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Atheists Sue to Kill D.C. 'In God We Trust' Engraving

By The Associated Press
Published: Wednesday, July 15, 2009

MADISON, Wis. -- The nation's largest group of atheists and agnostics filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block an architect from engraving "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington.

The Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in western Wisconsin, claims the taxpayer-funded engravings would be an unconstitutional endorsement of religion.

The House and Senate passed identical resolutions this month directing the Architect of the Capitol to engrave "In God We Trust" and the pledge in prominent places at the entrance for 3 million tourists who visit the Capitol each year.

The resolution came in response to critics who complained Congress spent $621 million on the new three-story underground center without paying respect to the nation's religious heritage. The center opened in December after years of construction.

The foundation is seeking a court order to stop the engravings, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will cost less than $100,000.

"In God We Trust" has been the national motto since 1956 and has appeared on U.S. currency since 1957.

The lawsuit says both the motto and the words "under God" in the pledge were adopted during the Cold War as anti-communism measures. Engraving them at the entrance to the U.S. Capitol would discriminate against those who do not practice religion and unfairly promote a Judeo-Christian perspective, it says.

The group also is challenging the constitutionality of the National Day of Prayer in federal court. In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that foundation members could not sue to stop parts of President George W. Bush's faith-based initiative.
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I fail to see why we should trust in a deity who:
saddled us with sin because His first humans innocently ate a piece of fruit;

sanctioned a cruel human sacrifice in a failed attempt to relieve us of this sin;

created a world replete with disease, natural disasters and hungry children;

"designed" a savage, predatory system of survival for His animal kingdom;

went into a rage, drowning innocent man and beast when people displeased Him;

condoned slavery, sexism, intolerance, mass murder, rape and plunder;

has allowed humans to burn, torture, fine and imprison in His name;

as an act of "love" gave the Nazis "free will," then stood by as they murdered six million Jews;

condemns to eternal ****ation America's best and brightest, e.g., Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Steven Weinberg, Warren Buffet, because He cannot convince them that He exists;

needs governmental help in coaxing us to acknowledge Him;

advised our president to wage an ill-conceived war of aggression;

cannot defeat Satan and evilness;

and allows animal and human suffering to persist.

I am afraid that I could never bring myself to trust in a cruel, unjust, capricious and vindictive god that revels in human suffering, e.g., Sodom and Gomorrah.
quote:
Originally posted by SHELDIVR:
"IN GOD WE TRUST" is our National Motto, atheist and the ACLU are our national pain in the butt. There is a significant difference in the degree of importance here... Wink


Which God or Gods?

If I was going to go with a God, I'd choose the Native American Gods since they were here first.
quote:
Originally posted by 8I:
quote:
Originally posted by SHELDIVR:
"IN GOD WE TRUST" is our National Motto, atheist and the ACLU are our national pain in the butt. There is a significant difference in the degree of importance here... Wink


Which God or Gods?

If I was going to go with a God, I'd choose the Native American Gods since they were here first.


The same GOD our Founding Fathers intended when this was established as our National Motto and an anchor point for our Christian Nation...the same GOD that the VAST majority of this country still believes in and trust...The GOD of our Fathers.
quote:
Originally posted by SHELDIVR:
"IN GOD WE TRUST" is our National Motto, atheist and the ACLU are our national pain in the butt. There is a significant difference in the degree of importance here... Wink


OK, but you haven't told us why we should Trust in this guy.

I gave you 13 reasons (above) not to trust in God. How about giving us 1 reason why we should.
quote:
Originally posted by davidnmiles:
quote:
Originally posted by SHELDIVR:
"IN GOD WE TRUST" is our National Motto, atheist and the ACLU are our national pain in the butt. There is a significant difference in the degree of importance here... Wink


OK, but you haven't told us why we should Trust in this guy.


Due to the wisdom and provision of our Founding Fathers, you don't have to trust in GOD, because in this great country you have unparalleled freedom to worship and trust in your big toe if you so choose. If you are lost at sea and someone throws you a rope, you would be foolish not to grasp the rope, but the choice is yours...much the same way with GOD, you have the opportunity but no one is going to force you to trust in GOD.
quote:
Originally posted by SHELDIVR:
quote:
Originally posted by 8I:
quote:
Originally posted by SHELDIVR:
"IN GOD WE TRUST" is our National Motto, atheist and the ACLU are our national pain in the butt. There is a significant difference in the degree of importance here... Wink


Which God or Gods?

If I was going to go with a God, I'd choose the Native American Gods since they were here first.


The same GOD our Founding Fathers intended when this was established as our National Motto and an anchor point for our Christian Nation...the same GOD that the VAST majority of this country still believes in and trust...The GOD of our Fathers.


In 1956? Knights of Columbus?
"If you are lost at sea and someone throws you a rope, you would be foolish not to grasp the rope, but the choice is yours...much the same way with GOD, you have the opportunity but no one is going to force you to trust in GOD."

Then why should this optional slogan be affixed to taxpayer supported property in violation of the separation of church and state?

I find this slogan offensive, and in our republic the Constitution protects the rights of the minority in matters of faith.

I will trust in any and all gods that the text of our governing document, the Constitution, mentions.
quote:
Originally posted by davidnmiles:
"If you are lost at sea and someone throws you a rope, you would be foolish not to grasp the rope, but the choice is yours...much the same way with GOD, you have the opportunity but no one is going to force you to trust in GOD."

Then why should this optional slogan be affixed to taxpayer supported property in violation of the separation of church and state?

