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With the Ten Commandments banned in our courtrooms and prayer forbidden in public schools, it's no surprise our nation's motto, "In God We Trust," is under attack on our currency.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation – one of the nation’s most radical atheist organizations – has filed a federal lawsuit to remove “In God We Trust” from United States currency. They claim our money discriminates against those who don't believe in God. Give me a break!
The last time I checked, money was the same shade of green for the faithful and the faithless. The FRF's claim might be substantiated if certain items were not available for purchase with American, "In God We Trust" dollars. I'm pretty sure however that strippers, drug dealers, hookers, and hit men accept the same promissory notes as doctors, postal workers, teachers and firefighters.
This latest attack on God in the name of political correctness and equal rights is as absurd as me making a fuss over New Jersey's nickname, "The Garden State." Should I go and petition Governor Chris Christie to remove the phrase from our state license plates because I don't have a garden? Absolutely not! My car gets me from point A to point B regardless of what's printed on my license plate and US currency allows me to make purchases regardless of my religious beliefs.
The only difference between atheists and "In God We Trust," and me and "The Garden State," is the fact that I don't hate gardens. Although I don't have one, I do acknowledge that gardens exist and are important in the lives of my fellow citizens. Whether or not I choose to believe it, the food I eat on a daily basis comes from a garden somewhere.
The individuals seeking to remove "In God We Trust" from our nation's currency claim to not believe in God and are completely free to do so within the constructs of the US Constitution. Attempting to remove our nation's long-standing motto from coins and bills however, is an aggressive act of hatred toward God and His people. If you choose to believe there is no God that's your business. The questions remains, how can you hate something you don't believe in?
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Hating something you don't believe in...isn't that called Prejudice? This type of ignorance has been a part of hate crimes and such since the dawn of man. But you raise an excellent point about FFRF's attempt to 'sanitize' America from its foundational truth which contains endless history about freedom OF religion, not FROM it. The PC (Politically Correct, whatever the heck that means) crowd's continuous rewriting of historic events needs to be stopped at every turn. 'Remove not the ancient landmark' (Proverbs 22 and other references) speaks of set things - boundaries, measure, markers of importance in history. Those who did so wronged their neighbor, and God. These conditions are universal and as effective as when they were instituted centuries ago; they are apolitical and absolute.
ReplyDeleteWe know longer live in a christian nation. It may have been our origins but we have lost our national faith. but we must continue to witness and thank you for doing so. one person exposed to Gods will may be one more brother to be with us in heaven. Thank you
ReplyDeleteIt does seem that America has become largely, a secular nation. I'd love to see a resurgence of national faith in these United States!
DeleteThey are attacking the very foundatoon of our country.....family. This was successfully done over 20 years ago by accepting homosexuality and adding it to "hate speech" and PC. In a hundred years from now...what will the foundations of the very families that make up this God country be? Imagine how it is now, I can go through my family tree over 600 years flawlessly. That gives me the wisdom and knowledge of Family to be utilized when trials and tribulations occur. It is the bedrock, strength, the very heart of each of our existance! In a hundred years I tremble thinking where we are heading. Can you say "Sodom"?
ReplyDeleteI know I am out of place on this blog but I just thought I'd spark the other side of the conversation a bit... And there are so many points to make not just about your blog but the comments underneath as well. The phrase in question wasn't the nations official motto until the 1950's. Much like "under god" wasn't added to the pledge of allegiance until around that time too. Though some coins did first have the motto printed on them in the mid 1800's (I know this having a loved one who's a numismatist ;) ).
ReplyDeleteWhat if all the money said a very purely Islamic motto; or a motto of Greek gods that went against the idea of not having "false idols" or something; or what if it had something very secular, pointing out the "separation of church and state" maybe; would you think of it differently then? Would you wish it said something more neutral, or nothing at all, or more in favor of your own beliefs? Probably. It's easy to say "so what" when it coincides so nicely with your own way of life to begin with. When it's that way, it's easy to say "you don't like it? Tough!" to everyone else when you DO like it.
