Charles Lee Smith

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Charles Lee Smith ( 1887 - 1964 ) was an American civil rights activist . For his work against the supremacy of religions, he accepted a conviction for blasphemy . Smith is the last convicted of blasphemy in the United States.

Life

Smith had been running a shop in Little Rock , Arkansas since 1928 that sold atheist literature for free. The following text could be read in the window: “Evolution Is True. The Bible's a Lie. God's a Ghost. " ("Evolution is true. The Bible is a lie. God is a spirit."). He was then charged with blasphemy. As an atheist, he was unwilling to take an oath on the Bible in court. For a few days in prison, he went on a hunger strike to protest .

personal data
SURNAME Smith, Charles Lee
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American civil rights activist
DATE OF BIRTH 1887
DATE OF DEATH 1964