How can America Claim Seperation of Church and State?

Originally posted by ShadeWolf
Think about it. The United States claims to be non-religiously biased, but their official national motto is "In God We Trust". Either admit that your government is biased towards Christianity, or update your nation's policies and wordings to reflect the non-biased society that you all seem to go on about. And don't say that America was founded by a bunch of Protestants who fled England, because the Amerindians were there first, and I don't see any of their religious beliefs represented in the Constitution or Declaration of Independence.

The term "In God We Trust" was first put on U.S. currency during the Civil War, 88 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was done as a political maneuver to remind waring factions that they had much in common, including their belief in God. As evidenced below, there has always been pressure to promote specific religions in currency, and the U.S. went out of its way to avoid the promotion of any particular religion.

It took another hundred years later for "In God We Trust" to appear on paper money, and again, this was for political purposes, in the 1960s during the era of "MCarthyism" when a big fear over "Godless Communism" was sweeping the nation and causing all sorts of unpleasant and embarrassing government activities.

source:www.freethoughtpedia.com...
More: www.ustreas.gov...

It certainly does not mean that the government was all Christian, or that the government was in bed with the church. It simply gave credence to a divine being for America, nothing more, or less.

reply to post by FlyersFan


"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"? Then get 'God' off the money, out of the motto, and out of the pledge. Simple.

Or at least change "God" to "Hypocrisy"

Either one of those will fix the current situation nicely.

reply to post by hinky


Incorrect. If it said "In a God we trust", you'd have a point. But 'God' (with a capital G) is inherently Christian. Other religions don't call their god 'God', but things like 'Allah' or 'Yaweh' or any other bunch of names (I'm looking at you, India!). In other religions 'god' is a position, not a name.

reply to post by Hesperornis


Oh grow up. One treaty with a Muslim nation does not policy make.

I will provide dozens of official records showing the opposite.

reply to post by crmanager


Can you please show where it is stated that the US was founded as a christian nation? How come the wording of that treaty was not challenged?

Also lay off the ad hom attacks please