Nancy Harbour (18 May 2025)
"SUPREME COURT DECISIONS  EARLY 1960s"


     The Supreme Court issued significant religious decisions in 1962 and 1963.  Due to two of the justices retiring and being replaced, sometimes the decisions were rendered by seven judges instead of nine.  In a 6-1 ruling and an 8-1 ruling, only justice Potter Stewart of Ohio was the dissenting vote.  The decisions had a negative impact on religious life in America.  All the judges involved are deceased.
     Sources accessed are America In Time by Malcolm C. Jensen, 1977, ISBN 0-395-25408-6, pages 190 and 216, and the 2011 World Almanac, pages 455 and 504. 
     (Page 190)  In 1962,  the U. S. Supreme Court banned Bible reading of specifically composed prayer in New York State schools (June 25); in later decisions, court holds that all prayer and readings from Bible represent violations in separation of church and state.
     (Page 216)  Engel v. Vitale:  Court rules that nondenominational prayer composed by school officials for use in public schools violates first amendment prohibition against an established religion.  Decision is one of a series involving religious issues under First Amendment dating back to 1943 case (West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette) in which court held that state law requiring schoolchildren to salute the flag abridged religious freedom and including a (June 17) 1963 decision (Abington School District v. Schempp) that outlawed daily Bible readings in public schools.  These decisions created a storm of protest in which court was accused of trying to remove God from American life.
     (Page 455)  Supreme Court ruled June 17, 1963 that laws requiring recitation of Lord’s Prayer or Bible verses in public schools was unconstitutional.   (Page 455)  Engel v. Vitale:  The court held that government bodies could not encourage the recitation of state-composed prayer in public schools, even if nondenominational, because this would be an unconstitutional attempt to establish religion.
     Engel v. Vitale was the case that originated in NY.  Constance Cook, instrumental in writing the 1970 NY abortion law, was first elected to the NY State Assembly in 1963.
     Internet sources say the case of Murray v. Curlett, which arose in Baltimore, was attached to the case of Abington School District v. Schempp.  The Schempp family was a Unitarian family.  It was ruled that school mandated and initiated prayer violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment and unconstitutionally breached the barrier between church and state.  The Murray of Murray v. Curlett was Madalyn Murray O’Hair (1919-1995), who can be seen in an interview with Johnny Carson on February 12,1975.  She wanted In God We Trust taken off coins and churches not to have tax exempt status.  In 1964 Time Magazine said she was the most hated woman in America (she enjoyed it).  With the Abington case, a Pennsylvania law that required Bible readings and recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in public schools prompted the court to rule that mandatory religious activities in public schools are unconstitutional.  Were these court cases decided in the month of Tammuz for those years?
     In the Engel v. Vitale case of 1962, involved was a NY State law that required public schools to open each day with the pledge of allegiance and a nondenominational prayer in which the students recognized their dependence upon God.  The law allowed students to absent themselves from this activity if they found it objectionable.  This case was decided June 25, 1962 – a Shemitah away from the Stonewall events of June 1969 in NYC!
     Consider Hebrews 10:28 regarding punishment in a Pre-Christian world, and Hebrews 10:29 regarding punishment in a Post-Christian world.  As verse 29 is a three-fold transgression, could it correspond to the dark trinity Baal/Ishtar/Molech in that order for the transgressions?  Could this be how those Supreme Court verdicts have been judged by God? The origins were in NY, PA, and Maryland (right by the Pentagon), the three areas most effected by 9/11.  As 9/11 is 38 to 39 years removed from these decisions, it reminds of 39 stripes and the years of wilderness wanderings.  Could Baal mainly be opposed to God the Father, Ishtar to God the Son, and Molech to God the Holy Ghost?