In God We Trust… When in the course of human events…We the people of the United States… Four score and seven years ago…
When I hear these words it causes a reaction deep within me. It is a visceral response, one that goes to the very core of my being. These are words that symbolize something great, something extraordinary, something that is truly bigger than any one person or ideal. In the history of the United States young men and women have fought and died for these words and what they stand for. When I hear these words and stop for a moment to perceive their meaning, I can sense a feeling of pride, and dignity welling up inside of me and I am thankful to God for those who have gone before me, who have spent their lives forging the freedom and democracy which today we too often take for granted.
Unfortunately, these words and what they stand for are increasingly coming under attack. I received an email from Tracy today that said:
Here's your chance to let the media know where the people stand on our faith in God, as a nation. NBC is taking a poll on 'In God We Trust' to stay on our American currency. Please send this to everyone you know so they can vote on this important subject. Please do it right away, before NBC takes this off the web page. Poll is still open so you can vote.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/
So I went to the MSNBC web site and took the poll, what shocked me was the number of people who are in favor of removing “In God We Trust” from our US currency. The numbers when I went showed that 71% were in favor of keeping the National Motto on our currency, and 29 % wanted it removed. 29%? That is an astounding number to me. Now admittedly the poll is being taken on the MSNBC web site, home of Keith Olberman. But 29%? That is almost one third of those responding, or about one out of every three people that you meet on the street, although we certainly aren’t talking about the streets in the Midwest for the most part.
In an attempt to put this number into some form of perspective, I went looking around the internet for some sort of answer to the question of why “In God We Trust” would be so offensive. Let’s face it, if you are Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Mormon, or Jehovah’s Witness, you believe in God. (I know that I have left many out). Even those of the Hindu faith believe in god, albeit many of them. I saw a Fox News poll recently which claimed that fully 92% of people in the United States believe in God. So with this overwhelming percentage of people professing some form of belief in God, I am not sure that I can put my finger on exactly what the problem is. However, as I began to read the various web sites, I was truly astounded by the number of people who seemed vehemently if not violently opposed to the use of “In God We Trust” on our currency.
My son Ben wrote a blog not too long ago complaining about people who no longer stand at attention and salute our flag during the National Anthem. I believe that he has hit upon something extremely important and if we are not careful it may be lost forever, and that one thing can be summed up in the word: respect. Respect for God, respect for country, and respect for each other. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t believe that we should blindly follow the leadership of our nation, nor are we to mindlessly say that whatever anyone wants to do is ok. Respect is something that must be earned.
I encourage you to follow the link to MSNBC and take the poll question. Be willing to stand up and be counted as a part of this great democracy, so that the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Blessings
When I hear these words it causes a reaction deep within me. It is a visceral response, one that goes to the very core of my being. These are words that symbolize something great, something extraordinary, something that is truly bigger than any one person or ideal. In the history of the United States young men and women have fought and died for these words and what they stand for. When I hear these words and stop for a moment to perceive their meaning, I can sense a feeling of pride, and dignity welling up inside of me and I am thankful to God for those who have gone before me, who have spent their lives forging the freedom and democracy which today we too often take for granted.
Unfortunately, these words and what they stand for are increasingly coming under attack. I received an email from Tracy today that said:
Here's your chance to let the media know where the people stand on our faith in God, as a nation. NBC is taking a poll on 'In God We Trust' to stay on our American currency. Please send this to everyone you know so they can vote on this important subject. Please do it right away, before NBC takes this off the web page. Poll is still open so you can vote.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/
So I went to the MSNBC web site and took the poll, what shocked me was the number of people who are in favor of removing “In God We Trust” from our US currency. The numbers when I went showed that 71% were in favor of keeping the National Motto on our currency, and 29 % wanted it removed. 29%? That is an astounding number to me. Now admittedly the poll is being taken on the MSNBC web site, home of Keith Olberman. But 29%? That is almost one third of those responding, or about one out of every three people that you meet on the street, although we certainly aren’t talking about the streets in the Midwest for the most part.
In an attempt to put this number into some form of perspective, I went looking around the internet for some sort of answer to the question of why “In God We Trust” would be so offensive. Let’s face it, if you are Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Mormon, or Jehovah’s Witness, you believe in God. (I know that I have left many out). Even those of the Hindu faith believe in god, albeit many of them. I saw a Fox News poll recently which claimed that fully 92% of people in the United States believe in God. So with this overwhelming percentage of people professing some form of belief in God, I am not sure that I can put my finger on exactly what the problem is. However, as I began to read the various web sites, I was truly astounded by the number of people who seemed vehemently if not violently opposed to the use of “In God We Trust” on our currency.
My son Ben wrote a blog not too long ago complaining about people who no longer stand at attention and salute our flag during the National Anthem. I believe that he has hit upon something extremely important and if we are not careful it may be lost forever, and that one thing can be summed up in the word: respect. Respect for God, respect for country, and respect for each other. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t believe that we should blindly follow the leadership of our nation, nor are we to mindlessly say that whatever anyone wants to do is ok. Respect is something that must be earned.
I encourage you to follow the link to MSNBC and take the poll question. Be willing to stand up and be counted as a part of this great democracy, so that the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Blessings
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