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[Jacob/Lee]

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/#!/petition/remove-god-we-trust-legal-tender/54Bdy0R5

Looks like the Constitution finally caught up with our currency and someone's doing something about it. I personally won't sign it, because I don't care either way, but I thought I'd share it with you. From the page:

Currently, all green backs have the words In God We Trust printed on them. This ubiquitous statement has come to be known as our national motto, circa 1956, when it replaced E Pluribus Unum(Translates to 'Out of many, one'). This change was made during the cold war, when fear and propaganda were at the height of dissemination, and serves only to divide us as a nation.

A great many citizens of the United States follow non-theistic or poly-theistic faiths, or are simply atheist, and believe the national governments recognition of a deity to be in violation of the first amendment. As such, we ask that the national motto be restored to E Pluribus Unum and replaced on all green backs.

They need 25,000 signatures for this to go through, and at the time of this writing they have 3,142.

[Cthulhu]

I'm pretty sure the Supreme Court ruled that the religious significance of "In God we trust" had been worn away by constant repetition

[Karlito]

I'm not the biggest fan of our National Motto, but I don't think it's going to go away time soon, and this online petition certainly won't change anything.

Also they need 25,000 signatures to so that they can have 25,000 signatures? Am I reading that right?

[Jacob/Lee]

I'm not the biggest fan of our National Motto, but I don't think it's going to go away time soon, and this online petition certainly won't change anything.

Also they need 25,000 signatures to so that they can have 25,000 signatures? Am I reading that right?

They need 25,000 signatures to get a chance for Congress to actually review it and decide on whether or not to make a bill about it.

[Tarran]

I don't get what's so offensive about it. It's just a motto.

I mean really, how many people look at their dollar and say "OH FREAKING GOD I HATE YOU WARGLEBLARB"?

[Melagius]

I like the sound of it, even if i'm not that religious. I hope it doesn't go away.

[chaoticag]

It's more that people find it uncomfortable rather than due to a hate of god. While the Supreme Court might have ruled the religious significance has been worn down by constant repetition, not everyone feels that way, and not everyone is a monotheist, therefore they feel they aren't being represented.

[kaijyuu]

I'm cool with removing it. Same for removing "under God" from the pledge of allegiance.


As for any "historical significance," it's not like they're going back to old bills and coins and scratching off the motto. Those will remain. New stuff won't need the useless and silly thing, though.

[Sir Finkus]

I don't get what's so offensive about it. It's just a motto.

I mean really, how many people look at their dollar and say "OH FREAKING GOD I HATE YOU WARGLEBLARB"?

Hate to godwin here, but I'm going to.  Imagine if we had bills with swastikas on them.  What's so offensive about that?  It's just a symbol.

I'm not trying to compare theism/deism directly to nazism, I just highlight the importance of mottos and symbols.  I think America should make people of all beliefs/non-beliefs feel welcome.  As an atheist, I find the acknowledgement of the existence of a god as rather alienating.

While having such a motto on our money is alienating to me and many others, not having the motto wouldn't hurt anyone.

That's my take on things anyway.

[Glowcat]

Why would anyone consider a Cold War anti-Commie adoption meant to reassert America's Christian Faith offensive? I just don't understand how acknowledging any particular understanding of the divine *wink wink nudge nudge, conveniently ignore all the ones it doesn't fit* in a secular state could in any way be considered both against the spirit of its laws and negatively reinforce majority opinion (effectively against minorities - see "THIS IS A CHRISTIAN NATION!"), especially since it's so much better than that E pluribus unum the USA was using before as its de facto motto. Clearly those people complaining about this are overreacting about a single phrase instead of the large theocratic movement who uses these methods to reinforce its religion's control over the country.

What's that? A perfect example of how privilege blinds our perceptions? Such silly talks!

A shame that this petition is mostly useless. There's no way Congress would pass something like this, especially now.

[Tarran]

Hate to godwin here, but I'm going to.  Imagine if we had bills with swastikas on them.  What's so offensive about that?  It's just a symbol.

A symbol is not a motto.

And nazism is quite different from religion.

I'd suggest a more related example.

[chaoticag]

Well, there is the ten commandments that they used to have around on public property. And prayers to the lord in schools. Even though they have been done over and over and over, it doesn't change the fact that they get ruled as unconstitutional when it goes to court.

[nenjin]

I'm pretty indifferent to this. I take an agnostic view on the statement. Plus, I find the irony written right there on the currency pretty damn funny.

[Euld]

I'm not sure how it would change well, anything.  Even if we changed all the crisp, new paper money, we'd still have gazillions of legal paper currency in circulation with "in God we trust" on it for a long time afterward.  Seriously, if your atheism is so susceptible to the itty bitty writing on the average American's favorite paper to snort crack with, so much that it offends you, just convert to Christianity for a few years to build up an immunity.  I really think there's other issues to worry about.

[Bloxace]

Since this has been around for longer then us, or me at the least, one can assume folks would get used to it. Removing it would make a few people happy, but offend many more.
Really, how many times do you notice it in a day?