Last Tuesday, a Florida State House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee collectively backed House Bill 839, requiring each public school district board to conspicuously display the state motto. "In God We Trust" was first adopted as part of the state seal in 1868, the US national motto in 1956, and officially designated Florida State motto in 2006. Now, Democratic Rep. Kimberly Daniels advocates that the bill shall serve as a powerful exemplar to Florida's youth about the national and state motto. According to Daniels, the primary sponsor, in a time where God is seemingly forsaken, this bill would be a crucial lesson not only about the civic history of the state, but a dynamic reminder of everyone's right to religious freedom.
Supporters of the bill claim that the display is in no way an establishment of religion; rather, a positive motto given the current political climate. The intentions of the bill are to serve as a platform for Florida's children to understand their states' roots and to enrich their scope of the nation's history. According to Daniels, "The motto is inscribed on the wall of this great Capitol...It should be displayed so that our children will be exposed and educated on this great motto which is a part of this country's foundation." Worthy to note is that this would apply to all public schools. It only makes sense that public schools, of which receive public state funding, should honor and promote Florida State motto and flag.
Moreover, the bill received unanimous support across secular lines.
While I do coincide with the importance of teaching and understanding American history, I can't help but question the intentions of this bill. Specifically, Daniels is a pastor who founded Spoken Word Ministries, Kimberly Daniels Ministries International, and Word Bible College, all of which promote a Christian faith. She also spearheaded the "religious expression in public schools" legislation that was signed into Florida State law last year.
I believe that yes, House Bill 839 does indeed violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment. By alleging "In God We Trust," we are inherently implying that there is an established god. Moreover, this bill promotes a heavily proclaimed Christian belief. Rather than establishing an Allah or a Brahman, these four words point-blankly validate the Christian God.
Additionally, the supporters of this bill also expressed their disappointment in the lack of spirituality seen nowadays. According to Rep. Larry Lee Jr., "We look at what has happened to a lot of our young people today...We're taking God out of everything. This country was built on God." Yet, if a country could be built on a god, wouldn't that automatically assume the god's legitimacy and authority? Thus, that would unquestionably violate the First Amendment by establishing a religion. I regard that this bill would ultimately serve as a sphere of influence to promote their religious beliefs.
Moreover, upon my research, I also found that all members of the House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee affiliate with a religion in which a God is established; be it Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, or Methodist. This, I believe, further exemplifies some sort of majority bias within the committee, and has great potential to sway the vote.
House Bill 839 is intended for Florida's youth. It is during these formative years that they ought to have the freedom to choose and enjoy their religious rights as American citizens, not be persuaded by lawmakers to have faith and believe in a certain way. Requiring all public schools, of which the majority already have the state flag prominently on display, could set the stage for havoc within the sub-school districts, as well as on the national scale. Rather than for the celebrating the civic history of the United States, I believe this bill was intended for religious purposes rather than secular ones.
5 comments:
I, like you, believe this bill violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. In particular, I find Daniels’ claim that displaying this state motto in public schools would serve as a “dynamic reminder of everyone’s right to religious freedom” to be very strange. Young children may not even be able to grasp the concept of religious freedom; therefore, it is not necessary to remind them of it, especially if it through the method of exhibiting a religious principle not universally accepted. If they walk into school every day and see the words “In God We Trust,” young, impressionable children will likely assume that believing in God is “correct” or factual, as they associate school with the provision of factually accurate information.
I agree that the display of the phrase, "In God We Trust" in a public building is a violation of the establishment clause on its own. However, when contextualized, it's display has legs to stand on. Displaying the state flag and motto makes perfect sense in any state, and I believe most legislators and citizens alike could agree on that concept without even knowing what those flags looked like and the motto stated. However, in the case of Florida, and the US as a whole (on currency, in the Pledge of Allegiance, etc.), this phrase has long been established. Until it is challenged in court and overturned on a federal level (I'm not sure if there have ever been any suits), or voluntarily changed by a legislature, I believe the term should be displayed if legislatures so choose. It is the state motto, and is legally inshrined into our government. Although it may be a seemingly clear violation of the Establishment Clause, until it is edited, it remains apart of the government as we have always known it.
I agree that this bill violates the establishment clause. I think this bill forces a Christian belief system on people, without regard to what other’s personal religious beliefs are. As you said, the purpose of putting the words “In God We Trust” in schools is fairly clear when the people backing the bill are all found to believe in religions in which there is an established God. If the true intention is to teach young people about the country’s history, there are better and less potentially offensive ways to do it. This seems like a direct ploy to get young people to subscribe to a monotheistic ideology in hopes they will perpetuate the idea that we should be a Christian nation.
I think that this debate is an interesting one because using the context of the founding fathers it would lead one to believe that it is a Christian motto but it never specifically says that this reference is to the Christian God. No matter which god it is referencing it does lead promote religion. However, this motto is deeply rooted in this country's history and government and since it is within the legislation of the state it should be displayed until that legislation is changed to not infringe on the people's freedom from religion.
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