“In God We Trust’ is the official motto of the United States. It was placed on United States coins in 1864 then later placed on paper currencies by the mid 1960s. President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law making the phrase the national motto in 1956 due to the increased religious sentiment during the Civil War.
On Tuesday, a federal appeals court stated that printing ‘In God We Trust’ on U.S. currencies is constitutional, citing its longstanding use and saying it was not threatening. Recent arguments made by 29 atheists, children of atheists and atheists groups claims that inscribing the national motto on bills and coins violates the first amendment, free speech and religious rights. Atheists are people who disbelieve or have a lack of belief in the existence of God or gods. Their demands were rejected by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Circuit Judge Raymond Gruender said it also did not constitute an establishment of religion due to a review of “historical practices” stated in a 2014 Supreme Court decision. Gruender also states that the Constitution lets the government express our tradition of religious freedom and that by putting the motto on currency “comports with early understandings of the Establishment Clause” without forcing a religious observance on the matter.
Tuesdays 3-0 decision reviewed a previous court ruling in December 2016. The federal appeals court in Chicago upheld the use of “In God We Trust” on currency in May. A lawyer for the plaintiffs, Michael Newdow, stated that this issue is “utterly revolting” and that “the history of governmental denigration of a suspect class should trump [the] principle” with the neutrality be the “touchstone” for analyzing the claims under the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. It was also pointed out in this article that Newdow is known for an unsuccessful litigation challenging the inclusion of “under God” in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance.
Should it be constitutional for the courts to allow “In God We Trust” as the U.S. motto? For me, the answer is yes. This issue is important because it represents how the implicated traditions from centuries ago are still followed today. The motto also symbolizes the pride and love one has for our country which helps create camaraderie between Americans. The Congressional reaffirmation of “In God We Trust” is a move that solidifies the foundation set by the Founding Fathers, who established this nation on the belief that we have certain inalienable rights that are endowed by our Creator, not specifying a certain god or higher power.
I understand the arguments that were made by the groups of atheists in that our nation's motto objectifies their personal beliefs. They do not believe in "God," but their money says they do. Atheist Ambassadors have launched a We The People petition to remove “In God We Trust” from all U.S. currency, stating it “violates the principle of state and church separation.”
However, it was made clear multiple times in the court ruling that our nation's motto does not violate the First Amendment freedom to speech and religious rights. Gruender explained in the article that the motto did not constitute an establishment of religion under a Supreme Court ruling requiring a review of “historical practices.” He states, "The Constitution does not prevent the Government from promoting and 'celebrat[ing] our tradition of religious freedom,' even if the means of doing so — here, adding the national motto to U.S. money — was motivated in part because of religious sentiment.' Placing 'In God We Trust' on coins and currency is consistent with historical practices."
I believe that this is a feel good tool and means nothing to most. Many do trust in God, but it is not because it is printed on our money. Carrying a cross does not make you a Christian either. When the Founders wrote the Declaration and the Constitution, they wanted to make sure everyone’s religious freedom were observed. The reason the US does not have an established Church or official religion is because of the numerous different religions and views from the Revolutionary period. ‘In God We Trust’ should never be removed from our currency as it is an original signature of our country and a key identifying piece of who we are as Americans.
On Tuesday, a federal appeals court stated that printing ‘In God We Trust’ on U.S. currencies is constitutional, citing its longstanding use and saying it was not threatening. Recent arguments made by 29 atheists, children of atheists and atheists groups claims that inscribing the national motto on bills and coins violates the first amendment, free speech and religious rights. Atheists are people who disbelieve or have a lack of belief in the existence of God or gods. Their demands were rejected by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Circuit Judge Raymond Gruender said it also did not constitute an establishment of religion due to a review of “historical practices” stated in a 2014 Supreme Court decision. Gruender also states that the Constitution lets the government express our tradition of religious freedom and that by putting the motto on currency “comports with early understandings of the Establishment Clause” without forcing a religious observance on the matter.
Tuesdays 3-0 decision reviewed a previous court ruling in December 2016. The federal appeals court in Chicago upheld the use of “In God We Trust” on currency in May. A lawyer for the plaintiffs, Michael Newdow, stated that this issue is “utterly revolting” and that “the history of governmental denigration of a suspect class should trump [the] principle” with the neutrality be the “touchstone” for analyzing the claims under the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. It was also pointed out in this article that Newdow is known for an unsuccessful litigation challenging the inclusion of “under God” in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance.
