Ed recently received an e-mail from an old friend of his, and sent out a mass reply, in which I was included. In addition to e-mail, he posted it on his blog. I originally replied to the email, but figured I'd post my response here as well.I think that the original motto "E Pluribus Unum" is far more moving than "In God We Trust", and not just because I'm not religious. I think the imagery of many people, with different backgrounds and beliefs, coming together to form something wonderful (a nation based on freedom and equality) is more significant than claiming were are a group of people who are at the whim of a man who lives in the sky.
I also believe that the attitude and behaviors of the religious majority directly conflict with the good will and moral superiority they believe they hold. When I was going to school in North Carolina, I frequently helped other members of my class when they had problems, and I felt it was the right thing to do, and it made me feel proud to help others when they needed it. Not far into the semester, I walked into a discussion on religion (before class had started) to hear that "godless people are heathens, and they wouldn't care if they passed someone dying on the street". I turned to that person, whom I had helped on several occasions, and pointed out my lack of religious affiliation, meaning to point out the fallacy in her statement. Her reply was "That's your problem".
At the time I chocked it up to bible-belt belief systems, and didn't make much of it. However, after giving it some thought, and living in two states consecutive to that, I no longer disillusion myself that it was just southern mentality. That's not to say that all people holding religious beliefs behave this way.
I am frequently appalled at the hateful, vengeful, and mean-spirited actions that the religious take to defend what they hold so dear, at the expense of the freedom and liberties of others. I would love to see the motto and pledge returned to their original state, and "In God We Trust" removed from our currency. I hardly feel that our nation would disintegrate into a heap of hedonistic behavior, mass killings, and rioting over the changing of a few words.
