William J. Murray

William J. Murray III, the chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition in Washington D.C., was born the son of renowned atheist-activist Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who gained national prominence for her role in the Supreme Court case that removed mandatory Bible reading from public schools. Murray was heavily influenced by his mother's outspoken rejection of religion following her lead promoting atheism, until at the age of 34, he rejected atheism, becoming a devout Christian and eventually a pastor. Initially learning of her son's Christian conversion, Madalyn Murray O'Hair commented: " One could call this a postnatal abortion on the part of a mother, I guess; I repudiate him entirely and completely for now and all times. He is beyond human forgiveness." Disowned by his mother, brother and daughter, in 1995 William Murray discovered that all three had been kidnapped and murdered in an attempt to extort $600,000. Ironically, the leader of this event was a former employee of the American Atheists who had been fired for theft. Regarding forgiveness and the long-term fate of his family, William stated: "Christ is there for the vilest offender. The serial killer whose prayer at the hour of his death is genuine is also forgiven. My mother, my brother and my daughter may well await me in heaven. On the other hand, they may have stood their ground defying God to the end, in which case they are now spending yet another day of eternity in hell. If that is the case I will never see them again."