Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday Mar. 6, 2002
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Illustration by Cody Angell
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From U.S. coins, to the national motto, to classrooms, the phrase "In God we trust" found its way into American history when it was minted onto the 1864 two-cent coins as part of the increased religious sentiment during the Civil War.
In a letter dated Nov. 20, 1861, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase instructed James Pollack, director of the mint at Philadelphia, to arrange a motto:
"Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing this national recognition."
Placing the motto on that coin set a precedent for the design of all coins since.
Nearly a century later, the motto again gained momentum. On July 30, 1956, Congress passed a law declaring "In God we trust" as the official national motto of the United States. Paper money adapted the motto in 1957.
But now, in a the rise of patriotism spawned by Sept. 11, many states are looking to place the motto in all public school classrooms. "If putting these mottos in the schools can help build patriotism, it has served its purpose," said Florida's Clay County School Superintendent David Owens.
But what about the separation between church and state? "It's been tested for its constitutionality in federal court," said Michigan State Rep. Stephen Ehardt, a Republican. "It is secular. It's not a religious statement, and it's something we should be proud of - it's our national motto."
What do you think? Is it appropriate to place "In God we trust" in public schools?
What about the money and the Pledge?
Every school day, kids recite the Pledge of Allegiance, along with the words "one nation, under God." Every school day, kids pay for their lunches with currency that has "In God we trust" inscribed on it.
God has always played a part in our public school system. The question in this case is, will posting our national motto in public school classrooms inhibit any student's freedom of religion?
If we say "yes," we might have to do away with the Pledge and money at school, too. Maybe we should have parents prepay for their kids' school lunches, and give the kids pretend "school bucks" instead, so they can still learn the value of money.
Quit nodding. I'm not serious.
It's no big surprise that the group who started this whole push was a fundamentalist Christian organization from the Deep South. These people obviously want to further bridge the gap between church and state by doing this.
Regardless, I say go for it. Slap the motto on classroom walls, if for no other reason than to watch the ACLU throw another fit.
Shane Dale is a political science junior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Not the Right Trend
In God we trust. Whose God? My God? Your God? And just who is represented by "we?" All of us? Or does that exclude the roughly 6 percent who don't believe in God at all?
The "national motto" doesn't belong on our coins, on our paper money or on our government buildings. And it certainly doesn't belong plastered on our school walls and forced into young, impressionable minds. Let's look at the source. This movement of requiring schools to post the phrase began in Tupelo, Mississippi. I've never been, but this is the same state that voted last year to continue to proudly wave the Confederate flag. Is this the state that should be counseling the rest of the country on a new moral trend?
I'd like to paraphrase Marc Stern, the legal director of the American Jewish Conference, when he said that these types of post- 9/11 movements are an exploitation of the tragedies. I couldn't agree more. This topic falls right in with the myriad of other travesties that have become acceptable since 9/11 but weren't before: dictator-like comments such as "axis of evil," anti Arab- American hatred and now this.
Leave the "trusting of God" to our hearts and our places of worship. That's where it belongs.
Laura Winsky is a senior majoring in Spanish and political science. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
In mottos I trust
This issue must be divided into two questions: 1) Should any national motto be displayed in every classroom? 2) Is there anything wrong with the national motto: "In God we trust"? For a lack of space, I shall deal only with the latter question.
Every time the issue of God in our national motto has been challenged, it has been promptly shot down because, according to the terms and intent of the Constitution such language does not violate the separation of church and state; It does not oppress any religion, nor does it mandate the practice of any one religion.
Most people believe in a God, whether in nature, humanity, plurality, unity, science, transcendence, and so on, ad infinitum. There are more ideas about God than there are humans in existence. But at the very least, the term "God" can simply be taken to mean, "that which is greater than me," or for those who feel singularly divine, "me."
The concept of something far greater than a country, in which a country places its confidence, is an overwhelmingly positive influence. Although it can be manipulated as political propaganda (remember the war in Afghanistan's original name: Operation Divine Justice), it also has the effect of creating a sense of humility among people.
And if there's one thing humanity needs, it is to be humbled.
Daniel Cucher is a creative writing senior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
What do they mean, 'we'?
Should the phrase "In God we trust" become part of our education system? Absolutely not. Should it even be our national motto? No. Federal endorsement of such a statement is a testimony to the degree that religious intolerance still pervades our government.
How many people are really included in that "we," after all? The phrase doesn't refer to any god, it refers to THE God. Capital 'g.' No Yahweh. No Allah. No Supreme Being.
I realize that a majority of the people in this country believe in a deity of some kind, and a majority of those believe in the Christian God. However, this type of "we" is not the same as that of the statement "we voted George Bush into office." It is immutable, eternal and wrong. In matters of belief, popular opinion does not justify blanket statements.
Furthermore, having such a proclamation imposed upon our education system introduces new problems. Even if the Supreme Court has been unwilling to completely abolish religious influence in secular policy, it has been clear on the presence of religion in schools.
In considering this issue, let us weigh the influence of our heads, hearts and Constitution. Hopefully they speak in unison.
Caitlin Hall is a freshman majoring in biochemistry and philosophy. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
No on religion, yes on pride
I am a strong opponent of religion in public schools. The school I went to was so poor that art and music weren't offered the last two years I was there.
So religion in school would be another cost for public schools when most of them already are scrounging for money.
However, you also have to maintain a degree of rationalism in the debate to use the "In God we trust" motto in public schools. This motto is called "tra-di-shun."
Tradition is something that has lost a lot of its place in society, but it is also the glue that connects us to the past. It has been our national motto since 1864. Of course, the norm that everyone is Christian has changed since then, but simply placing the motto in public schools is not necessarily teaching religion. It is teaching our national motto in schools in order to honor America and its history.
This is not a sneaky way to preach to kids but a way to inspire them. If we really are in America, then the simple wording of a hundred-year-old phrase will not inhibit the mission of these words: to inspire and unite us in the American spirit.
Mariam Durrani is a systems engineering junior. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
By all means, let's avoid the real issues
Another bad idea from the Christian right - just one from a seemingly infinite supply. Our education system is falling apart, especially in Arizona. Qualified teachers are being forced out of the profession because they cannot afford to teach with rock bottom salaries, classes are so overcrowded that some students don't have chairs to sit at (remember the young girl mentioned in the Gore/Bush debates in 2000?), and textbooks are outdated. Our schools are crumbling, and, along with walls, fall test scores.
What a depressing topic! Denial is always a good way of dealing with it. Rather than discussing how to improve our crumbling schools, the Christian right is intent on driving the debate toward whether or not "In God we trust" should be displayed in public schools. Never mind the fact that schools won't be able to afford the paper these words will be printed on.
While the Christian right seems prefer, "In God we trust," what's wrong with our nation's official motto, "E Pluribus Unum" (Latin for "From many, one.")? These words could not be more patriotic - unless the Christian right could enlighten me as to how our national motto is not the highest display of patriotism - and should not be offensive to anyone.
Kendrick Wilson is a political science freshman. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
