[bit.listserv.christia] In God We Trust

86730@LAWRENCE (Bill Sklar) (01/15/90)

        While I perfectly agree with the sentiment expressed on
the dollar bill ("In God we Trust") I have some serious reservations
with any religious commentary being placed on U.S. Government property.

        It seems to me that:

        (1) It's a violation of Church and State

        (2) It's offensive and rude to those who have a different idea
of God than ourselves, and mostly it:

        (3) Trivializes Christianity by placing God's name on such a
completely materialistic object.

        I know this has nothing to do with other talk about the
dollar bill and symbols found on it, but I thought this would make
an interesting topic.  Any comments?

                                                --Bill

87236@LAWRENCE (I love animals) (01/15/90)

 >        While I perfectly agree with the sentiment expressed on
>the dollar bill ("In God we Trust") I have some serious reservations
>with any religious commentary being placed on U.S. Government property.

       I have a problem with the phrase being on dollar bills,
partially because it excludes atheists and agnostics, who, whether we
like it or not, are just as much a part of this country as we are, and
also because I see very little "trusting in God" by the U.S.
government.

                     Anita

DEVOSCM@RUG.NL (Marco de Vos, Kapteyn Lab Groningen) (01/15/90)

>        While I perfectly agree with the sentiment expressed on
>the dollar bill ("In God we Trust") I have some serious reservations
>with any religious commentary being placed on U.S. Government property.


I too have some problems with thing like the "In God we Trust" on dollar bills
(most dutch coins have "God with us" on their side).
I myself agree with those remarks. However, many of my fellow-citizens don't.
To them, the remark most probably has the same effect as some Islamitic
expression of faith would have on me. I can respect it, but do not share it,
and still I am passing it aroud while paying with those coins. No you may
look at the inscription as a way of spearding the Gospel (I don't say it's
not, it can be used that way), but I doubt wether it's a very efficient one.

There is an other thing about this that worries me more. A complaint
(if I may call it such) of many non-christians is that "religion" is just
a side-effect of culture. Look at the inscription on the coins, they say.
Nobody believes that anymore, and still it's there. No I can argue that
"nobody believes that" is quite wrong, but the point they raise is still
valid. Those inscriptions were first put on in a time when most people
were believed them, and when the state had strong connections with some
churches. That is no longer true. I think it's better to accept that truth
than going on putting words on coins that, for most people are just
traces of the past. They may start thinking that my own expression of
that faith is also just a trace of the past, or a cultural expression.
It's not, of course, but the coins may give them an excuse not to think
about it.

By the way, how should we think of "giving to Ceasar what's of Ceasar"
in view of those expressions?


Marco.

TJSTEGGA@MTUS5 (01/16/90)

In Response to: Message by Marco de Vos ???

Marco, you mentioned the quote, "Give to Caesar what is  of Caesar."  It is my
opinion that Jesus meant that what Caesar requested (in the way of taxes, etc.)
 was to be paid to him with his money; in this sense, we should repay God with
the many blessings He has given us.

God be with you,

Christian Renegade
(TJSTEGGA at MTUS5)

COLELA@SNYPLAVA (l. anne cole) (01/16/90)

>Marco, you mentioned the quote, "Give to Caesar what is  of Caesar."  It is my
>opinion that Jesus meant that what Caesar requested (in the way of taxes, etc.)
> was to be paid to him with his money; in this sense, we should repay God with
>the many blessings He has given us.

To me, this also means that Caesar has no right to order us to do what
is not in Caesar's domain.  For example, Caesar has no right to demand
our worship.  Caesar has no right to ask us to do something that our
God forbids, for that is not Caesar's.

God Bless, Everyone
Anne

DEVOSCM@RUG.NL (Marco de Vos, Kapteyn Lab Groningen) (01/16/90)

>In Response to: Message by Marco de Vos ???

Yip, 't was me.

>Marco, you mentioned the quote, "Give to Caesar what is  of Caesar."  It is my
>opinion that Jesus meant that what Caesar requested (in the way of taxes, etc.)
> was to be paid to him with his money; in this sense, we should repay God with
>the many blessings He has given us.
>
>God be with you,
>
>Christian Renegade

That's my opinion too. I made my remark because Jesus "proofs" money is
something of Ceasar (or the state or the world or so) by pointing at the
sign of Ceasar at the coin, and we were discussing a reference to God on
our coins.

As a matter of fact, I think "wealth"/money is be a blessing that we might
repay God by sharing it with our fellow human beings. There are many other
like honour and worship that we should give to God, and not to Ceasar
(well, some kind of honour probably, but not the kind I try to give to God).

Marco.