In God We Trust on the Coins

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 26, 1908

In God We Trust on the Coins

In an editorial commenting upon the passage of the bill in the House of Representatives to restore the motto, “In God We Trust,” to the coins, the Washington Post says:—

The fact is that as individuals the people of the United States do trust in God. As a government they don’t do anything of the sort. They trust in their might, in their men, in their ships and guns and money. Our whole policy as a nation has proved this. It is a mockery to put upon the symbols of governmental functions a piece of sentimentality which our whole national conduct proves a bit of pretense and in reality denies. If, as a nation, we actually did put our trust in the Supreme Being, we would abandon our ships of war, we would destroy our bullet molds, we would turn our “swords into plowshares,” and our “spears into pruning-hooks.” And our money would not need to be labeled with the verbal assurances of our piety. Unless those words, “In God We Trust,” constitute a meaningless phrase, we are guilty of a sacrilege in stamping them on the servant of mammon. If the phrase is meaningless, its usage is superfluous. There are, no doubt, a great many people in the country who devoutly own their trust in God who will regret the restoration of the motto to our coins. They believe that it is not religious truth, but religious sentimentality, which will put it back.

This recognition of the difference between the religion of individuals and the religion of the government is worthy of note. The simple truth is that the government has no religion, and ought to have nothing to do with religion. It is ordained to look after things civil.