dagblog - Comments for "Congress to spend $100,000 to engrave "In God We Trust" at visitor's center"

Feel free to look at it - on

Verified Atheist — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 22:43:00 +0000

In reply to It's clear you need to get a

Feel free to look at it - on your own dime. It's funny that you're chiding Genghis to get a job (which he most definitely has - in fact, he has several), but yet you want the government to spend $100k so that you can look at it, when you can do it for much, much cheaper with your own money instead of with mine, Genghis', and others.

It's clear you need to get a

Kelly J. Smith — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 22:26:23 +0000

In reply to Congress to spend $100,000 to engrave "In God We Trust" at visitor's center

It's clear you need to get a job. I you don't like "In God We Trust" don't look at it. Please allow me too look at it. I choose not to look at idiots. So if we cross paths some day please forgive me for not maiking eye contact.

Sincerely, Kelly J. Smith

The issue is not a question

Michael Wolraich — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:53:56 +0000

In reply to "In God We Trust" was

The issue is not a question of historical population. The framers included the "make no law respecting an establishment of religion" in order to protect believers in minority religions from tyranny by the majority religion, as happened to Puritans in England. And the proper comparison to a historically atheist state would not be "Think for yourself" but rather "There is no God." I think such a motto would seriously disturb many people and, more to the point, it would be unconstitutional.

Congress did pass a law in this case. The law requires that the Capitol Visitor Center display "In God We Trust." The motivation for the law, as stated by its supporters, was to emphasize the importance of Judeo-Christian (i.e. Protestant) faith to the Federal Government. This seems like the law concerns an establishment of religion to me, whether the engraving be buried underground or prominently displayed for tourists, but obviously, many people have come to a different conclusion.

"In God We Trust" was

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:24:49 +0000

In reply to Congress to spend $100,000 to engrave "In God We Trust" at visitor's center

"In God We Trust" was religious in 1866, but I think it presently holds more weight as a piece of history. If our nation were mostly atheist in its earlier histories, I would be fine (as an American) with federal buildings having inscriptions like "Atheism rules" or "Think for yourself". I think it's enough not being allowed to pray or read from religious books in federal buildings.

Also, the inscription being made isn't really a law. If Congress made an inscription on a rock that said "In God We Trust" and buried it, they wouldn't be making any ordinance that says that everyone under the jurisdiction of America must believe in God, which is what the concept of separation of church and state is (or at least seemed to originally be).