Keep "In God We Trust" on US Currency?

Question

I found this online poll the other day and it really disturbed me that there are so many people that feel that we should remove the "In God We Trust" motto from our currency. So I was just curious to see if there are any other wack jobs that frequent Yahoo answers who want it removed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

Answer 1

The answer is 'NO'. No because we certainly can't trust in anything else... In answer to your other assertions, it is widely believed in this country, by most of the people in this country (including you), that the United States of America was founded as a ‘Christian Nation based on Christian Principals’. This is not the truth. In my experience there is only one way to combat a dearly held untruth and that is with uncontestable fact!

Let us begin with the American Revolution. Let's open our Bibles to Romans 13.1 (RSV) and read, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” Subsequent verses go on to provide a logical, moral and ethical foundation for this edict. In the foot notes you will find further scriptural foundation that is, of course, uncontestable fact.

This point was of such importance that none other than Thomas Paine felt compelled to deal with it in a letter published in January 1776 titled “Epistle to Quakers”. The Quakers, of whom Paine himself was of decent, had always taken a non-violent, passive and eminently Christian position on worldly matters and had said as much with regard to the Revolution. Paine, in his Epistle, took them to task on this arguing that, “if the setting up and putting down of kings and governments is God’s peculiar prerogative, he most certainly will not be robbed thereof by us;” Well, that’s a big “if” if I ever heard one because Romans 13.1(RSV) clearly says that it is God’s ‘peculiar’ prerogative!

As any 4th or 5th grader will tell you, the American Revolution was fought over “Taxation with out Representation”. Let us deal with “Taxation” first by turning back to Romans 13, versus 6-7(RSV), “For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” And again in the foot notes you will find further scriptural foundation that is, of course, uncontestable.

Next, let us deal with “Representation” by going all the way back in the Old Testament to Numbers 16 where we find a quite literally crushing example of just what God thinks of rebels or for that matter, anyone who assumes to suggest that they should have a say in what goes on. That little escapade cost the lives of “fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the affair of Korah” Numbers 16.49(RSV). And mind you, these were God’s ‘Chosen’ people!

In short, neither taxation nor our lack of representation should, would, or even could be grounds for revolt against the King who according to The Holy Bible, a perfect treasure of divine instruction, without any mixture of error, ruled over us by divine right granted him by almighty God. Period.

Now lets look at “The Declaration of Independence”. To begin with, ‘God’ is only mentioned once and not as the God of the Old Testament, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob nor of the New Testament Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. No, God is mentioned as the ‘God’ of Nature, what ever that means. The “Declaration” goes on to speak of our ‘unalienable rights’ and that we have a ‘right’ to life, liberty and to pursue happiness. Having read the first five Books of the Bible, The Law of Moses, the Torah of God’s ‘Chosen People’, I can say with a reasonable amount of confidence that we have no ‘rights’ as we would understand them. We have nothing that could even vaguely be considered rights granted to us by anything or anybody. Our sole reason for existence is to serve God!

I can see the battle lines forming that ‘Oh, that’s the Old Testament and Jesus changed all that!’ Oh, really? Where? Just one verse. Just one. The only ‘right’ we have if you want to call it that is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22, verses 37-39(RSV).

Next, let us consider the Supreme Law of the land, that expression of Positive Law that forms the basis of all subordinate law in our country, “The Constitution of the United States”. In it, God is not mentioned once. No, not once. ‘Religion’ is only mentioned (to date) twice. First in Article VI, paragraph 3 where it states, ‘no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.’ The second is Article I of the Bill of Rights which states, ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’.

An interesting point to ponder here is just how many times the government has willfully and deliberately violated the First Amendment rights of people THEY and THEM decided were 'wrong' with the acquiescence if not active encouragement of so

Answer 2

I don't really care too much about it. I don't have enough money lying around so it will probably never be that big of an issue to me.

Answer 3

No US currency had "In God we Trust" on it until 1857. I regard it as a benign intrusion of religion, not an issue to get worked up over.

Answer 4

Nice that you consider anyone who disagrees with you on this issue to be a "wack job," when you have your facts so very wrong. This nation was not founded by Christians on Christian principles. It was founded by people who were primarily deists on Enlightenment principles. In God We Trust was not made the national motto until 1956, and it was done so as a political action during the Cold War, to differentiate us from the "godless" communists. This nation is secular, and that is enshrined in our constitution.

I am an atheist and a liberal, but quite frankly I don't care if this phrase is on our currency, as it is so meaningless. But if you want to support it staying on, then you'd better get some facts to back up your position.  

Answer 5

My two cents worth:

"In God WE Trust" on our coins is obviously an extremely important issue to a lot of people. Personally, it's trivial to me and as such, a non issue.

I don't feel particularly strong about either position, so I certainly don't want to tramp on someone who does feel strongly about it.

