Allegheny County Council made the right vote
In 1872, when the Great Seal of the United States was created and adopted, the unofficial motto of the United States was “E pluribus unum,” Latin for “Out of many, one.” It wasn’t until 1956 that we went from unofficially “E pluribus unum” to, officially, “In God We Trust.”
A brief history lesson on “In God We Trust:” It first appeared on U.S. coins in 1864, and has been on paper currency since 1957. It seems to have originated from “The Star-Spangled Banner,” as a line in the fourth stanza of the poem reads “In God is our Trust.”
Obviously, a lot has changed since 1956. As many in the United States have become more progressive with their thinking, a plethora of religious beliefs is now accepted. From Catholics to atheists, Muslims to Jews, our religions are as diverse as our ethnic makeups, which is why we were quite surprised when self-described evangelical Christian and Allegheny County council member Sue Means (R-Bethel Park) began pushing for a bill that would allow “In God We Trust” to be displayed within Downtown Pittsburgh’s Allegheny County Courthouse.
Thankfully – and perhaps in part to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s promise to veto the bill if it passed – council voted against the proposal.
With religious wars ongoing in the Middle East, we struggle to understand the need to push religion on anyone in a political setting. The discussion and vote were a waste of council’s time and resources. Church and state need to be kept separate, and while “In God We Trust” is indeed our national motto, it isn’t something that needs to be taken a step further and shoved into the faces of people who don’t necessarily believe in God, or in one particular god.
Far-right leaning members of the Republican party should take this to heart and keep religion out of what they are trying to accomplish politically. It is a distraction, it is unnecessary, and while the separation of church and state isn’t officially in the United States Constitution, it is one of the many things that makes our country great.
Justifying his opposition to KDKA-TV, Fitzgerald, a Catholic, stated, “I understand that other people have different beliefs and we should be tolerant of those beliefs. In fact, not just tolerant, but welcoming.”
We couldn’t agree more.