Should it be constitutional for the courts to allow “In God We Trust” as the U.S. motto? For me, the answer is yes. This issue is important because it represents how the implicated traditions from centuries ago are still followed today. The motto also symbolizes the pride and love one has for our country which helps create camaraderie between Americans. The Congressional reaffirmation of “In God We Trust” is a move that solidifies the foundation set by the Founding Fathers, who established this nation on the belief that we have certain inalienable rights that are endowed by our Creator, not specifying a certain god or higher power.
I understand the arguments that were made by the groups of atheists in that our nation's motto objectifies their personal beliefs. They do not believe in "God," but their money says they do. Atheist Ambassadors have launched a We The People petition to remove “In God We Trust” from all U.S. currency, stating it “violates the principle of state and church separation.”However, it was made clear multiple times in the court ruling that our nation's motto does not violate the First Amendment freedom to speech and religious rights. Gruender explained in the article that the motto did not constitute an establishment of religion under a Supreme Court ruling requiring a review of “historical practices.” He states, "The Constitution does not prevent the Government from promoting and 'celebrat[ing] our tradition of religious freedom,' even if the means of doing so — here, adding the national motto to U.S. money — was motivated in part because of religious sentiment.' Placing 'In God We Trust' on coins and currency is consistent with historical practices."
I believe that this is a feel good tool and means nothing to most. Many do trust in God, but it is not because it is printed on our money. Carrying a cross does not make you a Christian either. When the Founders wrote the Declaration and the Constitution, they wanted to make sure everyone’s religious freedom were observed. The reason the US does not have an established Church or official religion is because of the numerous different religions and views from the Revolutionary period. ‘In God We Trust’ should never be removed from our currency as it is an original signature of our country and a key identifying piece of who we are as Americans.
I agree with this post for the exact reasons stated. It is neither threatening nor preferential to a particular religion to have "In God We Trust" on our currency. It is traditional and simply a reminder of the principles this country this founded upon. I think though the state may not have a particularly compelling reason to keep this, I think there is some benefit to keeping non-discriminatory traditions and culture. And there is, in my opinion, certainly no compelling reason to change it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author. The decision upheld by Circuit Judge Raymond Gruender is a textualist one. "In God We Trust" does not establish a singular religion in government. Additionally, it would be a denial of history to remove this expression because (as has been stated) America was in part founded on the basis of religious freedom. America is a deeply religious nation (sorry athiests!) which promises religious liberty. The intent here was not to establish a religious precedent, but to recognize our history as a religious nation with rich diversity.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author's consensus on the court's decision here, but I do feel conflicted in agreeing. I think that as far as the first amendment goes, this decision was correct and justified. There is certainly no imposition of religious affiliation on the general public by having this statement printed on currency. I also find myself thinking that the atheist community that challenged the constitutionality of this are somewhat missing the point why the statement is actually present. This said, it did raise questions for me about the place of non-religion as a part of religious freedom. I want to disagree with the ruling, but logically it seems sound. I think founding our rights in something granted to us by our "creator" as the author used it is a shaky foundation for anything in a country that claims religious freedom, being that atheists and certain religions may not have a creator in their belief system.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the post. I'm not so much interested in the historical significance of the motto as the "original signature of our country." However, I support the constitutionality due to the religious neutrality of the statement. There is no favoritism of a particular religion. Rather, the goal of the phrase initially was to spark national pride during the Cold War and to reject communism. This fact leads me to believe that the phrase was less religiously motivated and instead politically motivated during a contentious time. Ultimately, I believe this was an attempt solely to unify the country rather than divide the country based on religious beliefs. I do not believe that the phrase implies that the beliefs of Atheists are not credible and should not be accepted. The religious neutrality here is evident.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the author and the other commenters that "In God We Trust" should stay on our money. I believe this also because this motto is part of our country's tradition and is not meant to exclude other religions of focus on any particular ones. When the founding fathers chose this as our motto they did not intend on being exclusive in any way. It has been like this for so many years so I do not think it should change now. It shows that our country sticks with our traditions and does not change on every little criticism.
ReplyDeleteI'm conflicted as well, for similar reasons to Brendan. Having "In God We Trust" on our currency is not exactly inclusive of the non-religious. I do agree with those saying that this motto has historical significance for our nation. Just as we pay homage to previous presidents by printing their images on our currency, we also have a phrase printed on our currency with historical significance. However, it is also indisputable that "In God We Trust" is inherently religious.
ReplyDelete