• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Billboards in Kentucky Point Out Obvious Flaw in “In God We Trust” Law

Skwim

Skwim

Veteran Member
.
"In Kentucky, where the state now requires public schools to post “In God We Trust” on the walls, the Freedom From Religion Foundation is taking a unique approach to combat it.

First, they’re putting up this billboard designed by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Steve Benson in several Louisville locations. Rather than say “In God We Trust,” the second word comes with a variety of options (including “None of the Above”).

IGWTBillboardKY2019.jpg

FFRF is also running a contest in which kids are invited to submit their own versions of the motto:

The artwork must contain the phrase “In God We Trust,” but must either protest the motto, subvert the religious intent of the new law or otherwise show why “In God We Trust” is not an appropriate motto to place in a public school.
​
The winners receive up to $500 along with a $1 bill that doesn’t have the motto stamped on it.

None of this will change the law, of course, but the publicity could go a long way in helping residents realize the phrase isn’t as innocuous as Republicans want to pretend it is.
source

​
Kind of waiting to see if they'll be torched ala "Six Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri"

.

.
 
Heyo

Heyo

Veteran Member
E pluribus unum - 1784 to 1956
In god we trust - 1956 to today

That was my first thought of subtlety subverting the law. While displaying the required motto, it puts it into historical context. The fathers of the law wouldn't like it but would have a hard time arguing against it.
 
Salvador

Salvador

RF's Swedenborgian
The "In God We Trust" motto doesn't violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause if the state were to endorse all religions equally. The notion of a "trustworthy God" is permissible because most religions do feature a supreme being.
 
Altfish

Altfish

Veteran Member
I'd like to hope that it'd make people think about the use of the "In God we trust" phrase, how it is discriminatory.
But too many believers appear not to be able to think when it comes to their god
 
Altfish

Altfish

Veteran Member
Salvador said:
The "In God We Trust" motto doesn't violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause if the state were to endorse all religions equally. The notion of a "trustworthy God" is permissible because most religions do feature a supreme being.
Click to expand...
It excludes the ever increasing number of non-believers though
 
Salvador

Salvador

RF's Swedenborgian
Altfish said:
It excludes the ever increasing number of non-believers though
Click to expand...

I reckon atheists don't believe in any supernatural deities, but they still could believe in natural beings more intelligent or powerful than the average Earth-bound person. God could be redefined to accommodate non-theistic deities like world leaders, extraterrestrial beings or computer programmers who simulate universes .
 
Last edited:
Altfish

Altfish

Veteran Member
Salvador said:
I reckon atheists don't believe in any supernatural deities, but they still could believe in natural beings more powerful than the average Earth-bound person. God could be redefined to accommodate non-theistic deities like world leaders, extraterrestrial beings or computer programmers who simulate universes .
Click to expand...
You reckon wrong.

It is far easier to remove the nonsense from public places, if you need a moto, what about "In Knowledge we Trust"; then the religious could pretend that 'Knowledge' actually refers to their god.
 
Salvador

Salvador

RF's Swedenborgian
Altfish said:
You reckon wrong.

It is far easier to remove the nonsense from public places, if you need a moto, what about "In Knowledge we Trust"; then the religious could pretend that 'Knowledge' actually refers to their god.
Click to expand...

I like your suggestion, but I suspect most Kentuckians believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible happens to be true and science is sometimes wrong. Unfortunately, your suggestion of "In Knowledge We Trust" will never be preferred there to "In God We Trust"

3e870e94d1528146_mp2.xxxlarge.gif
 
lewisnotmiller

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
Salvador said:
The "In God We Trust" motto doesn't violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause if the state were to endorse all religions equally. The notion of a "trustworthy God" is permissible because most religions do feature a supreme being.
Click to expand...

Wait...you're suggesting the establishment clause isn't violated asking as you stick to Abrahamaic monotheism?
 
lewisnotmiller

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
Salvador said:
I reckon atheists don't believe in any supernatural deities, but they still could believe in natural beings more intelligent or powerful than the average Earth-bound person. God could be redefined to accommodate non-theistic deities like world leaders, extraterrestrial beings or computer programmers who simulate universes .
Click to expand...

*Blinks*

So you read it as 'In someone we trust...most of us, anyway...'

There's a motto to live by.
 
lewisnotmiller

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
Salvador said:
I reckon atheists don't believe in any supernatural deities, but they still could believe in natural beings more intelligent or powerful than the average Earth-bound person. God could be redefined to accommodate non-theistic deities like world leaders, extraterrestrial beings or computer programmers who simulate universes .
Click to expand...

Actually, you've convinced me. Change it to 'In love we trust.'
Theists can just see their God as love, and we're all happy.
 
Altfish

Altfish

Veteran Member
Salvador said:
I like your suggestion, but I suspect most Kentuckians believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible happens to be true and science is sometimes wrong. Unfortunately, your suggestion of "In Knowledge We Trust" will never be preferred there to "In God We Trust"

3e870e94d1528146_mp2.xxxlarge.gif
Click to expand...

You confidently use the word 'NEVER', I suspect that if the number of non-believers continues to grow - and use of the likes of In God We Trust helps increase those numbers - then 'never' will come sooner that you anticipate.
 
Salvador

Salvador

RF's Swedenborgian
Altfish said:
You confidently use the word 'NEVER', I suspect that if the number of non-believers continues to grow - and use of the likes of In God We Trust helps increase those numbers - then 'never' will come sooner that you anticipate.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean "never" in a literal sense, I meant "never" as meaning "not within the next 100 years or so."
 
Last edited:
Salvador

Salvador

RF's Swedenborgian
lewisnotmiller said:
Wait...you're suggesting the establishment clause isn't violated asking as you stick to Abrahamaic monotheism?
Click to expand...

God defined as the Omni-Supreme Being character of Abrahamic religions excludes the gods of other religions, and as such would clearly violate the U.S. Constitutional First Amendment's Establishment Clause.
 
Howard Is

Howard Is

Lucky Mud
Salvador said:
I reckon atheists don't believe in any supernatural deities, but they still could believe in natural beings more intelligent or powerful than the average Earth-bound person. God could be redefined to accommodate non-theistic deities like world leaders, extraterrestrial beings or computer programmers who simulate universes .
Click to expand...

I’d prefer Frank Zappa.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top