“All Louisiana public schools are now required to display the national motto of ‘In God We Trust’ inside of classrooms, under a new law that went into effect on August 1.
The law known as HB8, which was officially signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards in June, states that each classroom must have a ‘minimum requirement of a paper sign’ with the religious motto.
The bill’s author, state Rep. Dodie Horton, said to CNN affiliate WVUE, ‘It doesn’t preach any particular religion at all, but it certainly does recognize a higher power.’”
CNN
The blatantly religious motto “In God We Trust” doesn’t explicitly reference the Christian religion, but it does implicitly exclude polytheistic religions.
More importantly it shatters the line separating church and state, a bedrock principle of our secular democracy.
If “In God We Trust” is required to be displayed in every classroom in Louisiana, the adherents of other faiths should sue to have posters acknowledging their deities also displayed:
“In Gods We Trust” for followers of polytheistic faiths.
“In God We Don’t Trust” for theists who believe in Him, but thinks he’s cruel and capricious.
“In Jehovah We Trust” for Jehovah’s Witnesses who always refer to the Almighty as “Jehovah.”
“In Allah We Trust” for Muslims who believe that’s the name of God.
“In Science We Trust” for humanists, atheists and agnostics.
The offensive motto may have been embraced by the culture at large back in the 40’s and 50’s when most of the population was Christian, but it is anathema in the religiously diverse America of the 21st century.
The larger issue is why in the name of God is “In God We Trust” our national motto? It’s an anachronistic, offensive, and divisive lie.