Most of my misdirected mail is quite ignorant -- after all, they have the wrong "Mon!" But this one is ignorant on so many levels. Read on, then read my commentary:-----Original Message-----
From: ******@aol.com
To: Mon@aol.com
Sent: Mon, 5 Mar 2007 2:19 PM
Subject: New Dollar Coin
The new $1.00 coin with the picture of George Washington on it does not contain the words, "In God We Trust". A quick search of the other coin denominations in your collection will confirm that every one containes these faithful words.
The new George Washington $1.00 coin is the first money ever issued by the USA in modern history without the words "In God We Trust". By omitting these words, our politically correct, secularist leaders made a conscientious decision that either; 1) God does not exist, or 2) that God exists, but can no longer be trusted.
I am personally offended and fed up with the denigration of God and Christianity in my country.
I am certain George Washington would never have agreed to his picture on the coin if it any way diminished faith in God.
What can we do to show our displeasure? First of all, let's boycott the coin. Do not ask for it at banks. If it is given to you in change ask for dollar bills instead and tell the person why. Write your Senators stating your displeasure. Finally, if you agree, pass this e-mail on to others.
Collectively, we must send a strong message to those secularists who are trying to remove God from our culture. If we do this, some 300 million $1.00 coins will back up and rot in the supply chain! To GOD be the glory!
Whew. There's a lot of these "conspiracy-theorist theist" emails going around now. What's peculiar is that no one seems up in arms about what else is missing: The word "Liberty" and the original national motto of the US: "E Pluribus Unum." Never mind that stuff, where's God? It's a shame that so many cling to "In God We Trust" and ignore the beautiful and inclusive symbolism of "E Pluribus Unum." E Pluribus Unum ("One from Many") is on the Great Seal of the United States, which is as old as the US itself.
Actually, these slogans are not missing: they have been moved (demoted?) to the edge of the new dollar coin (except for "Liberty," which remains personified by the Statue of Liberty on the reverse coin side). Some of these coins have smooth edges -- no text at all -- but these were the result of a minting error, and are now highly valued collector's items.
Think about it: E Pluribus Unum. With all our differences, we are one people, one nation. Now think about "In God We Trust." Huh? We don't trust in our conscience, our intellect, our family and friends, but we trust in a supernatural deity? And who's "We?" And what's this doing on public currency, anyway? This is no more appropriate than "In Allah We Trust" or "In Vishnu We Trust" or even "In No God We Trust."While various laws have placed "In God We Trust" on some US currency since religious-hysteria 1860s Civil War days, it was ordered on all US currency during religious-hysteria 1950s Cold War days (the same zeitgeist that added "Under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance). A Constitutional showdown on this issue may be underway soon, as this violates the separation of church (the religious "In God We Trust") and state (public currency).
Let's restore "E Pluribus Unum" as our national motto, and retire "In God We Trust."
18 comments:
I'm right with you on this one. Bring back our real National Motto.
Amen amigo! Ha, ha,haaaa!
All "religious kidding" aside, I agree with you. I am one quite irked, to put it very mildly, by the association of religion to things and aspects of life that it should NOT be associated with! WTF happened to separation of church and state?
I've gotten used to receiving e-mails offering to help me enhance my male genetalia ( I have none), but am thoroughly annoyed when people I know send me God, Patriotic, gay bashing e-mail. Hello? You do know I'm gay, right? I end up blocking such people from sending me any e-mail in the future.
I thought you'd appreciate this article, if you've not seen it already: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/43189
I'm in complete agreement, e pluribus unum is a fantastic slogan for a nation, and though I've always disagreed with the 'in god we trust' motto, it's only really through the attention of this post that I've realised how meaningless it actually is. On the British £2 coin, we have 'standing on the shoulders of giants' - whihc I think is credited to Newton... I'm not too sure, but I quite like it.
I've just tagged you for a Thinking Blog Award. Come check out my blog.
My complaints with the new coin are 1) It's still the close in size to a quarter. 2) Like the quarter, it has George on it. I mean, duh!
Boycott it? The only time i get one is in change from a stamp vending machine. Then what would i do? My choice is to spend it, which can be done in other vending machines. I favor this as it reduces the chance that i'll use it instead of a quarter.
clearly the author of that e-mail needs to find out how many of the founding fathers were actually true blooded Christian nuts, and how many were deists.
I like the coin...
