11. Engel v Vitale Banned Prayer in Public Schools
In 1962, another landmark Supreme Court decision proved to be incredibly consequential for fundamentalist Christians living in self-imposed exile. The state of New York approved a law stating that, alongside the Pledge of Allegiance, students should begin the day by reciting the following prayer: “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen.” Steven Engel was a Jewish father who argued that the prayer imposed upon his First Amendment rights because he did not agree with the phrase “Almighty God.”
The Supreme Court agreed with Engel’s attorneys and ruled that government-written prayers in public schools were unconstitutional as they violated the Establishment Clause (Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.). Fundamentalists and their evangelical counterparts were outraged. They saw this decision as banning prayer outright, something that, at best, was the government once again flexing its muscles on their holy ground. At worst, the decision was tantamount to persecuting children for having religious convictions. Still, there was no leadership to be a galvanizing point for these discontent Protestants and to guide them to enter public life. By and large, they remained outside of public life.