Deseret News | Reader comments: Motto inspires and irritates

Reader comments
Motto inspires and irritates

Ken Baguley | 9:03 a.m. Sept. 29, 2007

There they go again....(ACLU)

Lisa | 9:53 a.m. Sept. 29, 2007

If you are not FOR God, you are AGAINST Him. It's that simple.

Observer | 11:32 a.m. Sept. 29, 2007

As if a license plate motto or some inscription on a piece of paper will increase your chances of salvation or favor with God!

take everything away, sacred books, rituals, prayer and everything outward, and if you cannot say that you are still in the same place with God, the same believer that you think you are, then all that outward stuff will not do you any good anyway.

Sort yourself out on the inside and then worry about the outgoing messages.

Comments continue below

Lisa | 11:42 a.m. Sept. 29, 2007

I am not ashamed to be FOR God.

Lisa | 12:34 p.m. Sept. 29, 2007

Observer, every person manifests their inner convictions by outward expressions, like it or not. Otherwise we wouldn't care enough to be discussing this topic.

And rather than attacking people you don't know with your biased judgements, perhaps we could allow God to continue to have that job. He does it so much better with love.

Render those things... | 12:52 p.m. Sept. 29, 2007

in god we trust all others pay cash..properous..interesting..yet when some one tries to live close to nature and commune with the creator, live attached from the world...everyone jumps on them just like the sads and phaireses of old. can't take it with when you go , just have enough to get there on...the system will collapse within ten years..either by nature or man..the web of life is connected and the double standards won't save a person...dust in the wind..all your $$ won't another minute buy!

Tumbleweed Tom | 2:13 p.m. Sept. 29, 2007

ACLU - Anti Church Lewd and Unnatural. Are they really just trying to balance things out? According to the ACLU adult porn is "free speech." Ask any cop; you won't almost can't make an arrest of a child abuser w/o finding both adult and child porn. But that's just fine w/ the ACLU, doesn't matter what hurts our kids; just as long as we don't cause some aethiest kid severe emotional distress by hearing the word "God" or some other harmless word referring to religion. Aetheists tout the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment while forgetting completely about the Free Exercise Clause.

Robert Herrick | 3:10 p.m. Sept. 29, 2007

Dear Moderator, please make the stupid stop before my head explodes. The commentators are mostly hypocrits and insensitive to their fellow Americans. I used to be a believer but changed my mind. Can these people actually believe I deserve less respect and that they're better than me because I changed my mind? What would be helpful is if we all started using the terms Atheist American, or Christian American, or Jewish American, etc. so we can all be reminded we're in this together even if we don't share the same beliefs.

What is at stake is freedom of conscience and not be coerced into professing something we don't believe. If the motto and professions of God are ceremonial without meaning and so easy for the non-believer to give up, it should be just as easy for the believer to give up, no? This is really an issue of power and the believers are unwilling to give it up. I'm not embarassed to be an American but I am sometimes embarassed of the others that have the same privledge.

It was a good article. Keep up the good work.

Anonymous | 4:27 p.m. Sept. 29, 2007

If 90 percent of citizens want to keep it, we should keep it. We as a country won't get very far with the extremist 10% ruling us.

Brian Westley | 5:38 p.m. Sept. 29, 2007

The government has no business promoting religious views, whether it's "in god we trust" or "allah akbar" or "god does not exist."

Sam Nielson | 6:22 p.m. Sept. 29, 2007

The government has all the business in the world promoting religion, although not ONE religion in particular.

If you read the first amendment it says, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of an religion." Thus one religion (i.e. "an" religion)cannot be fostered over another religion. Religion in general is to be fostered by the government and if one carefully evaluates the history of what government has done in promoting several types of religion they will see that.

God is the same God for all and he is above all be they Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, or even Athiest. The only difference is that each of the above calls Him by a different name. Yes, even athiests trust in God, but their pride forces them to call Him "reason."

