Does the law that put "In God We Trust" on the nation's coins violate the U. S. Constitution? Where does the Constitution grant the government jurisdiction over whether or not we trust in God?

In god we trust the rest pay in cash.

__________________
"True Freedom is the Freedom to oppress others"

It suits the money tho. You gotta have faith to believe in a fiat currency. Rrrrrr-im shot.

But seriously, it was just a joke., I prefer the fiat system.

I think the idea is that the phrase "God" is generic and not related to any religion specifically, thus not a state endorsement of any religion. It can even just be a symbolic interpretation of some abstract concept.

It's empty rhetoric that makes religionists feel comfortable without seeming all that threatening to nontheists, so I suppose it's kind of a compromise.

__________________
"It's never over... BOY!"
The Tall Man, Phantasm III
what your pet really thinks of you...

It might violate your constitution, but it's been on there for a long time now and has become part of your history. The design/motto can be considered a sort of national landmark of some sort. As an atheist myself, I couldn't care less.

Personally, I think it does violate the intent of the clause. But its legality has been established in the courts, I believe.

Just out of common politeness and respect for democratic diversity, it should be replaced with something more universal. The government should not be in the business of promoting belief or nonbelief.

__________________
Scarred survivor of the April 2008 Mod War.

it slides under the radar only because it doesn't refer to any specific God.

Priceless.

__________________
"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything. " - Alexander Hamilton

The problem is "God" is really not all that generic. Most faiths refer to their god(s) by name. That having been said, I can't say it bothers me. Hell, if you don't like it you don't have to use cash!

__________________
This space for rent.

__________________
Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands? ~ Ernest Gaines

Hell, if you don't like that, you can give me your cash.

And I'd also like to add that the framers of the Constitution were all Christian and they favored religious toleration for Christians. Several states had death penalties for non-Christians.

__________________
The White Fox Uncertainty Principle states that:
You can never know the position of a liberal and the logic behind it at the same time,
because the closer you get to finding one, the more unknown the other one becomes.