In God We Trust
Motto on Money Resonates Throughout Nation
"And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'
And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"
-Francis Scott Key, National Anthem
Take a look at your money and you'll find the inscription "In God We Trust," on every bill and coin. Read our Constitution and you'll find mention of God throughout. We are a religious nation, and it's apparent everywhere.
Alexis de Touqueville said of his arrival in the United States, "the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention." Randall Balmer, of The Reader's Companion to American History, noted that the Gallup poll data reported 94 percent of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit, compared to 76 percent and less in various European countries.
Why is the United States such a religious nation? Practically all the early settlers made the voyage to America for religious purposes. The Spanish sent the first missionaries to convert the Indians. The Pilgrims, exiled from England, came for religious freedom, and the Puritans came to practice their own religion free from the vestiges of old religions.
The Puritans were successful in making America their home. Here they found religious freedom, and a beautiful prosperous land as well. Balmer says they "saw themselves as the New Israel, fleeing from the Egypt of England for the Promised Land of Massachusetts." They believed in divine providence, and that God had delivered them into this country for a reason.
The Puritans have had a profound impact on the United States. Later, Balmer continues, Benjamin Franklin suggested the seal of the United States "depict Moses leading the children of Israel across the Red Sea."
It isn't the Puritan religion that caught on in America; but the sense of divine providence, the sense that God had brought them all to America for a reason and had a special plan for this new country. This belief has enabled the American people to do many great things.
Miracles happen, because "in God we trust." Who would have thought, in 1776, that this new country would become one of the most powerful and advanced in the world?
We are all here for a reason, which is divine providence, and if we trust in God he will help us complete the task he has set out for us. Our trust in God has made this country prosper, and whatever happens in the future if we trust in God "the star-spangled banner forever shall wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"
And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"
-Francis Scott Key, National Anthem
Take a look at your money and you'll find the inscription "In God We Trust," on every bill and coin. Read our Constitution and you'll find mention of God throughout. We are a religious nation, and it's apparent everywhere.
Alexis de Touqueville said of his arrival in the United States, "the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention." Randall Balmer, of The Reader's Companion to American History, noted that the Gallup poll data reported 94 percent of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit, compared to 76 percent and less in various European countries.
Why is the United States such a religious nation? Practically all the early settlers made the voyage to America for religious purposes. The Spanish sent the first missionaries to convert the Indians. The Pilgrims, exiled from England, came for religious freedom, and the Puritans came to practice their own religion free from the vestiges of old religions.
The Puritans were successful in making America their home. Here they found religious freedom, and a beautiful prosperous land as well. Balmer says they "saw themselves as the New Israel, fleeing from the Egypt of England for the Promised Land of Massachusetts." They believed in divine providence, and that God had delivered them into this country for a reason.
The Puritans have had a profound impact on the United States. Later, Balmer continues, Benjamin Franklin suggested the seal of the United States "depict Moses leading the children of Israel across the Red Sea."
It isn't the Puritan religion that caught on in America; but the sense of divine providence, the sense that God had brought them all to America for a reason and had a special plan for this new country. This belief has enabled the American people to do many great things.
Miracles happen, because "in God we trust." Who would have thought, in 1776, that this new country would become one of the most powerful and advanced in the world?
We are all here for a reason, which is divine providence, and if we trust in God he will help us complete the task he has set out for us. Our trust in God has made this country prosper, and whatever happens in the future if we trust in God "the star-spangled banner forever shall wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"
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Ria works as a freelance art director and actress/director, and uses her spare time to pursue a career in theatre/film. She is an avid movie-watcher and particularly enjoys screwball comedies. View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentI'm curious as to whether the author of this article has actually read the Constitution, as there is not mention of God at any point in its text. Neither will you find Jesus, The Bible or any other Christian or religious reference. The right to believe and worship as one wishes is outlines in the 1st Amendment, as is the prerequisite to such freedom - the separation of church and state.
"Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law."
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814
"the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." -The Treaty of Tripoli, unanimously signed by President John Adams and Congress
So do you think that it's OK to make your religion the State religion and force all Americans to be Christian or get out? Would you participate in killing or ejecting the non-Christians if it became legal?
this country was not founded on christian principles. It was an established,pagan in beliefs, country long before pilgrims ever reached it's shores. "In God We Trust"? I like "In Zeus We Trust.", how about "In the FSM We Trust"? It's all the same. very little substance or research was done for this article. Benjamin Franklin was a Deist with Atheist tendencies. He despised religion in general.
I hate to break it to you but America was founded upon principals written by John Locke by men that weren't all Christians; many were Diests or freemasons. This was a short piece with very little point to it.... have you ever heard of a paragraph?
It seems to be a widely held concept that America is a "christian nation" when indeed it is not. Like the motto on the money, this is a relatively knew train of thought. And it is a very dangerous train of thought...the world can nigh afford for more theocracy and religious hubris.
Sam, I'm sorry you've been led to think that. It's true there are some people out there who are willing to exlpoit anything for a buck. But they wouldn't bother if it weren't something that was already important to us. It just goes to show how much Religion does matter to us Americans. Try as they may, we still believe.
I always hear that America is such a religious nation, but it seems like religion's been exploited for political and financial gain.