In God We Trust- Why Is This Our Country's Motto

In God We Trust Why is this our Country’s Motto? By Rex A. Crouch 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Copyrighted © by Rex A. Crouch 2009








In “God We Trust.” Why has this become our country’s motto, and found its way onto our currency, and what it being done to remove it? And a better question yet is, why aren’t the Christians leading the charge to remove “In God We Trust” from our money? Initially our motto de facto was E Pluribus Unum or “from many, one” which was approved in 1782 for use on the Seal of the United States. This motto still appears on coins, and currency. In the 1950s the United States was in a communist scare, and considered commies to be godless, and subsequently injected God into everything. It must have been a measure of national defense to identify Soviet era spies as they obviously could not put their hand on the Bible, and swear in without bursting into flames like vampires exposed to daylight. As there was no official motto of the United States, congress took it upon itself to make “In God We Trust” the official motto in 1956. So while “In God We Trust” did not become a motto of our country until 1956, this term first found it way onto the U.S. 2 cent piece in 1864 due to increased religious sentiment that existed during the American Civil War. I guess killing your friends, neighbors, and fellow Americans made people more religious. The phrase was not always set on coins, but was never seen on paper currency. One person who expressed dismay for the god phrase being used on coinage was President Theodor Roosevelt who wrote on 11 November 1907- “My own feeling in the matter is due to my very firm conviction that to put such a motto “In God We Trust” on coins, or to use it in any kindred manner, not only does no good but does positive harm, and is in effect irreverence which comes dangerously close to sacrilege. A beautiful and solemn sentence such as the one in question should be treated and uttered only with that fine reverence which necessarily implies a certain exaltation of spirit. Any use which tends to cheapen it, and above all, any use which tends to secure it being treated in a spirit of levity, is from every standpoint profoundly to be regretted.” Outside of his correspondence, Roosevelt knew that the coinage with “In God We Trust” was being used in taverns to buy whiskey and women—he saw how money was used and believed that the name of God should not be involved in such transactions. Roosevelt’s wishes were adhered to, and coinage from 1907 and 1908 do not have any mention of God. Still during the great commie scare of the 1950s, the U.S. Congress made the use of “In God We Trust” mandatory on all coinage, and currency, effect in 1957. Before then our paper currency never saw the phrase, which was then considered a motto. Even the pledge to our flag, which was written by a minister in 1892, did not have any mention of God until the U.S. Congress imposed it after the Catholic Knights of Columbus pressured congress in 1954. Not one American voter outside of the House, Senate, and White House had the opportunity to vote on this matter. American voters were not even asked what they thought about it. The government said it, and made it so. People of various beliefs, and atheist believe that the motto’s use on money constitutes a federally funded endorsement of religious belief in God. On the other hand, devotedly religious persons do not disagree, and in fact believe the term used in on our currency,

and our country’s motto is here for religious reasons, and serves as an endorsement of religion by our government. Yet a third opinion has been that of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has upheld the motto stating that it has “lost through rote repetition any significant religious content.” And further said that acts of “ceremonial deism” have lost their “history, character, and context.” Whether you are religious, or atheist, if you believe that the phrase “In God We Trust” is religious, the U.S. Supreme Court says you are wrong. Nonetheless, the motto continues to see challenges in federal courts, and eventually a sustained argument will be made. In the meanwhile, President Roosevelt’s concerns with the use of the phrase is ever-present in the 21st century—the name of God, trades hands daily in exchange for meth, crack, cocaine, strippers, heterosexual and homosexual sex acts, abortion, political bribes, and immoral acts, and crimes of every magnitude known or imaginable. The atheist shouldn’t be leading the charge to remove this motto from our money; it should be the devoutly religious who see the sacrilege in the use of God’s name on money.