Article by Jhericca Johnson, The Shorthorn staff

When Ellery Schempp’s high school required students to read ten Bible verses every morning “to learn valuable moral lessons,” he began to wonder if the students of Abington High School had fewer morals than students everywhere else.

Schempp was the main student involved in the 1963 Abington School District v. Schempp Supreme Court case which declared school-sanctioned Bible reading unconstitutional. He spoke Thursday in the University Center Red River Room to tell the campus community about his experience.

At the event, which was sponsored by Freethinkers of UTA, Schempp told students how the event occurred and his thoughts during the case.

In 1956, Schempp was a student in the Abington School District in Abington, Pennsylvania, and was told to read Bible verses every morning. On the Monday after Thanksgiving break, Schempp decided to bring a copy of the Quran to school and read it instead. His said his decision came from reading the First Amendment of the constitution and his own religious choice — Unitarianism.

“There is nothing in the constitution about the Bible, and there is nothing in the Bible about democracy,” he said. “And the word ‘religion’ is only in the constitution twice — in the First Amendment and the Sixth.”

After bringing the Quran to school and reading it quietly to himself, Schempp stayed seated while his classmates said the Lord’s Prayer and stood up for the Pledge of Allegiance. Immediately, his teacher asked him why he was disobeying.

Once he explained his position, Schempp was sent to the school disciplinarian.

“He told me that there were 1,300 other students following the rule and that it was all a matter of respect,” he said. “He said that he felt like I was being disrespectful.”

Read our other coverage of Ellery Schempp's case! His story in his own words appears in issue 10. Find out how to bring Ellery to your campus with        our Speakers Bureau.

It wasn’t a matter of disrespect to Schempp, however. Schempp said he felt his actions were within bounds because of the constitution.

Schempp graduated from high school in 1958, but said his brother and sister, who were still in school, enabled the case to continue to the Supreme Court.

“If my brother and sister had not still been in school, the case never would’ve went forward to the Supreme Court,” he said. “Because a case cannot continue unless it directly affects you.”

Schempp said he still faced obstacles after graduation. His principal sent letters of dis-recommendation to every college he applied for. In addition, his brother was subjected to acts of violence from fellow students, and his sister, who was 12 years old at the time, lost friends and her social life.

“We got nearly 500 letters, too, some supportive and others not. Most of them asked us, ‘What are you?’,” he said. “I knew people were mad when they called us ‘communist atheist.’ ”

In 1963 the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court and it was ruled that school-sanctioned Bible reading was unconstitutional.

Interdisciplinary studies senior Rick Jackson said he is passionate about religious cases.

“Mr. Schempp fights for our freedom to believe what we want,” he said. “In that way, he’s a hero to me.”

Becky Robinson, graduate student and Freethinkers president, said she brought Schempp to campus because his story was interesting to her. Robinson heard Schempp speak before and enjoyed it.

Robinson agrees with most of his constitutional views.

“Everyone has the right to decide what’s true for them,” she said. “They just don’t have the right to choose for everyone else.”

 

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