As far as anyone who is "offended" by it, they are welcome to send their offensive money to me.

Answer 6

If it aint broke then dont fix it.

Just what we need, the tax payers money go to waste to destroy all currency and make new bills.

Answer 7

thanks for the link. under 20 percent want the change. we should not bow to them.

Answer 8

You know its funny i ran across this ? because my Aunt just sent this to me a week ago!

Amazing, talk about forsight!



Some of you may remember him but he passed away before many of you were born. Red Skelton was a good & funny man. He also ended every show by saying, 'GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS.' Listen to the end of this. It is something he said 39 years ago.



Very important that you listen to the very end!  Take a moment and listen to it (from 1969). How would he have known that this is what is happening?



Click on the link, and turn your sound on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfz2XDXae...

Answer 9

You're right this country was founded by Christians who understood exactly  how evil their own religion could be to the point  that they  intentionally  made it an official non Christian country by granting  American The Freedom FROM Religion(s)  in the FIRST Amendment

and by not requiring a faith test for any American elected or appointed official.

So what did they know about Christianity  that we seem to have forgotten ?

Btw If the only thing that backs up our currency is a trust in God then we are in trouble.

Answer 10

Well, if your addition is any indication you need to understand that our motto isn't "In Christ we trust"

God was and is understood to be part of our culture although not of our legislature.  

The use of the word God, instead of Jesus or Christ is important because God is inclusive of many religions, while Christ is specific to one, with all its variations.

Our unofficial motto  is based on Judeo-Christian beliefs.

If sharing even that much offends you, there isn't much I can do about it.

Answer 11

Welcome to the reality world of the New World Order and all its nonsense. I agree 100% with your statement and if we all dont stand up real soon and tell our leaders of the world we have had enough, there wont be a world to stand up on. Expect alot of the "wrong" changes if pretty boy Obama gets elected. God help us because Allah wont. God needs to save us from ourselves now.

Answer 12

LEAVE OUR CONSTITUTION & OUR CURRENCY ALONE!!!!!

Plain and simple

Answer 13

Most atheists (myself included) are not in the least bit concerned with pursuing such a meaningless endeavor as having the word "God" removed from our currency.  There may be a vocal minority, but there always is.  

I understand that it is very generic in its phrasing and does not necessarily represent a particular god.  

Basically, it is irrelevant.  It's money.

Answer 14

The Devil deserves equal time.

Put "In the Devil we trust" on half the coins and "God" on the other half.

"Trust me," is often used by con men.

Answer 15

Well, while were at it we should remove the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights since they both contain the words "God" and "Lord".

Answer 16

I guess technically it shouldn't be on there because of separation between church and state, but honestly I really couldn't care less. There are so many more important problems that need to be remedied that I can't imagine anyone focusing on this one.

@civil av8r: Try reading the bill of rights again, there is no mention of god at all. the word god appears once in the Declaration of independence along with "the laws of nature"

Answer 17

It's not very open-minded of you to call people who don't agree with you "wack jobs". The US was founded on religious freedom (note the word freedom) and not everyone believes in God.

To suggest that "If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture" is absurd and intolerant.

Answer 18

The 19% who favor removing the motto are a minority.  I figure there are at least 19% of those in the US who hate this country.

Answer 19

Not I.

If the majority rules and the majority believes in some sort of higher power, then if the atheists are offended by their coinage, they can give it to me and I"ll happily take it.

Answer 20

it's slight;y better than "in McCain we trust"

Answer 21

na keep it dont liston 2 many poles if the librals want it gone then the libral tv news well make up the pole 2 meet with what they want done dont worrie about it unless its tookin off thats how i see it

Answer 22

According to the poll only 19% feel it should be removed. Apparently those people forget why so many came to this country to begin with. Religious freedom. I suspect of the 19% many are atheist or muslim. When in Rome, do as the Romans-or leave. Good question.

Answer 23

No.  It's a fraud.  I guess E Pluribus Unum was too high brow.  So cons parrot the same fraud that you are posting here.  

Given Jesus' (you know the guy you people supposedly worship) to money changers, I don't think he'd be pleased.

Answer 24

Our National Motto, as selected by the Founders, is "E PLURIBUS UNUM" (Something Rep. Pence of Indiana couldn't think of on the Tonight Show last night).

We adopted IGWT during the 1950's to demonstrate that we're not Godless commies.  

This nation was founded to have a secular government.

I have been erasing the word "God" from currency for longer than you've been alive and I will keep doing so!

Answer 25

Plain and simple. The people who want this need a punch in the face. Most likely they'll cry and make no attempt to defend themselves. The only purpose they serve in American society is to illustrate what happens when you don't embrace God & Country and true hardcore American values.

Answer 26

People who have a problem with it should just give their money to me then. Otherwise, stop complaining! If God on my money pays the bills then so be it.