Nov 1, 2011
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The House of Representatives passed a bi-partisan resolution Tuesday night reaffirming “In God We Trust” as the official motto of the United STates. The 396-9 vote came at the request of Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) – in part over President Obama’s refusal to correct remarks he made that misstated the motto as “E pluribus unum” instead of “In God We Trust.”
Lawmakers voting against “In God We Trust” include Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich), Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA). Voting present were Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Rep. Melvin Watt (D-NC).
The bi-partisan resolution not only affirms “In God We Trust” as the national motto, but it also “encourages its display in public buildings and government institutions.”
“There’s been no motto in U.S. history that’s been more inspirational than ‘In God We Trust,’” he said, noting that he felt it was appropriate for members of Congress to “firmly declare our trust in God.”
The vote was immediately condemned by the American Humanist Association who said it ignored non-believers.
“This is an open attack on Thomas Jefferson’s wall of church-state separation,” executive director Roy Speckhardt said in a written statement. “to place such religious language on public buildings is not only unconstitutional, it signals to the millions of non-religious Americans that they are second-class citizens.”
Forbes said the motto has been under attack over the past three years, noting a “disturbing trend of inaccuracies and omissions, misunderstandings of church and state, rogue court challenges and efforts to remove God from the public domain by unelected bureaucrats.”
“There are a very small number of people, but unfortunately very vocal people who really want to attack faith in every element of the nation,” Forbes said. “But we’re not going to go quietly into the night.”
Forbes said he was especially disturbed by an incident involving President Obama.
Last November, during a speech he delivered in Jakarta, the president stated that the national motto was “E pluribus unum.
Forbes said 42 members of Congress sent President Obama a letter asking him to correct the error.
“Not only did the president refuse to respond to our letter, but still on the White House website they have up the incorrect national motto,” Forbes told Fox News. “It does concern us.”
Forbes also pointed out what he called inaccuracies and omissions in the new Capitol Visitor Center. He accused historians of sanitizing “the public building of an references to our national motto – including replacing the inscription of ‘In God We Trust,’ inscribed above the Speaker’s Rostrum with stars in a replica of the House Chamber – and cropping an actual picture of the chamber so you could not see the words ‘In God We Trust.’’
The omissions were later corrected after Congress intervened, Forbes said.
Speckhardt called on the Senate to reject the resolution — calling it “harmful.”
“A clear message was sent by those who voted for this resolution’s passage that secular Americans do not deserve to be considered eligible for our constitution’s equal protection guarantees,” he wrote. “Such protections are seriously eroded whenever the bulwark between church and state is breached.”
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Eric Hall, You don't like it, then leave! We'll help you pack.
Interestingly I spend alot of time in Ukraine. The people there think there is something wonderfully different about the US because we do have "In God We Trust" on our dollars. They think the people of the US must be good people if they trust in God. We are the only Country with a currency that proclaims a belief.
I thought it was E Plurbius Unum?
I thought so too. Stupid vote. There are so many other things to worry about…like, I don't know, a budget…and they do bullshit like this. As an Atheist, I couldn't care less what the f'n motto is. All I do know is, their priorities are jacked.
If that's all we have to worry about then I'll get worked up. How about we worry about the economy, jobs, and national security since those impact all Americans and then we worry about more individualized things
I thought it was E Plurbius Unum?
I thought it was E Plurbius Unum?
Round up all atheists and Muslims and put them on an island somewhere… Get tem out of this country
Pretty sure "In God we trust" has only been the national motto since the 50's. E pluribus unum was the motto until then. It's still the unofficial motto.
Some of the comments on this article are really disturbing. I guess I wouldn't totally mind living on an island with other non believers like myself, as long as all religious nut jobs are left behind, not just Christians.
Can our nation move on from being run by people still living in the 1600s?
It's great to see that our congress needed to waste time deliberating on this instead of something important like a budget or the farm bill!!!
Lets vote out all of the idiots tomorrow!
