"In God We Trust" on the currency is unconstitutional and should be removed.

Despite what you may have been told, declaring something isn't the same as actually going to the trouble of providing an argument. I am not saying that "In God We Trust" is unconstitutional because I don't like it. I am saying that it is unconstitutional because it violates the establishment clause of the constitution. The government has no right to put a religious motto on a government coin. The supreme court case Everson v. Board of Education explained exactly what the establishment clause allows and prohibits: "Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion. No person can be punished for entertaining or professing religious beliefs or disbeliefs, for church attendance or non-attendance. No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice religion. Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa. In the words of Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect 'a wall of separation between Church and State." The Supreme court also established several tests to check whether government acts violate the Establishment clause, for example the Lemon test: 1. The government's action must have a legitimate secular purpose; 2. The government's action must not have the primary effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion; 3. The government's action must not result in an "excessive government entanglement" with religion. The fact, is the government cannot pass laws or legal permit actions which favor some religion over another religion or religion over no religion. Adding "In God We Trust" to our currency does exactly that. It says that atheists who do not trust in God have incorrect religious beliefs. Their opinions are wrong. There is no legitimate secular purpose to adding religious statements to our currency, likewise it serves to advance religion over no religion and excessively entangles the two (any prong of the Lemon test need be violated, all three is just obviously problematic). One should also be careful to note the reasons why the phrase was added to the currency. Namely, it was for religious reasons to show that this country is a religious country and not one which is a "heathen nation". According to the US Treasury: ---------------------------------------------------------------- "Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase received many appeals from devout persons throughout the country, urging that the United States recognize the Deity on United States coins. From Treasury Department records, it appears that the first such appeal came in a letter dated November 13, 1861. It was written to Secretary Chase by Rev. M. R. Watkinson, Minister of the Gospel from Ridleyville, Pennsylvania, and read: 'Dear Sir: You are about to submit your annual report to the Congress respecting the affairs of the national finances. One fact touching our currency has hitherto been seriously overlooked. I mean the recognition of the Almighty God in some form on our coins. You are probably a Christian. What if our Republic were not shattered beyond reconstruction? Would not the antiquaries of succeeding centuries rightly reason from our past that we were a heathen nation? What I propose is that instead of the goddess of liberty we shall have next inside the 13 stars a ring inscribed with the words PERPETUAL UNION; within the ring the allseeing eye, crowned with a halo; beneath this eye the American flag, bearing in its field stars equal to the number of the States united; in the folds of the bars the words GOD, LIBERTY, LAW. This would make a beautiful coin, to which no possible citizen could object. This would relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism. This would place us openly under the Divine protection we have personally claimed. From my hearth I have felt our national shame in disowning God as not the least of our present national disasters. To you first I address a subject that must be agitated.' As a result, Secretary Chase instructed James Pollock, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, to prepare a motto, in a letter dated November 20, 1861: 'Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition.' It was found that the Act of Congress dated January 18, 1837, prescribed the mottoes and devices that should be placed upon the coins of the United States. This meant that the mint could make no changes without the enactment of additional legislation by the Congress. In December 1863, the Director of the Mint submitted designs for new one-cent coin, two-cent coin, and three-cent coin to Secretary Chase for approval. He proposed that upon the designs either OUR COUNTRY; OUR GOD or GOD, OUR TRUST should appear as a motto on the coins. In a letter to the Mint Director on December 9, 1863, Secretary Chase stated: 'I approve your mottoes, only suggesting that on that with the Washington obverse the motto should begin with the word OUR, so as to read OUR GOD AND OUR COUNTRY. And on that with the shield, it should be changed so as to read: IN GOD WE TRUST.' " ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- We can see that under our current law and legal theory adding a motto to the US Constitution making a clear religious statement that one religious group is right and another religious group is wrong is clearly unconstitutional. The phrase was added specifically to show that this nation believes in God, on behalf of all members of this nation. However, that is not a permissible action in so far as it uses the machinery of the state to contradict the religious opinions of the citizens of the state. That simply isn't the job of government. You cannot legally place a religious statement on a government coin. In fact, if you look at one of the new nickels, right on the other side of "God" (through the coin) is the word "America" -- Separation of church and state means more than a centimeter. Religious leaders ask for a religious statement on a government coin. Government agrees. Religious statement put on government coin. Religious statement directly suggests that religious opinions of some citizens is categorically wrong and that their religious beliefs are wrong. Original religious leader who asked for religious statement on government coin has correct religious beliefs. Religious beliefs are confirmed by government statement. -- This is, constitutionally speaking, a crock.