Anonymous | 7:08 p.m. Sept. 29, 2007

So why is it really such a problem having four words on a piece of paper??? Just because of their meaning, im sorry its kinda stupid to me. Just because its on there DOESNT mean you have to believe in it!!! People now a days need to get over STUPID ISSUES like these and worry about themselves and/or bigger problems in the world. But seriously think of this how often do you really look at and analyze the money you usually have in your wallet or pocket??? So again im asking, is it really that big of a deal???

Buster | 9:35 p.m. Sept. 29, 2007

In God I Don't Trust. I really don't care if other people want to believe in spirits, but I'm perfectly happy in a world without "God". Many of these so-called great American traditions are an offshoot of McCarthyism--not exactly one of the great periods in our nation's history. Christians should focus on living the life, not forcing other people to go along. Jesus (a great teacher, even for me) never forced anyone. Instead, he persuaded.

Patriot | 11:47 p.m. Sept. 29, 2007

ï¿½Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.ï¿½ --John Adams

Markus | 7:00 a.m. Sept. 30, 2007

Why would I be "for" God. God is only a figment of your imagination.

Not one of us needs the superstition of God.

Raymond Takashi Swenson | 10:16 a.m. Oct. 1, 2007

In 1814 Francis Scott Key wrote the words to "The Star Spangled Banner", including in the 4th verse: "Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our Trust.'" Your story was informative, but omitted this important source for officially making "In God We Trust" our national motto. The phrase "this nation, under God", is from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address as delivered. These and similar phrases invoking deity's blessings on America did not originate 50 years ago, but permeate America's history, documents and songs, including the Declaration of Independence--"endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"--and America the Beautiful--"God shed his grace on thee". Each session of the Supreme Court begins with "God save the United States and this honorable court!" If the Supreme Court eradicates "God" from the Pledge and our coinage, are they going to take it out of our songs and presidential speeches and the Declaration of Independence itself?

The Boy Scouts are a private organization and have as much right to support religion as the Knights of Columbus.

Atheists need to be as tolerant of others as we are of them.

Motto | 3:49 p.m. Oct. 2, 2007

I could care less what motto is printed on our money. I just care about its value and how much I have in my portfolio.

April | 3:27 p.m. Oct. 4, 2007

Really, why would this be such an important disscussion? Yes, the words "In 'God' we trust" are printed on the dollar bills, but we can't really do that much as to change that fact. It's made and done.

I, myself, am proud not to be a follower of the 'God' deity.

Some may believe in this one and only god, but some also DON'T!!! Why does everyone have to be so hipocrite about it? It's something that is wrong with our country, but still. Why can't we just put aside the fact that it says that on the dollars and in the pledge, and just forget about it and go on with our lives while we still have one to live out!!!!!

~ Keep Peace ~

Moderation | 6:59 p.m. Oct. 5, 2007

A small phrase betokens so much. Religious fanaticism has its foundations in so-called religious moderation. Moderates want to keep the little phrase on the dollar. No big deal, they say. But with this affirmation comes the tacit advertisement of the entire belief that even business can be carried out "in the name of God." The world is now ravaged by acts of terrorism carried out "in the name of God." "In God We Trust" would have been a perfectly acceptable and appropriate motto on a patch worn on the jackets of the terrorists who broght down the towers on 9-11. Sam Harris said it well: "Religious moderates are, in large part, responsible for the religious conflict in our world, because their beliefs provide the context in which scriptural literalism and religious violence can never be adequately opposed" (The End of Faith, p. 45). Indeed, we can't even get a trite phrase removed from our currency. The seeds of fanaticism is implicit within every person of faith!

Brad | 7:03 p.m. Oct. 5, 2007

Lisa,

Believe all you want. Just don't cram your beliefs down my indifferent throat, especially with little phrases on my money!

anonymous | 9:01 p.m. Oct. 13, 2007

If the ACLU wants me to pay extra for my In God We Trust plate, they better pay for it!

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