patterns as rubbish. During the 1959–1963 proceedings of ''

Murray v. Curlett ''Abington School District v. Schempp'', 374 U.S. 203 (1963),. was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court decided 8–1 in favor of the respondent, Edward Schempp, on behalf of his son Ellery Schempp, and declared that school-sp ...

'', Smith provided financial assistance to

Madalyn Murray O'Hair Madalyn Murray O'Hair ( Mays; April 13, 1919 – September 29, 1995) was an American activist supporting atheism, separation of church and state, feminism, and Holocaust denial. In 1963, she founded American Atheists and served as its president ...

to cover part of the case's legal expenses; he said that he had also provided assistance to

Vashti McCollum Vashti Cromwell McCollum (November 6, 1912 – August 20, 2006) was the plaintiff in the landmark 1948 Supreme Court case McCollum v. Board of Education, which struck down religious education in public schools. The defendant in the case was t ...

in her 1945–1947 case. Smith died on October 26, 1964, in

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Smith's ideology

Smith outlined his ideological views in the book: ''Sensism: The Philosophy of the West'' (1956). He was an

anti-Semite Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

anti-Marxist Criticism of Marxism has come from various political ideologies, campaigns and academic disciplines. This includes general intellectual criticism about dogmatism, a lack of internal consistency, criticism related to materialism (both philosoph ...

and

. Smith denied the existence of God and was a staunch atheist and evolutionist. He believed that evolutionary processes also affected humanity. As a supporter of

social Darwinism Charles Darwin, after whom social Darwinism is named Social Darwinism is a body of pseudoscientific theories and societal practices that purport to apply biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology, economi ...

, Smith denied equality between human races. Christianity and Marxism proclaimed equality between people. Therefore, Smith was an anti-Marxist. Smith believed that Christianity and Marxism were invented by the Jews in order to seize power over humanity. Therefore, Smith was an anti-Semite.

Works

* Evolution Illustrated. By Charles Smith. American Association for the Advancement of Atheism, Incorporated. 2 p. 192? * Godless Evolution. By Charles Smith. American Association for the Advancement of Atheism, Incorporated. 4 p. 192? * A Debate Between W. L. Oliphant, Minister, Oak Cliff Church of Christ, Dallas, Texas and Charles Smith, President, American Association for the Advancement of Atheism, New York City: Held in the Church of Christ, Shawnee, Oklahoma, August 15 and 16, 1929 / F. L. Rowe, 177 p. 1929. ** 2-nd edition: Gospel Advocate Company, Nashville, Tennessee. 177 p. 1952. ** 3-nd edition: M. Lynwood Smith Publications, Wesson, Mississippi. 177 p. 1983 ** 4-nd edition: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 180 p. 2013 * The Bible in the Balance. By Charles Smith. American Association for the Advancement of Atheism, Incorporated. 4 p. 1935 * Sensism: The Philosophy of the West: In two vol. Vol. 1. By Charles Smith. The Truth Seeker Company, New York, First Edition, LVI, 732 p. 1956.

References

External links

*
The Bible in the Balance
' *
A Debate Between W. L. Oliphant ... and Charles Smith
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Charles Lee 1887 births 1964 deaths 20th-century atheists Activists from New York (state) Activists from Little Rock, Arkansas American anti-communists American atheism activists American critics of Christianity American segregationists Antisemitism in New York (state) Freethought writers Overturned convictions in the United States People convicted of speech crimes Persecution of atheists Prisoners and detainees of Arkansas Proponents of scientific racism