May 12, 2016
"In God We Trust" has been the United States' national motto since President Dwight D. Eisenhower made it so in 1956, and has been reaffirmed by Congress several times, despite numerous legal challenges citing separation of church and state.
A similar battle seems to be building in Harrisburg. Battle, however, might not be the right word; House Bill 1640 passed the lower chamber by a vote of 179-20 earlier in May.
The bill, also known as the National Motto Display Act, would allow public schools in Pennsylvania to display "In God We Trust" (and the Bill of Rights) in classrooms and other areas of school buildings.
The operative word, proponents point out, is "allow," as in school districts are not required to display the motto.
“The purpose of my legislation is to fully restore the right to display the national motto in our public schools when and if they choose to do so," said state Rep. Chris Dush, R-Indiana, the bill's primary sponsor.
"There's no force being done," he said the day before it passed. "This is a 'may' proposition."
The language of the legislation says the intention is to increase students' "understanding of and familiarity with American historical documents," namely the motto and the Bill of Rights.
It cites the state's 13th governor, James Pollock, who coined the phrase that still adorns U.S. coins in the 19th century, noting Pollock was known as "The Great Christian Governor."
Also cited is the history of consistent Congressional approval and federal court decisions that have upheld the motto for years.
Advocates also claim the ability to display those four words would help bring students and faculty together in patriotism.
“Our country is very divided today, and celebrating the motto can help unite us,” state Rep. Rick Saccone, R-Elizabeth, told TribLive. “Whether you believe in God or not, it's here to inspire us.”
Opponents believe the bill creates an unnecessary distraction and puts students who are not religious into an awkward position.
During an interview with Pittsburgh radio station KDKA, state Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, explained why he was one of the few who voted against it, dismissing the argument that the legislation does not indicate any specific denomination.
"If you put 'In God We Trust' in the school then you are dictating that there is a God anyway," Harris said. "There are people [who] don't believe in a Creator, there are people [who] don't believe in God, and they are entitled — they have the right to believe that."
"A schoolhouse is not where we should be pushing that issue."
(Harris, it should be noted, started the interview defending his own Christian faith after the host immediately began with, "Are you an atheist?")
Harris also went on to equate the bill to a waste of time considering the state's ongoing budget saga, a point echoed in an editorial from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which also claimed the legislation would create unnecessary bickering in local school districts. The editorial reads:
Public schools need not be sanitized of any discussion of religion, intertwined with cultural history, civilization and literature. Yet faith is personal, and public schools serve children of all religious backgrounds, as well as students who follow no religion.
Nevertheless, Saccone told TribLive he expects the bill to pass the Senate (it currently sits in the chamber's Education Committee), and that Gov. Tom Wolf "wouldn't dare veto it."
Wolf's office was not immediately available for comment.
