Yesterday, The Takeaway talked about a vote by the House of Representatives to reaffirm "In God We Trust" as the national motto. We asked listeners what they thought of the motto, if they had a better one, and how they trusted. This is what some of you had to say.
Devastating Tornado in Oklahoma City, What James Rosen Case Says About Freedom of the Press, Syrian Conflict Deepens
Why We Stay When We Know We Should Leave
The IRS Scandal: The Criminal Investigation, Afghanistan and the Struggle to Walk Away, Does Medicare Part D Care About Safety?
Tornadoes Tear Through the Midwest
Oklahoma City Tornado: 200 M.P.H. Winds, EF-4 on Fujita Scale
The show is a co-production of WNYC Radio and Public Radio International, in collaboration with New York Times Radio and WGBH Boston.
Major funding provided by:
Comments [7]
I teach in schools, and during the daily pledge I keep my mouth shut at the God part. I feel wounded that the children (must) by rote say "In God we trust". They will say it, and "In God we trust" will be imprinted on their developing psyches, whether I want it to be or not, whether they will believe or "trust" in this entity, or not. The government of the United States will decide what people must believe. Is this democracy?
I am outraged.
Our nation's Pledge of Allegiance refers to "...one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all." I am sure that our nation's pledge would be another topic of debate, then our Constitution! Our nation was founded by God fearing men and is based on principles. 'In God We Trust' absolutely should remain on our currency. All generations of United States citizens should be taught to love their God, their family, their country and their self. The bottom line is in 'God We Trust', so fellow Americans stand up for "America love it or leave it'!
For a country with the 1st Amendment right providing for the separation of church and state as part of it's Constitution, "In God We Trust" is hypocritical at best. And in response to the 90% of Americans polled who believe in God, there are 10% who are either agnostic, like myself, or atheist. Does our opinion not count in this land of "equality" and "personal freedom?" Should not a National motto pertain to ALL of the citizenry?
Thank God for Dr. Paul - only he has the nads to say that this was just a cheap grandstanding ploy by people who want so desperately to be reelected they'd sell the entire country to the highest bidder. Really? We needed to "reaffirm" "In God we Trust"? Really? We don't need to do something else with our infinitely precious Congressional time, like say fix the country? They need to take everyone who voted on this and give them a 5 gallon coffee enema and tell them get the hell to work!
@Ed - 90% believe in God means that 10% don't. So based on your take, maybe the motto should be, "In God we Trust, and non-believers are unwanted." Also, just because everybody believes something, doesn't make it right.
Gods name is being used for political propaganda on our currency. "E pluribus unum" is a more apt motto. It says more to who we are as a nation. We're more than merely followers of a deity which is what the current motto inaccurately attempts to demonstrate.
In polls over 90% of Americans believe in God, so 'In God we trust' is an appropriate motto.
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.