In God We Trust

[Brandon]

I realize it is old news about removing "In God We Trust" on the greenback. Micheal Newdow was the one that helped fuel this fight about "IGWT" on all government monies. He claims the it is uncontitutional to have mention of a god on any government documents (mainly paper money).

What are your thoughts about this? Do you think the term should stay or be removed?

 

[l99999us]

To tell you the truth I don't care either way......

Their are far bigger issues i am worried about.

peace

-Todd

 

[Jim]

It doesn't just apply to paper money either; "In God We Trust" appears on all modern United States currency. Its first appearance on money came around the same time "under God" was inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance, and presumably for the same reasons.

And it should be removed...well, not from circulating currency, of course. But new issues should omit the sentence, in which case it would only take a few years for it to be gone from new currency altogether. New coins are issued every year, and new paper money is issued each time the Secretary of the Treasury (the year of issue on the note changes) or a new Treasurer is appointed (a letter is added to the year of issue, e.g., 2006A, 2006B).

But the politicians don't want to remove it, just like they don't want to remove "under God" from the Pledge. The vast majority of them are Christians; they choose to allow this infraction simply because it suits them personally, not because it is a sound practice or in line with the basic principles of secular government.

 

[LyricB]

I'm a Christian, but I really don't care either way. I can see how it isn't inclusive of everyone, and I can understand how it would upset some people.

 

[Slashmire]

I understand the whole "religion" issue, but I think that the said line has been there for so long, that it has reached a status out of "religion" and into "history" itself, people should just accept it as the "line that was always there" and simply not care about it :\

 

[palefrost]

It doesnt state what god to trust. I have no troubles with it.

 

[dong]

The argument regarding this is more problematic with regard to hostility over religions than the printing of the words on the greenback in the first place. The only way in which it would be unconstitutional is if somehow the printing of words on the money entailed some legal responsibility that one observed religious practices...which isn't the case. Having this removed, like enforcing use of B.C.E. and A.C.E. instead of B.C. and A.D. could be arguably called "the threat of secularism" by conservative religious detractors, which would hardly be constructive.

Edit: Note that this argument only relates to the existence of a tension as opposed to commenting on whether the actual words should be "removed" or not.

 

[LyricB]

Slashmire, that's an interesting point that it's less about religion now and more about history. I guess I never thought of it that way.

 

[matchbox20fan3]

Well seeing that God is the one who gives us the power to get wealth, then I would say that any time I spend my money I am trusting God to bless me and our nation. It may seem small and some people may not care either way, but you should. We have to stand up for the beliefs that our country was built on and trust God to bless our country by not taking him out of our lifes. We have already taken God out of schools and look how that has turned out.
In God I trust!!!!

 

[DJDizzy1]

It doesnt state what god to trust. I have no troubles with it.

:headbang: That's exactly how I feel no one is being excluded. Now if it said the God of Abraham and Issac, I would understand why people felt that way.

Plus of all the issues we have to worry about in America this one just seems rather trivial to me.

 

[dong]

Well seeing that God is the one who gives us the power to get wealth, then I would say that any time I spend my money I am trusting God to bless me and our nation. It may seem small and some people may not care either way, but you should. We have to stand up for the beliefs that our country was built on and trust God to bless our country by not taking him out of our lifes. We have already taken God out of schools and look how that has turned out.
In God I trust!!!!

You of course are presuming the existence of a Judeo-Christian god and are encouraging others to do the same.

This is a decision that some people choose not to take, obviously. Also there are certain theological caveats in specifically stating that God is the one who gives us the power to get wealth. However, so long as this statement is merely seen as an extension of the presumption of an omnipotent god (such that you could say that God is the one who gives us the ability to lose wealth, and not consider this a contradiction), then of course that's fine.

 

[All5Horizons]

I think that it's honestly unfair to have "In God We Trust", as that speaks for everyone in the country without their consent.

But honestly, I'd just rather see a change of faces on those bills and coins. I want Rosa Parks on a dollar...Sitting Bull on a penny maybe, y'know? John Lennon on a 20...maybe Tupac can be on the quarter.

We need a change of faces.