'In God We Trust' is a go

[duhneece]

41. My friend, Rosemarie, contacted ACLU & AU

Rosemarie said, "I contacted the ACLU the other day. I have to file online. I will be doing so. The more successful actions have been taken against prayer in public meetings and the AU has been successful with that, not the motto, stuff. Here's the take from the Americans United for Separation of Church and State:

Thank you for the suggestion. The reason that the courts have upheld “In God We Trust” is because they say that the phrase itself is not religious. They say that it has been used in a purely secular, patriotic context for so long that it has been stripped of its religious meaning. Now you (like me) may not find this to be a particularly persuasive argument, but it is the prevailing legal view. And, unfortunately, that means that we can’t really attack “In God We Trust” as a “religious test” because the counterargument is that it is not religious---and the courts agree, unless there is some other indication that it is meant to be religious (for example, if they also included a picture of Jesus, or the cross)---and so cannot possibly constitute a religious test.

Best,

Ian Smith

_______________________________________________

Ian Smith

Staff Attorney

Americans United for Separation of Church and State

1301 K Street, NW

Suite 850, East Tower

Washington, D.C. 20005

[phone] ext. 244

[e-mail]"

I don't know what will happen to the Commissioners who didn't vote for it-one, who was appointed when another commissioner quit, is the head of the Democratic Party of our county.