The dollar bill. It is something that we use daily, want more of, and rarely look at, but we know what words are written on it, or at least most of us do: ”In God We Trust.” This motto has been on U.S. currency since 1865, but soon, if one very persistent man gets his way, you may no longer see these words on the dollar bill. Why? Well because a Sacramento doctor and lawyer, made a plea to a federal appeals court Tuesday to have the words, “Under God,” removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, and “In God We Trust” removed from the dollar bill.
The man, who is atheist, says he wants to be “treated equally” and goes on to say, ”They want to have their religious views espoused by the government.” Before you scoff at the likeliness of it happening, consider this; The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals once ruled in this man’s (Newdow) favor in a similar case involving his daughter, in which he claimed that the school district was forcing her to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. (It was decided later that he had no standing to sue since he did not have custody of his daughter.) But then in 2005, a Sacramento judge, trying to uphold the precedent set by the Supreme Court,again ruled in favor of Newdow’s clients for the very same thing, in a case he brought on behalf of some parents of children, who claimed the same thing. Now in these two appeals cases, Newdow says, “he wants equal respect for atheists, who’ve long been disenfranchised.” And he goes on to say, ”They can’t use the machinery of the state to get that (religious) message across.”
Others disagree, and on Tuesday, Justice Department lawyer Lowell Sturgill Jr. said “In God We Trust,” is not an endorsement of a particular faith, but simply a patriotic or ceremonial message. The Gorilla happens to believe that it is, in fact, “In God We Trust,” and believes that it is the foundation on which this great country was built. But hey, the guy is entitled to believe and practice whatever he likes in this country, which is the beauty of being an American. Live and let live! But, one can only wonder….if the government approves taking the words “In God We Trust” off of U.S. currency, can you imagine the cost of such an undertaking? That, my friends, is what we refer to as irony!
December 8th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Taking off the phrase “In God We Trust” would actually be a violation of everyone’s rights. We should have the right to say and have that phrase. Aetheists don’t have to say it. Removing it and not allowing me the right to pray or use this phrase is a denial of my rights to have it.
December 15th, 2007 at 11:05 am
In this wonderful country, we have freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. This includes the right of atheists to practice their beliefs. There is an analogy with free speech: We have the freedom OF speech but not freedom FROM the speech of others; I can speak my mind but I cannot complain that someone else is saying something in public that I do not agree with.
I wholeheartedly agree with the Gorilla that this country was founded on a faith in God and this expression is ceremonial in nature. It deserves to remain on our currency and on our public buildings.