Difference between revisions of "In God we trust"
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| − | + | "'''In God we trust'''" is the current official motto of the United States of America. The ''de facto'' motto of the USA from 1782 to 1956 was ''e plurbis unum'' which is Latin for, "out of many, one," but it was supplanted in 1956 by Conservative Christian politicians during the Cold War in part to help differentiate the country from what was perceived to be godless communism. | |
| − | In the current political climate, it is unlikely that a lawsuit will succeed in returning the motto to its original inclusive form or even be heard by the US Supreme Court. Part of this is because the US Supreme Court | + | In the current political climate, it is unlikely that a lawsuit will succeed in returning the motto to its original inclusive form or even be heard by the US Supreme Court. Part of this is because all of the US Supreme Court Justices are Christian and have Conservative political beliefs, and Conservative Christians tend to prefer the authoritarianism of their religion over freedom of conscience. Another part of the problem is that the US legal system is not based on fairness, but observable damages; if you can't show that a particular action has damaged you, it's not illegal. Since a motto doesn't ''directly'' hurt anyone, it's hard to rule it illegal, even if it very clearly violates the First Amendment. |
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| + | ==Personal== | ||
| + | I like the original motto because it focuses on multiple people joining together to form a single country, a sentiment worth adopting. I find the new religious motto to be divisive not just because it only applies to Christians (let's face it, the men who adopted it were not interested in supporting Islam), but because it knowingly contradicts the beliefs of a large amount of the population. "In God we trust" also focuses, not on cooperation, but on obedience to authority, something I don't think the government should be in the practice of doing. Having "in God we trust" as a national motto also violates the Establishment Clause of the [[First Amendment]] by endorsing one type of religion over others. The US is steadily becoming less religious, so I hope that in time our nation will recognize that an inclusive secular national motto is preferable to a divisive religious motto and return it to its original form. | ||
==US Currency== | ==US Currency== | ||
[[Image:USD - 1 - Bill - 1935 - Reverse.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Reverse of a $1 bill prior to 1956.]] | [[Image:USD - 1 - Bill - 1935 - Reverse.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Reverse of a $1 bill prior to 1956.]] | ||
| − | US currency was first minted in 1792, but the phrase "in God we trust" didn't appear on any US currency until 81 years later in 1873, and then only on coins and not consistently. | + | US currency was first minted in 1792, but the phrase "in God we trust" didn't appear on any US currency until 81 years later in 1873, and then, only on coins, and not consistently. During the US Civil War, in addition to general religious piety, Union politicians wanted to demonstrate how their god favored the North so they voted to let the US Treasury add "in God we trust" to the currency, but it wasn't until after the war ended that the phrase was actually minted on coins. Throughout the Civil War, the Confederate States never produced currency with the phrase "in God we trust" on it. From 1873 to 1957, the phrase would appear off-an-on on some US coins, but not on bills. It wasn't until 1957, after the phrase was adopted as the official motto the US, that it became mandatory for "in God we trust" to appear on all US currency, an act that would no doubt enrage several of the men whose faces are depicted next to it.<br clear="all" /> |
[[Image:100$ No God (2007-06-06).jpg|thumb|256x256px|Redacting a $100 bill.]] | [[Image:100$ No God (2007-06-06).jpg|thumb|256x256px|Redacting a $100 bill.]] | ||
| − | As a form of civil disobedience to show my disgust with the new motto, I have been crossing the word "GOD" off the back of every bill that has come into my possession since around 2005. I purposely strike out just the word "GOD" so that those who see it know that my | + | As a form of civil disobedience to show my disgust with the new motto, I have been crossing the word "GOD" off the back of every bill that has come into my possession since around 2005. I purposely strike out just the word "GOD" so that those who see it know that my criticism is with the religious aspect of the motto. |
| − | Every time I get new bills I redact them with a black Sharpie marker that I keep in my car specifically for this purpose. So far, I have drained an entire marker of ink on nothing but centimeter long marks and am currently on my second. I've redacted literally thousands of bills. | + | Every time I get new bills I redact them with a black Sharpie marker that I keep in my car specifically for this purpose. So far, I have drained an entire marker worth of ink on nothing but centimeter long marks and am currently on my second. I've redacted literally thousands of bills this way and encourage everyone of a similar mind to do the same. |
