House orders engraving of 'In God We Trust' motto

[Freddie Stubbs]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The national motto, "In God We Trust," will be engraved in the Capitol Visitor Center, responding to critics who said Congress spent $621 million on the new facility without paying due respect to the nation's religious heritage.

The House voted 410-8 Thursday to direct the Architect of the Capitol to engrave "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance in prominent places in the three-story underground center that is the entrance for the thousands of tourists who visit the Capitol every day. The Senate approved an identical resolution as part of a spending bill earlier this week.

Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., sponsor of the measure, said the importance of religion goes back to the Declaration of Independence, which states that all men "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights," and that the national motto "sums that up very well."

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., threatened to hold up the opening of the visitor center last December, saying that its displays failed to honor the country's religious background and gave the impression that the federal government was the answer to all of society's problems.

more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5htxe4DfXCO-Usm3nLfXgWZmLiYTQD99B4VG80

[Bicoastal]

1. If DeMint thinks so little of the federal government...

...why does he work for it?

[DrToast]

18. Shouldn't it be up to the private sector to endorse religion?

This is nothing but socialized worship!

[valerief]

2. I demand a corresponding "In NO God Do We Trust." Only fair. nt

[scheming daemons]

5. I say we adopt the X-Files motto: "Trust No One"

[valerief]

7. Even better! nt

[spag68]

17. How about Trust no one, keep one eye on your mother.

[Raineyb]

25. Works for me.

It certainly is better than the thrusting of religion down the throats of visitors by fuckwits who seem to think that the separation of church and state is a myth.

Funny how these so-called Christians are always the most hateful fucks out there.

[anonymous171]

45. Perfect. nt

[snake in the grass]

28. In Xenu we trust.

After all, Scientology is distinctly American.

[scheming daemons]

3. Religious fascists

It's a long struggle, but eventually we'll rid our country of the talibangelist nutjobs.

[valerief]

4. We'll die first, unfortunately. nt

[Freddie Stubbs]

30. Everyone who voted for it?

:shrug:

It's a pretty big list.

[ibegurpard]

6. I say let them have their "In God we Trust"

and their Ten Commandments statues and their Christmas programs and other things like that.
These are unimportant things that affect little and it would go a long way towards stifling the resentment among rank and file religious people that the truly dangerous ones exploit.

[valerief]

8. They are little things that give the monsters power. nt

[ibegurpard]

12. Only because we make them into big things

that the "monsters" use to exploit and gain power...imho.

[Chulanowa]

19. It's a foot in the door

Once "we all accept" that we get to have religious iconography plastered all over our government, how big of a step from that is it to muscle the government towards embracing that religion?

I for one, will die before I allow someone to impress their religion on me or mine. If I wanted to be a part of that religion, I would be, thank you.

[wroberts189]

22. Yep and all the children/people who see it will more easily fall for the ..

"we are a christian nation" crapola.

[Chulanowa]

23. That's already a problem

Repeat a lie enough, and it becomes truth. Same principle about climate change denial. Hell, my understanding is that there's even an upswing in Holocaust denial, as the people who lived through it pass away year after year.

I startled the hell out of a few people when I revealed to them that, if we're founded on a religion, we're much more likely to be founded on a state religion similar to the Roman Imperial faith, right down to the polytheism. Curiously, mostly "goddesses." Though the actual figures are more aptly described as "ideals" there IS a quasi-religious aspect to them in our history.

[Vinnie From Indy]

21. I agree

We have much bigger fish to fry.

[Clio the Leo]

9. And since all of our laws are encapsulated in the Declaration.....

..... oh good grief ..... how stupid.

I wish my fellow Christians would take all of the energy they spend on symbolic victories and find some homeless people to feed and clothe instead.

[Democrats_win]

10. So they say. But actually: "In GREED we trust."

[Double T]

11. "In GREED We Trust"

The Great Spirit washed his hands of US decades ago.

[salguine]

13. The nation doesn't HAVE a "religious heritage".

[TokenQueer]

39. +1 n/t

[dalaigh lllama]

14. Whatever happened to "e pluribus unum"?

I thought that was a pretty nifty motto.

[ibegurpard]

15. It requires some education

to understand what it means.

[BrklynLiberal]

16. Certainly more appropriate for the halls of Congress!!!!

[wroberts189]

20. Another chip at the Constitution. nt

[annm4peace]

24. Sick !

I'm Catholic, but I hate mixing church and state. It just makes me sick

[snot]

26. To Whom May We Effectively Address Our Objections? AND Am I the First Du'er to ask???

[Freddie Stubbs]

38. You could write to President Obama and ask him to veto the legislation

[PurityOfEssence]

27. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion

Seems pretty clear to me.

