There has been much criticism of the Utah Legislature regarding the posting of the nation's motto, "In God We Trust," in public schools. The biggest concern, it seems, is the idea that even mentioning God in a public place violates the First Amendment. These claims are clearly misguided.
"In God We Trust" is not a construct of any single establishment of religion. Rather, it is a representation of all religions, or religion as a whole. Every religion, whether Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, etc., believes or is based upon some sort of divine ideal. When considered in this context, "In God We Trust" is a statement not simply of Christian theology but of religious aspiration. It is a refusal to surrender to the corrupting influences of decadency and apathy that can consume a nation.
"In God We Trust" does more than remind us of our respective religions, it captures the heart of what it means to be an American. The truth of the matter is, religion itself is the soul of our nation. To refuse to acknowledge that is to remove one of the building blocks of our society. If we are to preserve our society as a beacon of liberty, we must allow the free expression and exchange of religious ideas. Indeed, it is this vision of a marketplace of ideas that drove the Founding Fathers to write the First Amendment.
We are at a crux in history. We must decide who we are as a people. Are we so lazy and easily annoyed that we must constantly remove all possible sources of irritation? Or are we tolerant enough to realize that in order of some of us to have freedom, all of us must have freedom? If we ban public expression of religion, we are the ones who lose.
Jacob Ross
Holladay