I have just been apprised of a lawsuit being filed by a Wisconsin-based atheist organization that is opposed to plans for "In God We Trust" to be engraved on a building at the Capitol in Washington. These people think that it's---are you sitting down, effendi?---Un-American. The hypocrisy of the atheists is just astounding.
"In God We Trust" is a national motto going all the way back to Colonial times. It's on our currency, and I believe it's also on the Constitution and/or the Declaration of Independence. The atheists' lamest argument is that they're afraid that we're offending the Jewish faith. Oh, stop! If an atheist is opposed to any faith, why would they worry about the Jews or the Christians?
To me, this is a grab for attention. I had no idea there was actually a national organization devoted to atheism until I read this article, accessible online on Yahoo!, among other places. As a Christian myself, I find this to be disturbing and distressing. The lawsuit has no merit, in my opinion, and won't get very far. The Founding Fathers were men of diverse religions (Quakers, Christians, et al), and this is one tradition that should not be expunged to appease one particular group.
The history of "In God We Trust" is more complex than you know. A little over 100 years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt tried to get it taken off the currency. Why? Because as a devout Christian, he thought it sacreligious to put the name of God on money. He backed off when public opinion failed to endorse his interpretation. In any event, I don't think someone's out of bounds to question whether the money we all use should imply that we all consider the nation dependent upon the will of a deity. Do you think something bad would happen if we got rid of the motto?
ReplyDeleteUh, does the threat of Armageddon strike you as a possibility, Sammy?
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