I have been amusingly watching the usual slate of people going nuts over County Councilor Mielke’s proposal to post the National Motto, “In God We Trust” in the County Building.
Without getting too deep into it, my own view is more neutral in that I won’t lose any sleep one way or the other. But to see the reaction of those virulently opposed to the proposal, as if their lives will somehow cease should those words be displayed, is most amusing, considering I have yet to hear of a single one of them refusing to accept a single dollar of money, what with those same words prominently displayed on our money for over a century now.
Until they begin refusing to accept money, I see them as not having a leg to stand on!
Besides the money angle and acknowledging that they have called for a protest Tuesday outside of the Clark County Public Service Building, giving their “rally” the title “E Pluribus Unum” (Out of many, one) and with generous support from Portland, Oregon atheist groups. The absolute silliness, not to mention hypocrisy of these people using those words is that in their quest for the erroneous “multiculturalism,” they have all but destroyed any sense of being one in America as they have done everything in their power to divide citizens along gender, racial, cultural, sexual and even religious lines.
Be that as it may, I wonder if they even know just what or who they are protesting.
Are the protesting mere words? Or the God of Catholicism, Presbyterianism, Baptist, Pentecostal, Jewish, Islam, Buddhist or what have you?
Since God is a title and not a specific name, as is Jehovah, Allah, Yahweh or even the tetragrammaton YHWH (or YHVH, JHVH or JHWH in various scripts), just what God do they oppose?
If it is the God of Abraham mentioned in the Bible, are they not protesting the deity looked upon by the three major religions, Jewish, Muslim and Christianity? All three, even though they have different views, look to the God of Abraham.
Likewise, just how “In God We Trust” came to be our National Motto and placed on our money is academic and has no real bearing on whether or not the County should display our National Motto, in my estimation.
Of note, “In God We Trust” was reaffirmed as the National Motto in the 112th Congress. When it was formally adopted as the National Motto in 1956, it was by a House and Senate with a Democrat Party majority in both houses, the same party that today objects.
I was told years ago by a friend that went through the program that one of the main teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous was the acceptance of a power greater than yourself. A God if you will.
Would these people call on AA to abandon their work of helping people overcome alcohol addiction due to their placing trust in God?
In the end I see no establishment of a State Religion, the real meaning of the phrase written by Jefferson in his 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association.
However, I do see strong hypocrisy from them, well beyond their acceptance of money in that I have not seen or heard one of them crying out for any Separation of Mosque and State as Islamic prayers and practices are slowly being accepted in some schools. This after their much ballyhooed denial of any Christian Prayers in our schools over the years.
Then again, no one has ever accused them of being consistent.
UPDATE: At the Feb 10, 2015 County Council meeting, the motion failed to gain a second after Councilor Mielke proposed it after a lengthy citizen discussion period.
Confusing to many was Councilor Madore declining to second the motion after expressing support, both at the meeting and on his facebook “newspaper.”
Could this part of some unknown strategy on the part of County Councilors?
Seattle Satanic Temple wants spot on the wall
Seattle? Shouldn’t they be on King County’s wall, some 180 miles North of us?
Or is it the left once again pushing an absurd point to prove something?
