VIRGINIA bill could become law pending Gov. Mark R. Warner's signature which would allow schools to post the motto "In God We Trust." Under this bill, posting the motto is mandatory with the provision that it is put into "historical context" ("VA Senate Approves Motto Bill," The Washington Post, Feb. 13). Warner should join Virginia lawmakers by acknowledging the religious nature of our national heritage in a time of instability and fear.
The motto, which appears on all U.S. currency, represents a historical belief in God held by many of our founders. Its insertion into public life historically has increased in times of crisis. These words, boldly stated on banners and signs prominently and publicly displayed, are an uplifting statement of spirituality while the memories of terrorism loom in our recent past.
Some in our country, however, neither profess any belief in God nor find any solace in our national motto. Citizens who disagree with the national motto categorize it as dead propaganda, having as much influence as the "duck and cover" ads of the nuclear threats in the 1960s. When the United States feared nuclear attack, school children would watch cartoons with catchy jingles telling them to duck under their desks, and cover their heads with their hands.
The "duck and cover" motto is no longer used, due to the almost extinct fear of a Soviet nuclear attack after the Cold War. Opponents of publicly posting the nation's motto claim the circumstances that created the religious tag have faced a similar extinction.
If the national motto has expired then the reason behind it must have died also. In the case of the "duck and cover" motto, the Cold War's nuclear threat diminished, ending the necessity for the motto. But if the reason behind "In God We Trust" is still present or active, then the motto still would be valid. If patterns show that Americans seek higher power in reaction to events like terrorism, then the Commonwealth's lawmakers are following the will of their constituents in passing this bill.
The motto was first printed on public coinage in 1861 during the tumultuous Civil War. Then Chief Justice Samuel Chase wrote the following to the director of the U.S. Mint: "No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense." The Mint printed the slogan, recognizing the nation's reliance on a higher power.
The motto "In God We Trust" was made mandatory on all U.S. coins in 1955, and replaced "E Pluribus Unim" as the national motto in 1956. Supporting his 1955 legislation, Rep. Charles Bennett of Florida said, "In these days when imperialistic and materialistic communism seeks to attack and to destroy freedom, it is proper for us to seek continuously for ways to strengthen the foundation of our freedom."
The 1950s bills reflected an underlying fear of communism, which threatened the core beliefs of American culture. While capitalism and American values prevailed through the trials of the Cold War, terrorism emerges as a new enemy. The threat is tangible in its consequences but, for many Americans, unity can be found in spirituality.
People naturally look to a higher power in times of crisis, as they realize the extent to which humanity is capable of evil. Americans identify evil in the core of humanity after terrorist acts like those of Sept. 11, they recognize the negative potential of humans left to their desires. Standing in contrast is the promise of redemption and eternal security in a loving God.
The threats of Civil War and communism do not suggest periods of irrationality in American history from which we must now resist. They are merely times that expose the weakness of our secular society, calling us back to a natural need for a loving God.
If citizens do not share a belief in God, the national motto doesn't force them to change their beliefs. School children are not being taught any private belief, but a very public awareness that in times of trouble this nation tends to move toward spirituality.
Furthermore, we cannot repeal a law of Congress without a law nullifying the original law, and posting the national motto is nothing more than a local display of patriotism. This deity-invoking patriotism rightly reflects a higher sovereign being - and a source of inspiration - that can't be found in human ranks. It is a recognition that the solution to such extreme evils as terrorism cannot come from that same source of evil, humanity.
(Matt West's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at mwest@cavalierdaily.com.)
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