In “God We Trust.” Why has this become our country’s motto, and found its way ontoour currency, and what it being done to remove it? And a better question yet is, whyaren’t the Christians leading the charge to remove “In God We Trust” from our money?Initially our motto de facto was E Pluribus Unum or “from many, one” which wasapproved in 1782 for use on the Seal of the United States. This motto still appears oncoins, and currency. In the 1950s the United States was in a communist scare, andconsidered commies to be godless, and subsequently injected God into everything. Itmust have been a measure of national defense to identify Soviet era spies as theyobviously could not put their hand on the Bible, and swear in without bursting into flameslike vampires exposed to daylight. As there was no official motto of the United States,congress took it upon itself to make “In God We Trust” the official motto in 1956.So while “In God We Trust” did not become a motto of our country until 1956, this termfirst found it way onto the U.S. 2 cent piece in 1864 due to increased religious sentimentthat existed during the American Civil War. I guess killing your friends, neighbors, andfellow Americans made people more religious. The phrase was not always set on coins, but was never seen on paper currency.One person who expressed dismay for the god phrase being used on coinage wasPresident Theodor Roosevelt who wrote on 11 November 1907- “My own feeling in thematter is due to my very firm conviction that to put such a motto “In God We Trust” oncoins, or to use it in any kindred manner, not only does no good but does positive harm,and is in effect irreverence which comes dangerously close to sacrilege. A beautiful andsolemn sentence such as the one in question should be treated and uttered only with thatfine reverence which necessarily implies a certain exaltation of spirit. Any use whichtends to cheapen it, and above all, any use which tends to secure it being treated in a spiritof levity, is from every standpoint profoundly to be regretted.”Outside of his correspondence, Roosevelt knew that the coinage with “In God We Trust”was being used in taverns to buy whiskey and women—he saw how money was used and believed that the name of God should not be involved in such transactions. Roosevelt’swishes were adhered to, and coinage from 1907 and 1908 do not have any mention of God.Still during the great commie scare of the 1950s, the U.S. Congress made the use of “InGod We Trust” mandatory on all coinage, and currency, effect in 1957. Before then our paper currency never saw the phrase, which was then considered a motto. Even the pledge to our flag, which was written by a minister in 1892, did not have any mention of God until the U.S. Congress imposed it after the Catholic Knights of Columbus pressuredcongress in 1954. Not one American voter outside of the House, Senate, and WhiteHouse had the opportunity to vote on this matter. American voters were not even askedwhat they thought about it. The government said it, and made it so.People of various beliefs, and atheist believe that the motto’s use on money constitutes afederally funded endorsement of religious belief in God. On the other hand, devotedlyreligious persons do not disagree, and in fact believe the term used in on our currency,
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