Woman Who Brought Church/State Case Dies

Sidney G. Schempp, the woman who helped her son Ellery Schempp launch the Supreme Court case that struck down the recitation of the Bible verses and the Lord's Prayer in public schools, died last Monday. Her husband, Edward Schempp, dies last November.

The Courier Post reports:

Sidney G. Schempp, formerly of Barrington and co-founder of the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Cherry Hill, suffered from liver disease and died in Hayward, Calif., at the age of 91. ... Ellery Schempp, the Schempps' oldest son, who now lives in Medford, Mass., remembered the case that started as a personal protest while he was a junior in high school.

"I initiated the protest," he said. "Because of my family's tradition in the Universalist faith and the ACLU, I had an awareness around me." Sidney Schempp and her husband supported their son after he wrote a letter to the ACLU asking for support in his protest. Ellery remembers his mom helping him sift through the letters from the community that poured into their home.

The Schempp family are pioneers in the cause of religious liberty and the separation of church and state in America. They were forced to endure no small amount of vitriol and attacks for their decision to stand up for what is right, but everyone in America enjoys greater liberty because of their courage and sacrifices.

I wonder about those who attacked them back when their legal case was launched — do they today continue to hate the Schempps? Have they come to “see the light” and now realize that the cause was just and the outcome positive? Have any ever written to apologize for the way they acted and thank the Schempps for persevering anyway?

Read More:

• Separation of Church and State 101
• Church and State News
• Religion in Public Schools