The Struggle of Church and State

School District of Abington Township, Pennsylvania v. Schempp

• Stated that the citation of no less than 10 bible versus each day, followed by a recitation of the lords prayer in public schools is unconstitutional based upon the 1st amendment.
• States further that though students were allowed to excuse themselves from these recitations, the process is inherently biased and thus in conflict with the 1st amendment.

"The Most hated woman in america"

• Madalyn Murray (O'Hair) assisted in this court case (along with many others) in order to help obliterate the idea of god or religion in our schools.
• During a time where religion was associated with patriotism, she was quickly demonized as being heretical. She was branded by the media and various educational institutions she spoke at.
• She felt that a private religion had no place in a public institution.

The Day God Was Kicked Out of School

• This land mark case is often viewed as being the one that truly separated schools and religion.
• The final verdict was found that ultimately school sponsored religious activities were unconstitutional. Saying that "The reading of the verses, even without comment, possesses a devotional and religious character and constitutes in effect a religious observance. The devotional and religious nature of the morning exercises is made all the more apparent by the fact that the Bible reading is followed immediately by a recital in unison by the pupils of the Lord's Prayer"

WHere's the line?

• School teachers after this case were faced with difficulty in balancing the exclusion of religion in their class in a various religiously diverse time.
• Teachers now take extra precautions such as not verbalizing their personal beliefs, not promoting/denying others beliefs, and sticking to specific neutral curriculum.

Personal Opinions

• Being atheist myself, I strongly agree with what this court case represented. There are so many students that are either not religious, or believe differently that prayer and holy book readings simply can't be applied in public areas like schools.
• I believe that religion should be taught in schools, but in an objective and non biased way. I don't agree with religious ceremonies or activities being acceptable, but learning about each religion, and the impact it had, is a necessary part of our history and gives our students better understanding.

References

• School District of Abington Township, Pennsylvania v. Schempp. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2016, from https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/374/203#writing-USSC_CR_0374_...
• Dierenfield, Bruce J. "The Most Hated Woman in America: Madalyn Murray and the Crusade Against School Prayer" Journal of Supreme Court History 32, no.1 (2007), 62-84
• WERTHEIMER, L. K. (2013, June 17). 50 Years After Abington v. Schempp, a Dissenter Looks Back on School Prayer. Retrieved March 20, 2016, from http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/06/50-years-after-i-abingt...