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AMERICAN LEGION v. AMERICAN HUMANIST ASSN. 

Opinion of the Court 

across the United States that bear religious names.  Reli-
gion undoubtedly motivated those who named Bethlehem, 
Pennsylvania;  Las  Cruces,  New  Mexico;  Providence, 
Rhode Island; Corpus Christi, Texas; Nephi, Utah, and the 
countless other places in our country with names that are 
rooted  in  religion.    Yet  few  would  argue  that  this  history 
requires  that  these  names  be  erased  from  the  map.    Or 
take a motto like Arizona’s, “Ditat Deus” (“God enriches”), 
which  was  adopted  in  1864,22  or  a  flag  like  Maryland’s, 
which  has  included  two  crosses  since  1904.23    Familiarity 
itself can become a reason for preservation. 
  Fourth,  when  time’s  passage  imbues  a  religiously  ex-
pressive  monument,  symbol,  or  practice  with  this  kind  of 
familiarity and historical significance, removing it may no 
longer  appear  neutral,  especially  to  the  local  community 
for  which  it  has  taken  on  particular  meaning.    A  govern-
ment that roams the land, tearing down monuments with 
religious  symbolism  and  scrubbing  away  any  reference  to 
the  divine  will  strike  many  as  aggressively  hostile  to 
religion.  Militantly secular regimes have carried out such 
projects  in  the  past,24  and  for  those  with  a  knowledge  of 

—————— 

22 See B. Shearer & B. Shearer, State Names, Seals, Flags, and Sym-
bols: A Historical Guide 17–18 (3d ed. 2002).  See also id., at 18 (Con-
necticut  motto:  “Qui  Tanstulit  Sustinet”  (“He  Who  Transplanted  Still 
Sustains”), dating back to the colonial era and adapted from the Book of 
Psalms 79:3); ibid. (Florida motto: “In God We Trust,” adopted in 1868); 
id.,  at  20  (Maryland  motto:  “Scuto  Bonae  Volantatis  Tuae  Coronasti 
Nos”  (“With  Favor  Wilt  Thou  Compass  Us  as  with  a  Shield”),  which 
appeared on the seal adopted in 1876 and comes from Psalms 5:12); id., 
at 21–22 (Ohio motto: “With God, All Things Are Possible,” adopted in 
1959  and  taken  from  Matthew  19:26);  id.,  at  22  (South Dakota  motto: 
“Under  God  the  People  Rule,”  adopted  in  1885);  id.,  at  23  (American 
Samoa motto: “Samoa—Muamua le Atua” (“Samoa—Let God Be First”), 
adopted in 1975). 

23 The current flag was known and used since at least October 1880, and 
was officially adopted by the General Assembly in 1904.  See History of the 
Maryland Flag, https://sos.maryland.gov/Pages/Services/Flag-History.aspx. 

24 For  example,  the  French  Revolution  sought  to  “dechristianize”  the