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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]
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)
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.
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 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)
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?