Attorney Edwin Kagin, National Legal Director for American Atheists, will speak on the topic, "Atheism, Blasphemy and the American Religious Civil War" on Tuesday, May 4 at 7 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium. American Atheists is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists, Freethinkers and other nonbelievers, works for the total separation of church and state, and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.

Kagin is the originator and was, for its first decade, Director of Camp Quest, the nation’s first residential secular summer camp for children of Atheists and other freethinkers. Kagin was also a founder and board member of Recover Resources Center, which provides an alternative addiction recovery program to the religiously-oriented Alcoholics Anonymous. He currently serves on the national advisory board of the Secular Student Alliance, is Kentucky state director for
American Atheists, and on January 13, 2006, was named national legal director for American Atheists, replacing the retiring Duane Buchholtz.

As an outspoken public critic of religious intrusions into government, Kagin is a frequent speaker and debater at local and national events and has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs, sparring on more than one occasion with Michael Medved. Kagin has also run prominently, albeit unsuccessfully, as “the candidate without a prayer” for the Kentucky Supreme Court (1998) and the Kentucky State Senate (2000). Moreover, some of his legal work has involved him in religious issues and church-state separation controversies in addition to other civil liberties and constitutional issues. He has been a member in good standing of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court since 1975.

Currently, Kagin is host for the Internet radio show “Answers in Atheism. He is also the current National Legal Director, and Kentucky State Director, for American Atheists. He is on its speaker’s bureau and in 2008 was voted onto the Board of Directors of American Atheists, Inc. Edwin and his late wife, Helen Kagin, were awarded the “Atheists of the Year” award for 2005 by American Atheists, and Edwin was named “Atheist of the Year” for 2008 “For Organizing The Very Successful Response To The Creationism Museum In Kentucky.”

Copies of Edwin's books, "Baubles of Blasphemy," and his co-authored book, "The Fundamentals of Extremism" will be offered for sale and signing.

Contact: James Addoms, Atheists, Agnostics, Freethinkers Alliance at SU / SUNY ESF, jwaddoms@maxwell.syr.edu

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