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Yes! Take God Off Your Currency!Follow

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#1 Mar 13 2013 at 1:04 AM Rating: Decent
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20 plaintiffs are sueing the US treasury for having "In God We Trust" on the US currency. It seems like a no-brainer to me if you want a government that upholds freedom of religion for its citizens, and is serious about separating Church rule from State rule. "God" in a common sense way refers to the Christian God. Why have the national currency represent only one religion, or religion at all, if people of other faiths, agnostics and athiests are supposed to feel embraced by their nation. One's own currency is a pretty fundamental to one's own sense of identity, the same way your childhood home, and nation you grew up in, and the nation you are a citizen of now, is.

Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote:
The complaint, a tour de force of historical research, unequivocally shows that there was a purely religious purpose and intent behind putting God on our coinage. Newdow quotes representatives who voted for the addition as seeking to use the money to proselytize around the world. Rep. Herman P. Eberharter (PA) said: "[T]he American dollar travels all over the world, into every country of the world, and frequently gets behind the Iron Curtain, and if it carries this message in that way I think it would be very good. I think that is one of the most compelling reasons why we should put it on our currency. ... the principles laid down by God and the teachings of our way of life should be kept alive in the hearts and minds of our friends enslaved behind the Iron Curtain."

Plaintiffs are forced to proselytize — by an Act of Congress — for a deity they don't believe in whenever they handle money.

"Our government is prohibited from endorsing one religion over another but also prohibited from endorsing religion over nonreligion. The placement of a monotheistic ideal on our nation's currency violates this stricture and is therefore unconstitutional," said FFRF Co-President Dan Barker.
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#2 Mar 13 2013 at 1:55 AM Rating: Excellent
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I suggest we do the opposite. Let's require "In God We Trust" to be on all debit and credit cards because no one uses cash anymore.
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#3 Mar 13 2013 at 3:45 AM Rating: Good
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Really? I was recently under the impression that all transactions in the USA were handled by cheque!
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#4 Mar 13 2013 at 4:39 AM Rating: Excellent
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Is this really worth fighting for? A piece of paper or metal that you don't even look at before giving to someone else?
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#5 Mar 13 2013 at 5:43 AM Rating: Good
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Uglysasquatch wrote:
Is this really worth fighting for? A piece of paper or metal that you don't even look at before giving to someone else?

As an atheist, I agree with this sentiment. Does it really matter? People who worry about **** like this give atheists in general a bad name in the same way the war on Christmas ***** give Christians a bad name.
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#6 Mar 13 2013 at 6:17 AM Rating: Good
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Out of all the nit picks and ******* about separation of Church and State though, I think this is the most legitimate.

Private, religious groups making use of public land? Who cares.
People wanting to pray inside public schools? (not forcing students to) Again, not a big deal.

The Government endorsing a specific deity on its official currency? Comparatively speaking, a big deal.

Personally I don't care if it is there or not. It doesn't bother me nearly enough to even think about raising a stink. But I did notice that at least three of the recent presidential dollar coins omitted the phrase In God We Trust, and I think E Pluribus Unum is a better phrase to have on the currency anyway.
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#7 Mar 13 2013 at 6:54 AM Rating: Excellent
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TirithRR wrote:
The Government endorsing a specific deity on its official currency? Comparatively speaking, a big deal.

I disagree. I'd say active use of public land for worship is more egregious than rote script.

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But I did notice that at least three of the recent presidential dollar coins omitted the phrase In God We Trust

It's engraved along the edge, on the "side" of the coin where you find the milling on quarters or dimes.

I also disagree with the idea that it was added for religious grounds. More accurately, it was added on ideological grounds in an "Us" vs "Them" distinction during the Cold War. We were trying to show how non-Communist we were, not spread the Gospel of Christ or something. Had they said they all loved Coke, we'd have slapped a Pepsi can on the dollar. If they put Transformers on their coins, we'd have added Go-Bots. And been that much the poorer for it. Since the Soviets were seen as "godless", we had to play up the God card.

You saw (and see) much the same thing in Poland and its embrace of Roman Catholicism which it holds as a point of identity as a "Western" nation versus its Eastern Orthodox neighbors. It's less about the doctrine as it is about the separation.

Edited, Mar 13th 2013 8:02am by Jophiel
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#8 Mar 13 2013 at 7:11 AM Rating: Excellent
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Uglysasquatch wrote:
Is this really worth fighting for?
As worthy as most of the other topics that find their way here.
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#9 Mar 13 2013 at 7:54 AM Rating: Good
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TirithRR wrote:
Out of all the nit picks and ******* about separation of Church and State though, I think this is the most legitimate.

...and I think E Pluribus Unum is a better phrase to have on the currency anyway.

I would go for Caveat Emptor, myself Smiley: sly
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#10 Mar 13 2013 at 9:10 AM Rating: Default
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Having "In God We Trust" on currency isn't forcing religion on people. It has been there for over 100 years and doesn't hurt anybody.
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#11 Mar 13 2013 at 9:42 AM Rating: Excellent
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#12 Mar 13 2013 at 11:53 AM Rating: Good
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fronglo wrote:
Having "In God We Trust" on currency isn't forcing religion on people. It has been there for over 100 years and doesn't hurt anybody.


