In God We Trust: The flip side of the coin/currency?

I am curious as to why on US currency still stays strong on the printing and stamping for referencing God, yet at schools on the idea of God is rejected. In public schools I mean.

Some people and groups are so bothered by it in corporate and small businesses, schools and public buildings. Yet they continue to use US currency with the word GOD on it, and it doesn’t seem to put them on edge. I have yet to here on the news or on the Internet anyone complaining about the US currency.

Why is that?

IMO If half the people in US have such an issue with God being in everything and everywhere else and removed (Example: pledge of allegiance), but the currency still holds the concept of supporting God.

I would give my opinion to ATS, but I am lost to understand the conundrum on this topic.

If any member can elaborate this to me so I can challenge an intelligent response would be greatly appreciated. Figured since I haven’t seen ;or thanks to the search engine can’t find, on this topic. LOL

reply to post by AK907ICECOLD


Well for one, it's not issued by the government!

reply to post by boncho

Well, Duh..LOL

But if the people of the US that is bothered by it, do they have any influence on the Fed Reserve? I can understand that the Federal Reserve could care less.

Does that motion the idea that citizen's voices really do not make a difference in our country and culture these days?

Yes, you are right though.

The phrase appears to have originated in "The Star-Spangled Banner", written during the War of 1812. The fourth stanza includes the phrase, "And this be our motto: 'In God is our Trust.'" According to Ted Alexander, Chief Historian at Antietam National Battlefield, the contracted "In God We Trust" was first used by the 125th Pennsylvania Infantry as a battle cry on September 17, 1862, during the Battle of Antietam of the American Civil War.[8][9]


"The Star-Spangled Banner", which includes the phrase "And this be our motto: In God is our Trust" in its fourth stanza
The final form of the motto and its placement upon currency were forged entirely within this crucible of national turmoil (lasting from 1861 to 1865). The Reverend M. R. Watkinson, in a letter dated November 13, 1861, petitioned the Treasury Department to add a statement recognising "Almighty God in some form in our coins."[10] At least part of the motivation was to declare that God was on the Union side of the Civil War.[11]

en.wikipedia.org...

More interestingly:

Those who advocate the separation of church and state have questioned the legality of this motto, asserting that it violates United States Constitution which forbids the government from passing any law respecting the establishment of religion.[33] Religious accommodationists state that this entrenched practice has not historically presented any constitutional difficulty, is not coercive, and does not prefer one religious denomination over another.[33]

The motto was first challenged in Aronow v. United States in 1970, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled: "It is quite obvious that the national motto and the slogan on coinage and currency 'In God We Trust' has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion. Its use is of patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise."[34] The decision was cited in Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, a 2004 case on the Pledge of Allegiance. These acts of "ceremonial deism" are "protected from Establishment Clause scrutiny chiefly because they have lost through rote repetition any significant religious content."[35] In Zorach v. Clauson (1952), the Supreme Court also held that the nation's "institutions presuppose a Supreme Being" and that government recognition of God does not constitute the establishment of a state church as the Constitution's authors intended to prohibit.[36]

Outside of constitutional objections, President Theodore Roosevelt took issue with placing the motto on coinage as he considered it sacrilegious to put the name of God on money.[37]

AK907ICECOLD
reply to post by boncho

 

Well, Duh..LOL

But if the people of the US that is bothered by it, do they have any influence on the Fed Reserve? I can understand that the Federal Reserve could care less.

Does that motion the idea that citizen's voices really do not make a difference in our country and culture these days?

Yes, you are right though.

edit on 14-1-2014 by AK907ICECOLD because: (no reason given)

In short, congress had to pass an act for changing the rules regarding money for it to first appear. And its legalities were tested in court and the "motto" won out.

This may shed some light on the situation... possibly.

reply to post by boncho


Wow! I thought the Idea and concept of "in God we trust" was much, much older.

I see why and how the idea comes into play in war.

I know that the Founding Fathers like Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin beliefs were that religion was a sick and depriving notion to men,
and stripped them from thinking for themselves from living their lives.

Thank you for a bit more knowledge, I guess I slept through that in history class.

reply to post by ChaoticOrder


I was almost a straight A student except for History in High School.

Now I have a thirst for it and find it very compelling when I make decisions when I went back to college.

Thanks for the extra info!

I laughed and shook my head when I read that the Pledge of Allegiance was written by a Baptist Minister and did not include "under God".

Huh. Didn't see that coming!

So my question is: Why did Congress install "under God" many decades down the road. Was it just accepted because of the strength of influence and a idea on soldiers in the battlefield?

