Religion and schools.

Should "in God We Trust" be displayed in public schools?

Proponents sometimes maintain, "It's part of our history." The constitutional mandate for separation of church and state is a part of our history. How would an Islamic student respond to the motto, "In God we trust?" He believes in Allah, not God. Even if the difference were in only the name, why the name "God?" Why not the name "Allah?" The moment we show a preference, we are in violation of the spirit, if not the letter, of the Establishment Clause.

And then, yes, there are Devil worshipers, atheists and agnostics. They have their rights, too. The Free Exercise Clause makes no exceptions for them. A decent respect for the convictions of others requires the proper regard for the sensibilities of others--all others. How would Jewish students respond to a motto that said, "In Jesus Christ we trust?"

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Establishment Clause means that one religion may not be promoted over another religion, nor may religion be promoted over non-religion. Yet is that not what we are doing when we mint currency that bears the inscription "In God We Trust?" Does not the same thing apply to the "under God" phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance?

One might complain that keeping religion out of the classroom has come to mean keeping God out of the classroom. Can God be separated from religion? The Court has already ruled that a religion may consist of nothing more and nothing less than a single religious belief, such as a belief in the existence of God. Belief in God by itself then is a religion. By bringing God into the classroom, we do bring religion into the classroom.

In the 18th century, the Anglican Church was the established church in the state of Virginia. To serve as a judge or a juror, one had to be an adult, white, male Anglican. Clergymen had to be licensed. Presbyterians were tolerated. Others were denied status. The general population was taxed to support the established church.

Seeing all of this, Thomas Jefferson, while serving in the Virginia House of Burgesses, called for separation between church and state and wrote the Virginia Bill for Religious Freedom, which became law principally through the efforts of his close friend and colleague, James Madison, and which paved the way for the adoption of the Religion Clauses in the First Amendment.

It was indeed Madison who went on to help craft the First Amendment, as well as the following nine. In the original draft, it was feared that the wording could be interpreted to allow for the establishment of a national religion, something the Framers certainly did not want. So the wording was changed to what it is now. The Framers were determined to establish an unequivocal separation.

Some would have us believe that we are a Christian nation, under God. On the contrary, we are a secular nation, in which the government, in matters of religion, is neutral. The Founding Fathers believed in God, yes. They also believed in church-state separation and had the wisdom to know the difference.

--David Lieberman

Weston, Fla.