Keith Stanton Cornish
27th January 1916 – 14th March 2007
21st March 07
Keith Stanton Cornish, founding member and past president for 30 years of the Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc, died in the Modbury Hospital, Adelaide on 14th March, 07 after becoming ill the night before. He was 91 years of age.
Keith relentlessly strived to keep religion out of politics and for children to be unburdened of faith-driven propaganda. He recognised long before others, such as Richard Dawkins, in The God Delusion, that the religious indoctrination of young minds with the threat of a hell is mental child abuse.
Keith was happily married to Brenda for 59 years, fathered four children, was the grandfather of eight and great grandfather of one and a half. He was loved and highly respected by them all.
Keith was a good, gentle, kind, honest, wise and thoughtful person esteemed by friends and colleagues alike and the description ‘gentleman’ could have no better use. Even detractors found to their dismay that his calm and rational outlook on life destroyed the ‘evil’ Atheist illusion.
After stepping down as president, Keith continued in an active capacity on the Committee of Management of the AFA, corresponding to inquiries as a Public Relations Team member until a few days before his death.
For the record, Keith did not recant his Atheistic views, to the end. He would have been appalled at such a suggestion.
Newspaper Letters Sections containing intelligent missives, signed KS Cornish, will be no more.
The world has lost a principal advocate for atheism and for the widespread acceptance of the supremacy of reason.
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