I find this slogan offensive, and in our republic the Constitution protects the rights of the minority in matters of faith.

I will trust in any and all gods that the text of our governing document, the Constitution, mentions.


If you find "IN GOD WE TRUST" offensive, DO NOT accept any more U. S. currency because it appears on all our money.

Cite your source for separation of Church and State. The only thing our Founding Fathers intended was that we have no one particular GOVERNMENT religion, i. e., the Church of England.

It is okay to be personally offended by some things the government does but don't try to over ride what the majority approves.
Originally posted by SHELDIVR:
Sheldiver, you have parrotted the meaningless apologia from the evangelical playbook flawlessly.

quote:
If you find "IN GOD WE TRUST" offensive, DO NOT accept any more U. S. currency because it appears on all our money.


I accept currency for obvious reasons and your hackneyed comment is asanine. However, the slogan is not always on my bills. I often cross it out.

quote:
Cite your source for separation of Church and State. The only thing our Founding Fathers intended was that we have no one particular GOVERNMENT religion, i. e., the Church of England.


Justice Hugo Black (a Baptist Sunday school teacher from Alabama) spelled out church/state separation in the Supreme Court case Everson v. Board of Education (1947) by defining the First Amendment's "establishment of religion" clause.

In expressing the Court's opinion he states, "Neither [state or federal government] can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion." He explained that neither a state nor federal government could, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa.

He concluded, "In the words of Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect a 'wall of separation between church and state.'"

The intent of our founders to prevent religion from receiving special treatment from our government is clear. The First Amendment decrees, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." It does not state establishment OF A RELIGION(i.e., state religion) but establishment OF RELIGION--in other words all religion. Obviously, if our Founders wanted religion with its dogmas and deities to have an exalted status in our nation, the U.S. Constitution would have so stated.
"Many wiser than you and I have addressed this issue and "IN GOD WE TRUST" remains in place and as valid as ever."

And yet neither you nor anyone else can provide even one reason to "Trust in God" while I have provided thirteen reason not to trust in God.

I am confident that as reason continues to replace superstition in this country, this meaningless slogan will disappear.
quote:
Originally posted by Cookey:
quote:
Originally posted by 8I:
"In God We Trust" has been the national motto since 1956


"The" national motto?

I know is is an oft' used motto but when was it considered "the" national motto?

Seriously, is this an official thing written as law somewhere?


Cookie, I want to make a correction here.

The Knights of Columbus had under god added to the pledge in the fifties.

I think our national motto is e pluribus unum.

Regards
quote:
Originally posted by 8I:
quote:
Originally posted by Cookey:
quote:
Originally posted by 8I:
"In God We Trust" has been the national motto since 1956


"The" national motto?

I know is is an oft' used motto but when was it considered "the" national motto?

Seriously, is this an official thing written as law somewhere?


Cookie, I want to make a correction here.

The Knights of Columbus had under god added to the pledge in the fifties.

I think our national motto is e pluribus unum.

Regards


According to this source, "e plurbis" WAS the national motto but was replaced by "In Spaghetti Monster We Trust" back in the fifties.

Link

I didn't know that.
quote:
Originally posted by SHELDIVR:

The same GOD our Founding Fathers intended when this was established as our National Motto and an anchor point for our Christian Nation...the same GOD that the VAST majority of this country still believes in and trust...The GOD of our Fathers.


Ben Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton (etc, etc) were alive in 1956? Need to rearrange your "facts" a little for them to be true.
quote:
Originally posted by Cookey:
quote:
Originally posted by 8I:
"In God We Trust" has been the national motto since 1956


"The" national motto?

I know is is an oft' used motto but when was it considered "the" national motto?

Seriously, is this an official thing written as law somewhere?


Yes. Passed by Congress in 1956. LinkJust like the Star Spangled Banner is THE National Anthem. Notice the date, we had to let those godless commies know who they were dealing with.
Notice I am only responding to an oft repeated Christian conservative lie.

TimesDaily

No mention of God
Published: Friday, July 17, 2009 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 4:16 p.m.
Letter writer Gene Blazer, "Facts speak for themselves," July 1, claims that, "Our Founding Fathers designed our America with a belief in God." The text of our governing document, the Constitution, however, makes no mention of God, Christ or Christianity. In fact, the First Amendment gives us the right to ignore four of God's commandments by: worshipping other gods or no god, failing to keep the Sabbath holy, making graven images and blaspheming.

"In God we trust" is not a slogan created by our Founding Fathers. Many of the founders were deists who believed in a god of reason and nature. They rejected the concept of supernatural revelation from a deity who interfered in the affairs of humans. It would have been difficult for these deists to trust in a god who:
saddled us with sin because His first humans innocently ate a piece of fruit.
sanctioned a cruel human sacrifice in a failed attempt to relieve us of this sin.
created a world replete with disease, natural disasters and hungry children.
"designed" a savage, predatory system of survival for his animal kingdom.
went into a rage, drowning innocent man and beast when people displeased him.
condoned slavery, sexism, intolerance, mass murder, rape and plunder.
has allowed humans to burn, torture, fine and imprison in His name.
as an act of "love" gave the Nazis "free will," then stood by as they murdered 6 million Jews.
condemns to eternal ****ation America's best and brightest, e.g., Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, Warren Buffet, because He cannot convince them that he exists;
needs governmental help in coaxing us to acknowledge him.
advised our president to wage an ill-conceived war of aggression.
cannot defeat Satan and evilness.
and allows animal and human suffering to persist.

David N. Miles
Orange Beach

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