I don't think that looking at these things, and trying to change some of it is the same as saying "I hate God" or "I hate believers" or even "I hate families" (re: the last comment: honestly, I don't see the connection between this and attacking families at all). That's quite a "spin" to put on it. That's putting some pretty strong words in people's mouths.
We are a diverse and varied country, not just Christian. This nation was originally the home of people who were not Christian at all, Native Americans in case you're not catching my drift. "We," by the way, killed most of those people in what was the largest genocide in history, and the ones we didn't kill, we definitely worked to convert and conform to what we wanted. We didn't want them worshiping their spirits, nature, etc. But since their beliefs are from a much older "founding tradition" on this land, would it be alright if you as an American were "defined" by those beliefs, in your motto, on your currency, in your pledge of allegiance, etc. ?
No one is saying you're a bad person for not having a garden (well maybe they are, I don't know, ha) but quite often, if you don't believe in god, or do but aren't Christian even, you are judged very harshly in that way in America.
There are actually many quotes from our "founding fathers" that speak to the nation leaning toward secularism. However, our country is actually pretty religious statistically speaking, especially when compared to European counties. The whole "war on religion" thing is a bewildering one to me, because, frankly, I don't see it. People who believe in God, especially the Christian God, are the majority here. However, that does not represent the whole.
~Natalie
P.S. No offense intended at all Brandon (or anyone else on the blog). Hope you are well :)
Natalie,
DeleteThank you for your insight. Respectful discourse is always appreciated; you aren't at all out of place here!
You bring up some valid points, one in particular that I can identify with. I went through an atheistic phase in middle/high school where I put my faith completely in science and rebelled against the idea of God. During that time, I would stand during the Pledge of Allegiance but refused to participate in recitation. The phrase "one nation under God" angered me. Deciding that there was no God, I certainly didn't feel "under" Him. I understand why an American atheist could be bothered by the phrase "under God" or "In God We Trust."
While it's true "under God" in the Pledge and "In God We Trust" on money were added in the 50's, our nation's founding fathers included at least four references to God in 1776's Declaration of Independence (Nature's God, Creator, Divine Providence etc).
It's difficult to argue that we haven't seen a steady increase in crime, substance abuse, and teenage pregnancy since prayer was banned in schools in the early 1960's. The latest lawsuit to remove "In God We Trust" from our currency bothers me today because I do believe in God. I believe He created us and sustains us daily. When we attempt to remove Him from the public eye, we are telling our Creator that we don't need or want Him and that we're actually better off without Him.
I see an American society that is increasingly secular and morally declining. I'm sorry that you feel non-believers are judged harshly and apologize if that has been your experience. Jesus called us to love God with all our hearts and to love each other as ourselves. Believers shouldn't be judging you but should be living examples of God's unconditional love.
Today, the creed of our society seems to be that of absolute acceptance of everyone's beliefs, actions, and ideas. It seems there is no truth anymore. Everyone is free to create their own truth. Jesus said, "Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, only a few find it."
The Bible is my compass, my true North. When I don't accept the wisdom or the logic of today's society (gay-marriage, all paths lead to God, everyone goes to Heaven etc) I'm called narrow-minded and judgmental. When I tell people that Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me," I'm judged harshly by some too.
I wish we lived in a world that recognized it is a creation of a Divine Creator that loves us and has a plan for our lives. I realize this is not the case. I pray that you take the time to check out the Bible with an open heart and mind and see if there's anything to this whole
"God thing."
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!
Here's just one other way to look at it: Think of the Christians in many middle eastern nations, who , because the majority believe it, and/or because it's what their modern nation was "founded on" are forced to conform to sharia law, or at the very least have the beliefs that do not coincide with their own constantly shown to them every single day, wherever they go. I think that the way many of them feel is how many non-Christians or even non-believers can feel in this country. Though that's just a hunch. And yes I understand that unfortunately, they have to deal with a lot more violence, but so do the atheists (perhaps even more so). Ok I'll stop now.
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