Abington v. SchemppIn 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that the prayer should not be recited in public schools, but again in 1963 some people said that banning the recitation of the prayer was not enough. This issue was brought before the Supreme Court in the case of Abington v. Schempp. There were four states, including Pennsylvania, that required ten Bible verses to be read each morning, and then students had to recite the Lord's Prayer. In a previous court case, students could be excused from reciting the prayer by a written note from parents. In the most recent lawsuit, Engel v. Vitale, it was decided that requiring students to recite the Lord's Prayer violated their First Amendment rights to religious freedom. Being forced to pray the Lord's Prayer forced them to be like Christians. But mandatory Bible reading hadn't been eliminated in that court case, so Edward Schempp tried to get rid of 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 contrary to his belief. Because he was required to attend morning devotions, he was denied his First Amendment rights. The Abington School District refuted this argument, saying the Bible taught good morals that all children should learn to have. The Pennsylvania District Court agreed with Schempp, holding that required Bible reading violated the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. Even if a parent could excuse their child, that did not stop the school from violating the First Amendment. Abington was unhappy with the results and appealed to the Supreme Court. The Court also...... 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, Church and State cannot be combined. So in a way the Court's decisions were good, but the fact that they made America pretty ungodly makes me want to choose the middle line. It was good and bad in my opinion. Jeremiah 18:15 is another good verse: “Because my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense for vanity, and have caused them to stumble in their ways, from the paths of old, so that he walks in paths that are not rejected. ". I think this verse accurately describes America. By banning prayer and Bible reading in public schools and “burning incense for vanity,” they have forgotten the Christian principles upon which l America was founded America went from a relatively Christian nation to a very, very ungodly nation...