Sam Harris

This story just caught my attention.

The article reads:

'In God We Trust' Posters Going Up In Some Ga. Schools

BRUNSWICK, Ga.—Over the next few months, posters reading "In God We Trust" will appear in every Glynn County school classroom.

Although the school board knows the posters have potential to stir up controversy, it feels they are legal under state law because no tax dollars are being used, reported WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Fla.

The posters are the idea of Brunswick's First Baptist Church, which is paying for the printing and framing. Boy Scouts will distribute and hang the posters—expected to be in every school by next year.

"'In God We Trust' is the national motto—it's on every single dollar bill," said Debbie Brown of First Baptist Church. "It's just important that our students understand, one, where our foundations are based, and, two, it's connection to our country."

The county's school superintendent said he expects there to be a challenge, but has heard no opposition yet.

"I'm going to choose real carefully the things I take a serious stand on," Glynn County Superintendent Michael Bull said. "In this case, I'm simply directed by the board to move forward on this, and that's what I'm going to do."

Parents whom the television station spoke with Wednesday night were split on the issue, with some supporting the idea and others thinking the posters were not appropriate in public schools.

"As a Christian, I think it's a great idea. But in the situation where you have to separate church and state, it's not a good idea," parent Allison Purcer said.

Welcome to Saudia Arabia, I mean America.

-Matt

Maybe this will finally get us moving toward changing that ridiculous motto.
(I’m an optimist, what can I say.)

Matt, this is why anti-religionists need to keep going to court, with the help of the ACLU if possible, to rail against Theistic displays such as in our Pledge of Allegiance, publicly funded statuary, monetary mottos, etc., etc. Such lawsuits often seem to be unnecessary nitpicking, but they are important. If I had a billion dollars, I’d have a team of attorneys working round the clock. Their first assignment would be to sue the pants off the Roman Catholic Church—not for the usual sex crimes, but for ruining the mental health of so many people. I’d put them under.

Right there with you.  I’m a big supporter of the ACLU, and I’d probably have that team of lawyers even if I only had 100 million dollars. :wink:

Words are important, and anyone who claims otherwise is mistaken, or worse.

If the money said “This is your God” (a more accurate motto, to be sure), I think that people would find it highly offensive, and want it changed.

-Matt