In God We Trust?

I got an email from a Christian friend about the new gold coins. It was a call to refuse the coins when they are offered as change becuase they no longer bear the words "In God We Trust." I thought about the mening of that and I did some looking around to find the history of our "National Motto."

American presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt strongly disapproved of the idea of evoking God within the context of a "cheap" political motto. In a letter to William Boldly on November 11, 1907, President Roosevelt wrote: "My own feeling in the matter is due to my very firm conviction that to put such a motto on coins, or to use it in any kindred manner, not only does no good but does positive harm, and is in effect irreverence, which comes dangerously close to sacrilege... it seems to me eminently unwise to cheapen such a motto by use on coins, just as it would be to cheapen it by use on postage stamps, or in advertisements."

The Supreme Court has upheld the motto because it has "lost through rote repetition any significant religious content."[11]; so-called acts of "ceremonial deism" that have lost their "history, character, and context".

Source: Wikipedia

Some Christians (including American presidents) have been opposed to placing the motto on money because they were afraid that it cheapened the statement. And in fact, the Supreme Court ruled that the motto could stay on the money because it had become such a common phrase that it no longer bore any religious significance. In a way, I think Roosevelt was onto something. What does it mean for me to say that I am trusting in God? That statement is devalued by the fact that is seen everywhere. By making it common, it loses it's impact.

There's another angle to consider as well. Should a country where perhaps only 20% of the population regularly attends a religious service put the statement "In God We Trust" on it's money? That may be an outright lie.

I would rather have the statement stay on the money but it's not a cause I'm going to go out of my way to defend. As Christians I think there are way more impactful things we could be doing to make a significant change in our country. Poverty, stewarship of the environment, social justice; I wish my Christian friends would forward me "call to action" emails on these issues more often.

Edited to add: The new coin has "In God We Trust" inscribed around the edge.
Link: USMint.gov

Palin and Abstinence Education

I'm reading over and over in liberal blogs that the fact that VP nominee Sarah Palin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant somehow invalidates the idea of abstinence education.

It's pretty simple. If you don't have sex, you won't get pregnant. Obviously, Bristol Palin didn't stick with the gameplan. If she had remained abstinent, she would not be pregnant. It's as true today as it was the day before Sarah became John McCain's running mate.

What is truly remarkable is the hatred some people have for the idea that kids should be advised not to have sex. The idea is mocked and ridiculed in the comments thread of nearly every news article and blog post I read. I know that some teenagers are going to have sex but what is so wrong about telling them it's not a good idea? Why can't we teach kids that the sexual ideal is to wait until you're a little older and a little wiser (and yes maybe even married) before becoming sexually active?

Abstinence is still the best advice for any heterosexual who is not in a committed, monogamous relationship and ready, along with their partner, to raise a child. The fact is, we'd be a lot better off as a nation if we embraced that as the ideal and stopped marginalizing people like Sarah Palin.