==Christian Nation Argument== | ==Christian Nation Argument== | ||
| − | One of the ways this new motto hurts the | + | One of the ways this new motto hurts the United States is because Christians often see it as evidence that the United States was formed as a Christian nation. Such a belief is not only contradictory to the First Amendment of the US Constitution, but also chronologically flawed. Since the motto wasn't adopted until 1957, 181 years after the US declared itself independent, it can't possibly have any bearing on the original formation of the nation. |
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| + | ==Media== | ||
| + | ===Videos=== | ||
| + | {{YouTube|QOP26i6Kufo|Rebecca Watson describes Newdow's lawsuits.}} | ||
==Links== | ==Links== | ||
| − | + | {{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_God_We_Trust}} | |
Latest revision as of 17:59, 8 November 2021
"In God we trust" is the current official motto of the United States of America. The de facto motto of the USA from 1782 to 1956 was e plurbis unum which is Latin for, "out of many, one," but it was supplanted in 1956 by Conservative Christian politicians during the Cold War in part to help differentiate the country from what was perceived to be godless communism.
In the current political climate, it is unlikely that a lawsuit will succeed in returning the motto to its original inclusive form or even be heard by the US Supreme Court. Part of this is because all of the US Supreme Court Justices are Christian and have Conservative political beliefs, and Conservative Christians tend to prefer the authoritarianism of their religion over freedom of conscience. Another part of the problem is that the US legal system is not based on fairness, but observable damages; if you can't show that a particular action has damaged you, it's not illegal. Since a motto doesn't directly hurt anyone, it's hard to rule it illegal, even if it very clearly violates the First Amendment.
Personal
I like the original motto because it focuses on multiple people joining together to form a single country, a sentiment worth adopting. I find the new religious motto to be divisive not just because it only applies to Christians (let's face it, the men who adopted it were not interested in supporting Islam), but because it knowingly contradicts the beliefs of a large amount of the population. "In God we trust" also focuses, not on cooperation, but on obedience to authority, something I don't think the government should be in the practice of doing. Having "in God we trust" as a national motto also violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by endorsing one type of religion over others. The US is steadily becoming less religious, so I hope that in time our nation will recognize that an inclusive secular national motto is preferable to a divisive religious motto and return it to its original form.
US Currency
US currency was first minted in 1792, but the phrase "in God we trust" didn't appear on any US currency until 81 years later in 1873, and then, only on coins, and not consistently. During the US Civil War, in addition to general religious piety, Union politicians wanted to demonstrate how their god favored the North so they voted to let the US Treasury add "in God we trust" to the currency, but it wasn't until after the war ended that the phrase was actually minted on coins. Throughout the Civil War, the Confederate States never produced currency with the phrase "in God we trust" on it. From 1873 to 1957, the phrase would appear off-an-on on some US coins, but not on bills. It wasn't until 1957, after the phrase was adopted as the official motto the US, that it became mandatory for "in God we trust" to appear on all US currency, an act that would no doubt enrage several of the men whose faces are depicted next to it.
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As a form of civil disobedience to show my disgust with the new motto, I have been crossing the word "GOD" off the back of every bill that has come into my possession since around 2005. I purposely strike out just the word "GOD" so that those who see it know that my criticism is with the religious aspect of the motto.
Every time I get new bills I redact them with a black Sharpie marker that I keep in my car specifically for this purpose. So far, I have drained an entire marker worth of ink on nothing but centimeter long marks and am currently on my second. I've redacted literally thousands of bills this way and encourage everyone of a similar mind to do the same.
Christian Nation Argument
One of the ways this new motto hurts the United States is because Christians often see it as evidence that the United States was formed as a Christian nation. Such a belief is not only contradictory to the First Amendment of the US Constitution, but also chronologically flawed. Since the motto wasn't adopted until 1957, 181 years after the US declared itself independent, it can't possibly have any bearing on the original formation of the nation.
Media
Videos
Links