I really believe that our government has gone too far with this 'that's unconstitutional' thing. I don't think our forefathers meant that the constitution be literally disected as it has been so badly these days. The courts and attorneys have beaten our constitution up so badly it is 'hanging by a thread'. As far as Aetheists, they don't believe in God or any religious entity. So with that being said, their voice should not count. 'IN GOD WE TRUST' is our motto….has been, is now, and always will be. Besides, they are a very few minority that should NOT dictate to the rest of this wonderful country what we should do, how we should do it and who we will do it with. They should not be dictating to us that we cannot pout crosses up along the freeway / highway to honor fallen officers / soldiers. But our government is so corrupt, they will do anything to get noticed. Because our current president's brain is smaller than an earthworm's because he doesn't know the national motto, just confirms to me that either he is a MUSLIM, or an Aetheist. This country needs someone who believes in God and is God fearing. We can't have someone who doesn't know what that is or what it means to led this country. We need God more NOW than ever.
as a christian it offends me to let the atheists have the last word on the matter let the majority have the last word as I'm sure the christians will prevail ,, in GOD I TRUST ,, and Stacy Whittaker obama is a MUSLIM he supports the muslims around the world and sends them hundreds of millions of our taxpayer dollars look it up you will see this is true…….
The Constitution does guarantee religious freedom. Amendment 1. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Congress cannot set up or provide for an established church; forbids government endorsement or aid to religious doctrines. However Congress cannot pass laws limiting worship, speech, or the press or prevent people from meeting peacefully.
Not all citizens believe in a diety or in dieties. Is the government endorsing monotheistic religions?
You atheist need to crawl back in your hole and keep your mouth shut. No matter what you might think , there is a GOD and you will someday meet him face to face. Don"t believev me , read your BIBLE. In fact there is no such thing as an atheist , everybody believes in something. I hope none of you rejects celebrate Easter or Christmas, if you do what are you celebrating?
The bottom line here is simple. The majority of American's want this. Your opinion is important, even as the minority, however, in a Democracy, the majority rules and the rest of us, or you, accept it. If you do not like this system then you live in the wrong country. To even argue that the minority should rule is not to understand the Democratic system.
Obama is a dictator, not a President, AKA the Czars. He hasn't passed a budget and the current budget is illegitimate. His last budget proposal was the first, in history, to be voted down by every single member of congress, ever, in history, get it. He thinks he is above the Constitution, above the law and above us. But the people that demanded that a balanced budget be presented were labeled as terrorists. Do any of you have any concept of the debt that country is accruing, the destruction that is at the end of this road? Mike Doyle, a PA congressman, and military industrial "Czar" called us terrorists, can you imagine, being labeled a terrorist because you want the country to balance the budget, to stop spending money we don't have, to stop destroying our future. This man is a disgusting, racist, bigoted pig that needs to be thrown out with the rest of the establishment trash. This is the start of something great, don't let these fascist bastards get the best of you. VOTE THEM ALL OUT!
"E Pluribus Unum" was the motto proposed for the first Great Seal of the United States by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson in 1776. A latin phrase meaning "One from many," the phrase offered a strong statement of the American determination to form a single nation from a collection of states. Over the years, "E Pluribus Unum" has also served as a reminder of America's bold attempt to make one unified nation of people from many different backgrounds and beliefs. The challenge of seeking unity while respecting diversity has played a critical role in shaping our history, our literature, and our national character.
The resources in this collection relate to four questions central to an understanding of what it means to be an American.
How have Americans understood what it means to be "many"? Are Americans distinct from one another because of differences of nationality, class, gender, race, religion, occupation, the region in which they live, or other factors? Are some of these differences more significant at particular times than others, and why?
How have Americans defined unity, and how have they attempted to achieve it? Does "unity" mean everyone must agree, or that everyone must act in the same way? Are there any characteristics or beliefs that all who claim to be Americans must have in common?
Have Americans ever questioned whether it is possible to make "many" into "one? Have Americans ever questioned the willingness of other Americans to strive towards that ideal?
How do Americans negotiate with one another when they must overcome their differences? Are there distinctively American ways of debating, and distinctively American arguments used in debates? Do any of these methods and appeals reflect the periods in which they were used; do they reflect a distinctively American way of dealing with differences?
The term Hinduism also occurs sporadically in Sanskrit texts such as the later Rajataranginis of Kashmir (Hinduka, c. 1450), some 16th-18th century Bengali Gaudiya Vaishnava texts, including Chaitanya Charitamrita and Chaitanya Bhagavata, usually to contrast Hindus with Yavanas or Mlecchas…*’..
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