Ruth Frances Hurmence was the first cousin of my grandfather. She was born 12 January 1915 in Sumner, Iowa. Her parents were Charles Richard Hurmence and Clara Emma Messerer. Ruth became a renowned author for her works as a self-described born again skeptic of Christianity, based on her reading of the old and new testaments. She is most widely known for the phrase “There was a time when religion ruled the world. It is known as the Dark Ages.” She was raised as a Methodist in a strong Methodist family, but proclaimed that she always questioned the teachings.
She attended Texas Tech University and graduated in 1935 with a degree in journalism. She married Truman Green, an engineer, and had three children. Eventually Ruth settled in Jefferson City, Missouri. In 1960 she lost her only sister to breast cancer and decided to have a radical mastectomy. She was later diagnosed with skin cancer and in 1975 developed throat cancer. During her first round of cancer treatments Ruth decided to read the bible cover to cover and it was at this time that she became a confirmed atheist.
Ruth wrote The Born Again Skeptics Guide to the Bible and performed a well renowned lecture at the Unitarian Church of Columbia, MO in November of 1980. She was interviewed for the film A Second Look at Religion. The film was released in 1980 by the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Ruth passed away on 7 July 1981 after ingesting a fatal dose of pain killers and after a long battle with throat cancer. Her last words written to her friend Annie Laurie Gaylor "Freedom from religion must grow and prosper... freedom depends upon freethinkers."
Special thanks to:
Wikipedia’s article about Ruth Hurmance Green the previous was drawn upon heavily from the website.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS:
The Born Again Skeptic's Guide to the Bible. Madison, Wis.: Freedom From Religion Foundation, 4th ed., 1999. ISBN 1-877733-01-6
The Book of Ruth. Madison, WI: Freedom From Religion Foundation, 1982. ISBN 978-9991879482
Women Without Superstition. Madison, Wis.: Freedom From Religion Foundation, 1997. ISBN 1-877733-09-1
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