Should "In God We Trust" be taken off the US currency?

[atheismforthewin]

MUCH more accurate!
Well, more so if Bush was still in power.

American greed transcends government. It exists in the sheer abuse of capitalism, only catalyzed by modern conservatism. :ugeek:

 

[Entropic Particle]

I think it should be phased out slowly over time. However, I think the pledge of allegiance is far more sinister to our children than something written on money that not many people pay attention to anyway.

 

[DontHurtTheIntersect]

As an atheist, right off the bat, I would have to say yes. Going further and saying it violates the Establishment Clause of the First Ammendment of the Constitution, I would again say yes. What they should do is from now on, just print money without the message.

 

[jus10ls]

I don't think it's really worth rousing up the idiot fundamentalists over something so small.

 

[CVBrassil]

I will say it shouldn't be on the currency, it should never have been on it. At this point though, right now, it is not a priority, and as someone else said, it would just be a big expense. Plus the outcry from Christians claiming to be be persecuted would just be another annoyance.

 

[IBSpify]

Again while i will say that this is really a non issue, there is not cost to removing it, when currency changes like this you don't pull the old currency out at a cost, you simply change it and allow circulation and time run it's course, just like with the new 100, 20, 10, and 5 dollar bills, they didn't do anything to get rid of the old ones besides stop printing them

 

[Marcus]

I think the pledge of allegiance is far more sinister to our children than something written on money that not many people pay attention to anyway.

Actually, I find the very fact that kids thoughout the US have to regularly recite the pledge of allegiance at all far more worrying that the inclusion of the "under God" phrase therein. One of the ugliest aspects of the US national psyche (and yes, I know it's far from universal, especially among the kinds of yanks you'll find in these fora!) is the tendency to jingoistic nationalism, the blind allegiance to "my country, right or wrong". The enforced regular recital of the pledge clearly reinforces that view.

 

[Mapp]

Absolutely it must be removed. When Congress put it on the money, they did so in direct violation to every conceivable interpretation of the First Amendment. I realize it's been on the money since 1865, but it wasn't officially made policy until the 50s. The problem, however, is bigger than that.

In God We Trust is the national motto of the United States, also instituted in the 50s. So in order to get it off the money, you have to change the National Motto. Why the hell a country built on plurality needs a national motto is another argument. But the fact that a nation founded by Deists attempting to escape the oppression of religious establishment has In God We Trust foisted on it as a motto is disgraceful.

I've always liked the line from the Statue of Liberty for a national motto: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I life up my lamp beside the golden door."

Of course that's a bit long and we could never get it past right-wing xenophobic nut-cases who write anti-immigration law. But then again, just because it likely won't be done, doesn't mean we shouldn't fight for the Constitution anyway.

 

[Marcus]

I always thought the national motto was "E Pluribus Unum"

 

[e2iPi]

I always thought the national motto was "E Pluribus Unum"

It was, until 1956 when it was officially replaced by "In God We Trust"

 

[Sir Pwn4lot]

This is yet again another establishment clause issue. The fact is that government cannot endorse any religion over another, or religion over non-religion. Can you imagine the shit they would throw if we changed it to "In Allah we trust"? Even though Allah is just a translation of "God", infact it's the same God they all worship except he has one extra guy up in Heaven with him (Mohummad).

This has nothing to do with "it being hard" or "not worth it when Congress could be solving other problems", it's a violation of the United States Constitution, and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to that Constitution. It serves as a blinding example of how the Constitution is readily trampled over by the majority in this great nation, when the founding principle was one of equality amongst all beliefs.

If you want to worship then fine, but don't place your God onto the Federal currency.

 

[WolfAU]

Has anyone brought up that its essentially a remnant from the Cold war, and a sort of 'fuck you' to the percieved anti-religion of Soviet brand Communism?

 

[Kordis]

I agree it should be. For those unaware, Dr. Michael Newdow has filed a lawsuit to get it removed, searching his name should get you to his website if interested.

 

[Entropic Particle]

Actually, I find the very fact that kids thoughout the US have to regularly recite the pledge of allegiance at all far more worrying that the inclusion of the "under God" phrase therein.

That was more or less what I was getting at.

 

[Don-Sama]

Oh it so insults my world views :twisted:

 

[borrofburi]

Absolutely it must be removed. When Congress put it on the money, they did so in direct violation to every conceivable interpretation of the First Amendment.

This has nothing to do with "it being hard" or "not worth it when Congress could be solving other problems", it's a violation of the United States Constitution, and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to that Constitution. It serves as a blinding example of how the Constitution is readily trampled over by the majority in this great nation, when the founding principle was one of equality amongst all beliefs.

^These.

 

[Icefire9atla]

It should be removed, but really, is it that big of a deal?

Yes, it is a violation of the constitution, but I doubt that in having "In God We Trust" on money will convert anybody. Most of the time, I don't even pay attention to the phrase most of the time.

As for the pledge, having kids recite "under god" every day won't effect them, many people in my school don't even say the words, they just stand and pretend to pay attention, or at most recite half- heartedly. Even when I did beleive in a god, having to say 'under god' did nothing to sway my opinion.

Of course, if one day in the future these were to be removed, I'll be happy, but I do not think it is important enough to risk alienating the atheist community from the rest of America.

 

[Q-Hack!]

I think most of you are missing the big picture. Is it wrong for it to be on our currency? Yes, but so what. I also couldn't give a rip if some judge wants to put a statue of the 10 commandments in his court house parlor. We need to choose our fights. The real fight right now is the education system. Just getting the various school boards across the country to keep science in the science classes and religion out (or at least separated into a theology class.) That's where our fight should be. The rest will fall into place as time goes on.

 

[IBSpify]

I think most of you are missing the big picture. Is it wrong for it to be on our currency? Yes, but so what. I also couldn't give a rip if some judge wants to put a statue of the 10 commandments in his court house parlor. We need to choose our fights. The real fight right now is the education system. Just getting the various school boards across the country to keep science in the science classes and religion out (or at least separated into a theology class.) That's where our fight should be. The rest will fall into place as time goes on.

I disagree about the 10 commandments thing, because having that in a court room seems to indicate that is the standard that the court is using, and it most certainly is not

now if they had a statue of the ten commandments, and had all the non legally enforced commandments (6 or 7 out of the 10) crossed out, then i would have no complaint about it

 

[Fictionarious]

I don't think it's really worth rousing up the idiot fundamentalists over something so small.

The problem with this is that it elicits comments from them like:
"If it's such a problem, why'dja wait 50 years to complain about it!?"
The longer it goes on, the harder it's going to be to stop. First it's "In God we trust", soon it might be "God with us", and before you know it we'll be living in a fascist State. It happens in increments.
This is a secular nation that segregates Church and State. Even though the federal reserve isn't technically a part of the US government, it is the only type of money we're allowed to use, and as such, it should not be rude or discriminatory to any part of the people.
"In God we trust". Speak for yourselves, dumbasses! I don't trust God any further than I can throw him, and I can't throw him because he has no objective existance. I think it ought to be taken off the US currency immediately and I think the removal should be accompanied by a formal apology for this presumptuous load of tripe. Picking battles isn't a zero-sum game either. I say we ought to fight them in the schools, fight in the courthouses, fight on the money. We'll fight on the beaches, fight on the hills...