Here's my opinion for why they put "in god we trust" on money: it's a subliminal message which implies that money is god and you should trust in the money. When you hold money in your hand and you read that statement you subliminally attach the concept of god to the money, so what it really means is "in money we trust" because money is god.

ChaoticOrder
Here's my opinion for why they put "in god we trust" on money: it's a subliminal message which implies that money is god and you should trust in the money. When you hold money in your hand and you read that statement you subliminally attach the concept of god to the money, so what it really means is "in money we trust" because money is god.

Teddy Roosevelt seemed to think the similar:

Outside of constitutional objections, President Theodore Roosevelt took issue with placing the motto on coinage as he considered it sacrilegious to put the name of God on money.[37]

When you think about it (I'm not religious) but if I prayed to god, and held god with the deserved respect, I don't think I'd want his reference on my money or anything besides religious texts and the church I attended.

Maybe that's why I'm not religious?

Have you ever been to church?
God loves money!

How else does the Pope live in a gold and marble residence?
Or a Evangelist afford his alligator skin boots?

reply to post by ChaoticOrder


I'm going to be ignorant (snickers), that seems to be the most intelligent reason to the idea IMO.

I'm fulfilled, thread closed, LMAO

reply to post by AK907ICECOLD

Over 90% of Americans believe in "God or a supreme being". That is why the slogan gets defended on a coin. It is much less specifically tied to any one religion or even a specific set of religions.

I do not believe in the separation of church and the state as liberals understand it. If you have a right to make it illegal to work more than 5 hours in a row, then you have the right to make it illegal to work on Sunday. Both are equally stupid philosophies. No philosophy should be banned on the basis it so happens to be in the Bible.

"In the Collective We Trust" would be a more fitting and motto. Most atheists believe that you should never trust an individual because people are bad and untrustworthy, but if a bunch of them are together voting, then they'll be good so long as they stay in a group. The power vacuum has to be filled somehow, so they put their faith in government very religiously.

reply to post by rupertg


Yes, and one reason I do not give money to churches.

I volunteer at Salvation army and food banks, and donate money to better causes.-Like single parents that don't have beds, food, transportation, etc, rather than churches. I'm sorry but the last church I went to had more money than all the people going to it.

Shame on you pastor...... It makes me sick to my stomach when I went to one's house. His house was amazing overdone, his church was a dump, must be his faith and donations that helped (money?)

reply to post by fractal2


Isn't America like one of the top three Countries in the world that is the most religious?

That's disturbing to me IMO

reply to post by rupertg


Clergies are among the lowest paid professional job in the United States:
news.google.com...,3520018
Clergies are among the happiest people:
www.forbes.com...

Whats funny is the joke that politicians are out to help you and not take your money. Now that really is funny. I wonder what the happiness level of politicians is. Should be high given that they are all set for life until their pension fund collapses.

reply to post by AK907ICECOLD

Religion is a tool that can be used for good or evil. I'm not disturbed by religion. I'm disturbed by what some religious principles lead people to do, and satisfied about what other religious principles lead other people to do.

A religion is a collection of philosophies people use to form a lifestyle. Some of those philosophies are harmful and some are helpful.

AK907ICECOLD
reply to post by ChaoticOrder

 

So my question is: Why did Congress install "under God" many decades down the road. Was it just accepted because of the strength of influence and a idea on soldiers in the battlefield?

edit on 14-1-2014 by AK907ICECOLD because: (no reason given)

It had to do with communism, because it was secular while many in the US at the time were religious it was felt that by adding god into everyday activities like our money and the pledge would prevent the communists from taking over the country. It also helped that at the time these things passed we had a president who was a new convert to a religion.

For most of his adult life Eisenhower was open to the idea of god but never really found a church he liked so he went infrequently, usually to a protestant church. After becoming president though he converted to the National Presbyterian Church, Eisenhower was even baptized while in office. He was eager to show it off and what acceptance of formalized religion made him feel so he was rather receptive to the petitions to throw references to god on everything as a way to ward off the commies.

rupertg
Have you ever been to church?
God loves money!

How else does the Pope live in a gold and marble residence?
Or a Evangelist afford his alligator skin boots?

Slightly off-topic here, but...

Play to the stereotypes, why don't you? I can tell you from first-hand experience, having been a bi-vocational Baptist minister for somewhat in excess of 20 years, that for every televangelist with a Rolex, there are dozens of *legitimate* ministers who put in long hours of study and legwork working in and for small congregations and barely making back their travel expenses, never mind getting rich behind the pulpit.

Personal opinion aside, your comment isn't sound.
1 Timothy 6:10 says "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains." I wonder how many Popes and / or Televangelists are familiar with that verse?