Abington v. Schempp In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that prayer should not be said in public schools, but as late as 1963 there were some people who said that banning the recitation of the prayer was not enough. The issue was brought to the Supreme Court in Abington v. Schempp. There were four states, one of which was Pennsylvania, that required ten verses of the Bible to be read every morning, and then students were required to say the Lord's Prayer. In a previous court case, students could be exempted from reciting the prayer by a written note from their parents. In the most recent court case, Engel v. Vitale, it was decided that requiring students to recite the Lord's Prayer violated their First Amendment right to freedom of religion. Being forced to pray the Our Father forced them to be Christians. But in that case compulsory Bible reading had not been eliminated, so Edward Schempp attempted to eliminate it. Edward Schempp had a son in public school in the Abington school district who said he did not believe in Jesus, his birth or the Trinity, so the Bible readings were against his faith. Because he was forced to attend morning devotions, he was denied his First Amendment rights. The Abington school district countered the argument by saying that the Bible teaches good morals that all children should learn to observe. The Pennsylvania District Court ruled in favor of Schempp, saying that mandatory Bible reading violated the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. Even if a parent could excuse their child, that didn't stop the school from violating the First Amendment. Abington was unhappy with the results and appealed to the Supreme Court. Even the Court... middle of paper... when the Reformation began to spread from Germany to the Netherlands, Switzerland, etc. So from history I think that on earth, in our world, the Church and the State cannot be combined. So, in some ways, the Court's rulings were good, but the fact that they caused America to become rather ungodly makes me want to choose the middle line. It was good and bad in my opinion. Jeremiah 18:15 is another good verse: “For my people have forgotten me, and have burned incense out of vanity, and have made them stumble in their ways, wandering from the ancient paths, walking in impregnable paths.” ." I think this verse accurately describes America. By banning prayer and Bible reading in public schools and "burning incense to vanity" they have forgotten the Christian principles on which America was founded, America has gone from a relatively Christian nation to a very, very ungodly nation..
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