More than 30 cities in California and elsewhere have approved ’In God We Trust’ displays.
Is trust in God a religious concept? Most fair-minded Americans would say yes.
Yet the Lancaster, Calif., City Council doesn’t seem to think so. Members of that governmental body recently approved unanimously a resolution ordering the display of “In God We Trust” on the back wall of the council chambers.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, council members denied that their action had anything to do with religion.
“When I brought this up, it was not for my religious beliefs,” said resolution sponsor Sherry Marquez. “You wouldn’t want to know what I would put up there if it were up to my religious beliefs. It would be a Bible verse.
“I’m not bringing my religious beliefs into here,” she continued. “I’m bringing my Americanism and patriotism in here. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”
This isn’t an isolated example of religious fervor; it’s part of an orchestrated campaign.
The Daily News reports that more than 30 cities in California and elsewhere have approved identical displays. Most of them are at the behest of “In God We Trust ~ America,” a Religious Right group founded by Bakersfield City Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan.
In an interview with the newspaper, I said, “I don’t think it’s about patriotism. It’s about pushing one religious perspective. The fundamentalist Christians want government to reflect their views of religion. They know they have to take it one step at a time. This is a step toward that.”
I really believe that.
One of America’s greatest achievements is the separation of church and state — and the subsequent religious liberty it guarantees each of us. In the United States, you can believe in any religion you like and still be a patriotic American. You can join one of the hundreds of Christian denominations or you can be a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Hindu or anything else your conscience tell you to. (Heck, you can even come up with your own religion; more than one American has.)
But just as importantly, you can reject all religious beliefs and follow no spiritual path at all. Millions of Americans do that today, and they’re just as patriotic as Councilwoman Marquez and her colleagues – maybe more so.
Marquez freely admits that she’d impose a more sectarian statement on the council chambers if she thought she could. That’s pretty scary, and it’s hardly in keeping with true patriotism, which is loyalty to the Constitution and respect for the individual freedoms it protects. It’s wrong – indeed, un-American — to use religion as a political wedge issue and try to impose one perspective on everyone.
Lancaster has taken a step backward toward theocracy and away from the American vision of religious freedom. When you think about it, that’s not patriotic at all.
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