Sure, its also not to infringe upon the free expression and all that rot, but it is not to endorse the concept that there is a supreme being. If nothing means anything, then anything can be done.

[Freddie Stubbs]

31. Which religion does it establish?

:shrug:

[needledriver]

34. The one that requires us to trust a God.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; "

Is the emblazoning of "In God We Trust" on currency and taxpayer funded buildings a "law" promoting an "establishment of religion"?

What about that "free exercise" part?

How about:

In Allah we trust.

In Zeus we trust.

In Horus we trust.

In Gaia we trust.

In Cthulu we trust.

In the Flying Spaghetti Monster we trust.

[Freddie Stubbs]

36. Allah? Both of the Muslims in Congress voted for this

[PurityOfEssence]

46. The very concept

By having Congress agree that we as a people agree that there's a god, it makes those who don't believe in such a thing outsiders.

Article One of the Bill of Rights doesn't say "a particular religion", it's talking about religion itself. One of the most irritating and simple-minded arguments based on this misinterpretation is that the founders simply didn't want to give any particular sect an upper hand, and it's further perverted to claim this as some kind of prima facie endorsement of religion. The whole point is that the government is to STAY THE FUCK OUT OF THE ISSUE. Don't say there's a god, don't say there isn't one, don't say that this poppycock is better than that delusion, just leave it alone. It's thoroughly possible for governments to run without any religion at all. It's unnecessary by definition.

There's a reason for this: religion requires no explanation, so any idea advanced with the justification of religion automatically wins. Such arrogant aristocratic selfishness has no place in a constituent republic, and was shown the door at the very inception of our country. People who are unclear on this are either ignorant or don't play fair.

It's not "a religion", it's "religion". Saying that we not only agree that there is this supreme whateveritis is one thing, but the fawning subservience of serflike agreement that we are "under" this sloppy overlord is just more pathetic sniveling of permanent children.

It's the law. Once we flagrantly lie right at the very spirit and letter of the law, it chips away at the respect one should have for a society knit together by an agreement to abide by these laws. People who counter this statement with the demand that religion be given some kind of free pass are missing the point: many of us don't believe that religion is a particularly good thing, and CERTAINLY not something that should be automatically accorded respect and great leeway.

Get it?

[old mark]

29. Now they have finished with the IMPORTANT shit, how about healthcare?

Bunch of vote whores......


mark

[Jennicut]

32. I am very religious, my husband works for a church...and I think this is the stupidest thing ever.

People can choose religion for themselves, or not. We don't need it engraved in a visitor's center. Separation of church and state...for God's sake (LOL).

[S_E_Fudd]

33. If these religious Ass Hats were secure in their belief that their faith reflected the "true"

Word of God...

They wouldn't be trying to jam it down everyones throats....

How about a display in the visitors center cataloging the untold violence, death, and misery inflicted on humanity by "organized" religion supposedly in God's name...

[Vidar]

35. "Caveat Emptor" (Let the Buyer Beware) would be a amre appropriate American motto.

[madamesilverspurs]

37. So we're spending millions

to satisfy pretend-christians like Lungren and DeMint, whose faith is so strong it can't be lived but must be cast in stone to be shown off. As for the pledge, xerox the thing and tape it to the wall. We have far more urgent needs for our money.

I do believe our founding fathers would gladly pummel this present crop of pretend patriots who are squatting in congress while wasting our resources and our promise.

[Arugula Latte]

40. Oh for fuck's sake ... The Xtian Taliban strikes again.

:banghead:

[max843]

41. What was that about separation of church and state???

This article, plus the one about C Street and the Family, is puzzling. My dad was almost removed from his church in the 1960s after speaking against the Vietnam War on a local tv panel and occasionally from the pulpit.

His funeral in 1995 was attended by 300+ of like-mind, but when my mother's memorial was held in the same church 10 years later we were warned not to have any references to politics - just a homily from the pulpit - or the church could lose its 501 C non-profit status.

And why are the prayers opening the two houses of Congress almost always from a Christian minister or priest? Hardly any rabbis, Imams, Quakers, etc. How about a short speech by an atheist?

[wroberts189]

43. It boggles me as well ..The Constitution is no longer "operative" .

They hardly even give it lip service.

[wroberts189]

42. On edit they then added "But everone else pays cash" nt

[kath]

44. 410-8?!!1! What. The. Fuck.

Only 8 were willing to stand up for the First Amendment??

I'm so frickin' disgusted.

[TankLV]

47. This is DISGUSTING...

how do DEMOCRATS let this HAPPEN?!!!

we have to get it REMOVED fromt he Pledge and Currency, not add it to other things...!!!

[lame54]

48. for the 8...

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: