Chapter 20: Myth—Politics Doesn’t Matter

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Warren Court’s 1962 School Prayer Decision, In Engel v. Vitale, Started Nation’s Moral Decline!

From the moment the U.S. Constitution was approved and for almost

two full centuries our citizens had a unified understanding of moral values and morality. What was the milestone, event or turning point that destroyed that common moral understanding? The nation started its moral decline when the Warren Court ruled that prayer could not be said in public schools.

The decision was made on June 25, 1962 and is recorded as U.S. Supreme Court, Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962). Woe to these debased justices.

“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon THEE, and we beg THY blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers,

and our country.”

That simple 22-word non-denominational prayer, which did not invoke a Catholic or even a Christian conception of God, was ruled as a

violation of the separation of Church and State. For almost 200 years our nation’s schools were free to engage in a daily prayer and society did not think it was evil or against our Constitution. What happened?

I remember in the 1950’s as an elementary student leaving the school grounds at Seward Elementary in Minneapolis for an hour and marching up to a local church a few blocks away where we learned about God. I can’t tell you want we learned, but I remember taking the trip. I also have no ill

feelings about it. Suddenly in June 1962, Earl Warren’s Supreme Court ruled that we could not speak God’s name in public schools. Why? Perhaps it was Warren’s liberal Scandinavian background that led to a belief that “God” doesn’t belong in schools? I guess we’ll never know for sure.

However, there was a confluence of events that took place historically that we should all be aware of. Many events led us to this point in history.

The U.S. Constitution provides for the impeachment of justices that

step out of line. Historically speaking, the Warren Court just had jumped off the moral cliff. Why wasn’t there an outrage in Congress and the nation?