June 17, 1963 - Mandatory Bible Readings - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

U.S. Supreme Court outlaws mandatory Bible reading and prayer in public schools. For years, many American public schools held Bible readings and prayer sessions, some of which were mandatory, and some of which allowed students to excuse themselves. By the late 1950s, a growing number of students and parents took exception to these Christian ceremonies. In Pennsylvania, state law required schools to read 10 passages from the Bible each morning, followed by the Lord’s Prayer. Even though the Abington Senior High School allowed for students to be exempted from the religious process, the Schemp family objected to the school having any kind of prayer and Bible reading. Their case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. On June 17, 1963, eight of nine judges ruled that compulsory prayer and Bible reading in public schools violated the 1st and 14th amendments of the constitution. Two cases from other states were part of the Schemp case decision. According to the court, even if Christianity is the dominate religion among Americans, allowing any one religion in public schools imposes beliefs not accepted by all students.

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