I totally disagree with you, this country, was founded because of religious persecution. And in God we trust,and we must. Do not consider my self a "religious nut" but a Christian.
Do not like the coin, because of size, and can easily be confused with quarter.
Is it only us San Franciscans who disappear so from the blogosphere, hmmm? I just made it back and have to tell ya that the blogosphere is not the same place without you amigo mio!
¿Dónde estás????
My comment here has nothing to do with your post but...
I stumbled accross your blog about 6 months ago and saw a post about Richard Dawkins, i was intrigued...I still have not read one of his books, but would like to. I'm in Canada and we have a show here called 'the hour' kind of news meets tabloid meets informational/interveiw type thing...all of that to say, Richard Dawkins will be interveiwed on 'the hour' On Monday, and I will give you the video link that will probably follow (as most interveiws end up on line) if you like.
I have been digging to find your blog for a few days in order to mention this...and I finally found you.
Here's the link
http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/video.php?id=1563
Joe ~ Say it loud and say it proud ... E PLURIBUS UNUM!
Miz B ~ Indeed, "WTF happened to separation of church and state?" Perhaps we were asleep at the wheel while the fundies slipped in these violations. And don't get me started on Bush's "Faith Based Funding" ...
VV ~ Who, exactly, responds to those emails offering to "help enhance male genetalia?" Even if the "need" was there, do they actually believe that pills and potions can accomplish this? Sheesh, some people believe what they want to believe ... never mind science and logic.
Nodders ~ Funny Onion article, thanks! Interesting slogan on your coins - 'standing on the shoulders of giants' - it makes me think of an album by Oasis.
VV ~ I am honored and humbled by your "Thinking Blog" nomination. FreeThoughts and FreeThanks to you!
Stephen ~ Funny! And y'know, sometimes stamps of different denominations look alike too!
Robert ~ I fear the people who write and forward these emails don't read up on any history beyond the Bible ...
Prof Howdy ~ and why do you like this coin?
Anonymous ~ "God" is nowhere in the US Constitution. Who's "We?" If you want to trust in "God" you have every right. But many of us put our trust in real things.
Miz B ~ Hola, Chica! I'm making baby steps back to the blogosphere ... and your presence was missed, too! Welcome back!
Faith ~ Thanks for tracking me down, and sharing the link. Richard Dawkins is spot-on in his "God Delusion" message, and he has helped make atheism almost "OK" to discuss publicly. That's a good trend!
Personally I think you're all idiots. It's a friggin coin, an inanimate object like the left side of your brain. God may exist but do you think he would give a crap whether we stamp a motto onto a peice of metal? If he were real, he'd probably be pissed that we have allowed such atrosities to occur in the name of the all mighty dolalr in the first place... yeah I don't think god cares much for any form of physical currency, he's evolved past the need for such things right? Also, you represent the extreme lack of attention span in this blog... half of you aren't even sticking to the point. Annihilation Theory is looking like the only solution to get rid of you drainage scum of the earth. Like cockroaches
God in our country is the #1 most important ever!! Liberty is 2nd most important thing. God is liberty.
The inclusion of "God" on our money and pledge obviously, clearly, and notoriously violates our Constitution. Unfortunatly our government has abbrogated its constitution decades ago.
Although the e-mailer was obviously not the sharpest pencil in the box, it should by now be accepted that church and state were NEVER separated (as silly and slightly regretful as that is). I mean, they've prayed in congress since it opened for business, like it was a monastery or something.
It's just that, well, I've always held the opinion that atheists were just as narrow-minded as Christians, because it's just as unfounded to say that there absolutely isn't a god as to say that there absolutely is one. I think some people choose certain opinions simply for the deviancy of it, simply so they can say they're not like the rest, but absolute convictions are more dangerous enemies of the truth than lies are.
P.S. This is one of my favorite blogs, so keep it up. This is a side of the story I don't get to hear as often as I'd like, and you state your points very efficiently.
I am a Christian, and personally I prefer that "In God We Trust" be on our currency. So many people are trying to get rid of God, but you know what?, he's not going away no matter how much some people try to take him out of schools, legislature, local, state, and federal offices and any other place you can find "God" written, posted or talked about. Our Founding Fathers of our Great Nation were Christians, but they also recognized the fact that this should be a country with freedom of religion. May God Bless our country and protect those of us that still feel that America should be good, just and owe our very lives to our Creator, "God."
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