I think the problem is that the crazies use it as an argument that the US should be more religious.
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#13 Mar 13 2013 at 4:49 PM Rating: Good
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This would be nice, but it doesn't seem like such a big deal to me. At least not compared to some of the other things, like "under god" in the pledge they make school kids say every day, or making people swear on a bible in court. I'll celebrate if it happens, but if not, eh, whatever.

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and is serious about separating Church rule from State rule.
Hah!
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#14 Mar 13 2013 at 4:51 PM Rating: Excellent
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I'd argue it's actually sacrilegious to Christianity itself. The one time Jesus got really and truly pissed off was when he found loan sharks in the temple.

Having "In God We Trust" on our money is like saying ********** you, Jesus!" every time you make change.
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#15 Mar 13 2013 at 5:16 PM Rating: Decent
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Quote:
"under god" in the pledge they make school kids say every day


Friend of mine caught hell cause she wouldn't say the pledge. She stood, but wouldn't say it. She doesn't believe in the Christian god. The school couldn't force her to say it cause of her "religious" belief. Are school now really forcing kids to say it or were you unaware that a kid only needs to stand, showing some respect to the country, and not have to repete the pledge?
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#16 Mar 13 2013 at 5:32 PM Rating: Excellent
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We should add more wombat pictures to our money. Hey, it works for Australia!
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#17 Mar 13 2013 at 5:39 PM Rating: Decent
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Zymunn wrote:
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"under god" in the pledge they make school kids say every day


Friend of mine caught hell cause she wouldn't say the pledge. She stood, but wouldn't say it. She doesn't believe in the Christian god. The school couldn't force her to say it cause of her "religious" belief. Are school now really forcing kids to say it or were you unaware that a kid only needs to stand, showing some respect to the country, and not have to repete the pledge?
They are indeed not forced to do so, but right from an early age they are led to believe they must do so. And just because they can't make someone say it doesn't mean they can't try to bully them into it.
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#18 Mar 13 2013 at 5:41 PM Rating: Good
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Zymunn wrote:
Quote:
"under god" in the pledge they make school kids say every day


Friend of mine caught hell cause she wouldn't say the pledge. She stood, but wouldn't say it. She doesn't believe in the Christian god. The school couldn't force her to say it cause of her "religious" belief. Are school now really forcing kids to say it or were you unaware that a kid only needs to stand, showing some respect to the country, and not have to repete the pledge?


I went to elementary school in South Carolina and we were forced to say the Pledge every morning, and were forced to get into a line and pray before leaving the classroom for Lunch. The teacher would not allow the class to leave the room if anyone wasn't bowing their head in prayer.
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#19 Mar 13 2013 at 8:52 PM Rating: Good
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While we're at it, lets get rid of all the rest of the weird symbology our currency holds.
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#20 Mar 14 2013 at 4:45 AM Rating: Good
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Jophiel wrote:
I also disagree with the idea that it was added for religious grounds. More accurately, it was added on ideological grounds in an "Us" vs "Them" distinction during the Cold War. We were trying to show how non-Communist we were, not spread the Gospel of Christ or something. Had they said they all loved Coke, we'd have slapped a Pepsi can on the dollar. If they put Transformers on their coins, we'd have added Go-Bots. And been that much the poorer for it. Since the Soviets were seen as "godless", we had to play up the God card.


So we should modify it, adding a footnote?

Quote:

In God We Trust*

*Not intended to be a factual statement
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#21 Mar 14 2013 at 5:35 AM Rating: Excellent
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Kuwoobie wrote:
While we're at it, lets get rid of all the rest of the weird symbology our currency holds.

Weird symbolism. Symbolism.

Symbology is the study of symbols, like biology is the study of biota/living things. A dollar note has symbols on it, not a text about what those symbols mean. If you were studying the meanings of the symbols on the dollar note, THAT would be symbology.
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#22 Mar 14 2013 at 5:55 AM Rating: Good
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Aripyanfar wrote:
Kuwoobie wrote:
While we're at it, lets get rid of all the rest of the weird symbology our currency holds.

Weird symbolism. Symbolism.

Symbology is the study of symbols, like biology is the study of biota/living things. A dollar note has symbols on it, not a text about what those symbols mean. If you were studying the meanings of the symbols on the dollar note, THAT would be symbology.

Relevant

Edited, Mar 14th 2013 7:56am by Peimei
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#23 Mar 14 2013 at 7:10 AM Rating: Good
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If money is being newly designed take it off or leave it on.

It's a trivial issue that I'd rather not see people arguing about or wasting resources on. I don't think the word 'God' in this context strictly refers to Christianity - nor do I think it was intended to by the currency designers. All religions worship a deity.

For money, I like the Stones quote - "You can't always get what you want".
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#24 Mar 14 2013 at 7:22 AM Rating: Good
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There is a difference between "a god" and "God".

(and I'm pretty sure not all religions worship a deity)
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#25 Mar 14 2013 at 7:28 AM Rating: Excellent
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TirithRR wrote:
(and I'm pretty sure not all religions worship a deity)

All the ones worth mentioning do.
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#26 Mar 14 2013 at 7:46 AM Rating: Good
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Jophiel wrote:
TirithRR wrote:
(and I'm pretty sure not all religions worship a deity)

All the ones worth mentioning do.

Properly understood, Buddhism does not worship a deity. If I remember correctly, Taoism, or "The Way", does not worship a deity either. Even though the mystic Taoists get a bit heavy on the superstition.

Edited, Mar 14th 2013 9:48am by Aripyanfar
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