The national motto of the United States should be changed (Two)

I thank the honourable opponent for the challenge of this debate. To counter your constitutional arguments; 1. "The reference to God..." Preference how? In what facets of public life is a God (not only the Christian God) or a religion being preferenced? In general doesn't cut it. This preference isn't in legislation. Your leaders do not look to their motto as they govern the country. They may look to their religion, but not their motto. As I see it, there is no preference originating from a rarely quoted motto, none given to anyone or any organisation. A quote from Judge Alfred Goodwin, a justice of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: "A profession that we are a nation 'under God' is identical, for Establishment Clause purposes, to a profession that we are a nation 'under Jesus,' a nation 'under Vishnu,' a nation 'under Zeus,' or a nation 'under no god,' because none of these professions can be neutral with respect to religion." This was in regard to "One Nation Under God" in the Pledge of Alliegance, but the point is transferable. In God we Trust doesn't equate to "In Yahweh we Trust" or "In Allah we Trust." In fact, it encompasses all deities, to suit the multiculturalism and difference and freedom of religion that the constitution provides. "In we Trust" seems like the intent of the Founding Fathers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. "The mere fact that..." Note that the motto doesn't violate the Establishment Clause as it literally stands. The Clause forbids the establishment of religion, not the including of religion in a motto. So, literally, the motto is legal and doesn't violate the constitution. You comment that the motto "can be seen as an attempt by the federal government to influence an individual or to force an individual," however, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled (in Aronow v. United States, 1970) that "It is quite obvious that the national motto and the slogan on coinage and currency 'In God We Trust' has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion. Its use is of patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise." Your use of a Supreme Court case ruling in your opening validates the use of this one. Therefore, your ultimatum that the motto does "violate the Establishment Clause as the U.S. Government currently understands it" is false. The Court found that the motto and the slogan are not in violation of any clause, as they do not enforce a religion, and they do lot violate any of the extensions that Justice Black ruled in 1947. To conclude, Your argument is possibly built on the premise that the motto is constitutionally invalid, and it most definitely is not. It doesn't violate the Establishment clause as it literally stands, and numerous Justices have ruled that it is not in violation of the clause, and neither is "One Nation Under God." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On to your logical aspect: You promote that E Pluribus Unum makes sense logically, more sense than In God we Trust. The American Revolution was made complete by the Declaration. This document was signed by men, who the majority of were deists; they believed in a God. Protestants, Roman Catholics, Church of England, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Dutch Reformed, and Methodists all were among the signatories to the Declaration. They were not of one religion, but many. Patrick Henry, when he asked for liberty or death, asked it from Almighty God. Prominent figures like Henry were strong proponents of traditional religion. The Founding Fathers as a whole body considered themselves to be deists or held beliefs very similar to that of deists. This foundation of the country was by men who believed in God, who had trust in God. In God they trusted, and they decided America would to. In your conclusion, you say that there are better mottos that reflect American history and values, however, In God we Trust is among those mottos. While this doesn't negate the validity of E Pluribus Unum as a logical motto, it proves that it isn't the only logical one. I look forward to the next round.