Trust me, not God

I hear many Christians whine about how his or her faith is “under attack,” but it hardly seems like faith – much less Christianity – is in jeopardy. The vast majority of our national and state lawmakers are people of faith; “God” appears on all our currency and Target is stocked full of Easter and Christmas goodies for months each year. And now, God is all over the streets because thousands of Hoosiers’ license plates proclaiming “In God We Trust.”\nThese plates, the brainchild of State Representative Woody Burton, are an extension of the nation’s motto. Burton says the new plates “(give) the public an opportunity to show their faith in their religion and their country.” In his view, the license plates show no bias toward any religion (except maybe monotheistic ones) nor do they push religion on anyone. \n“If nonbelievers don’t want the ‘In God We Trust’ plate, then they don’t have to get it. I’m a Christian man, but I don’t have the right to force my beliefs onto another person,” said the man whose beliefs led him to oppose repeatedly the existence of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender center on campus.\nNo, Christianity is not at risk. But it would seem that national unity is increasingly jeopardized thanks to an exclusive and marginalizing motto.\nFor those eager to invoke history in defense of our nation’s motto, here’s a quick lesson. The motto is only 51 years old. Lawmakers wanted God on our side in the 1950s to separate ourselves from the evil, communist “others.” In 1956, President Eisenhower signed a law declaring “In God We Trust” the national motto replacing “E Pluribus Unum,” after its 180 year run as the official motto.\nIn other words, we replace “out of many, one” – a unifying motto that celebrates the richness of a radically pluralistic society – with a motto that necessarily excludes many Americans from consideration.\nWho exactly is the “we” in the national motto that is supposed to speak for and encompass all Americans? Do Buddhists, Hindus, Wiccans, atheists and many agnostics count? Anyone who refuses to believe God is necessarily male doesn’t count either, at least if you ask George Bush. On the 50th anniversary of our questionable motto, Bush offered thanks for “his (God’s) great gift of liberty” and proclaimed that all Americans must “continue to seek his (God’s) will.” And I would argue that the lawmakers who pushed for this national motto didn’t imagine an inclusive view of Jews and Muslims, especially since Jews would never print the name of God on currency, much less license plates.\nI say get “God” out of our national motto. We separate church and state for a reason. Forcing a narrow view of god into national discourses causes more trouble than good. Instead, it’s time to fully embrace the principle of E Pluribus Unum and learn to put our trust in fellow citizens on whom our day-to-day lives depend.\nIn a healthy nation we not only love our neighbors, but trust them as well.