M. M. (Mangasar Mugurditch) Mangasarian

Born in the Ottoman Empire in 1859 and of Armenian descent, Mangasar Magurditch Mangasarian was educated at Robert College in Constantinople and later studied at Princeton. He was ordained as a minister while still young, but his ideas changed over time and he moved away from orthodox Christianity.

After settling in the United States, he became known as a rationalist and secularist lecturer and writer. In Chicago he founded the Independent Religious Society, which gave him a platform to speak and publish on religion, morality, and freedom of thought.

Mangasarian wrote in a direct, energetic style meant for general readers rather than specialists. His books often challenge accepted beliefs while trying to build an ethical outlook grounded in reason, which helps explain why his work still interests readers drawn to religious criticism and the history of free thought.