QUESTION: I was wondering some of your thoughts on “God” and “The Creator” throughout US history? Is “In God We Trust” really a statement that if our most basic rights such as speech are not licensed by a government, then they are natural and thus come from God? Thus cannot be denied through evidence otherwise? What are the legal extents? Also, besides tradition, what are the significances of using the Bible during congressional swear-ins and testimonies? …
ANSWER: The origin of the motto “In God We Trust” dates back to 1864 and it was proposed by Samuel Chase, Secretary of the Treasury at that time. It first appeared in the 2 cents coin in 1864. After the Civil War, it then appears on the silver coinage from 25 cents to $1. It also appeared on the 5 cent coins in 1866, which were of a similar design to the 2 cent coinage. It never appeared on the penny which was reduced in size during the Panic of 1857. While it became the official motto of the U.S. state of Florida, it was not adopted as the nation’s motto until 1956 as a replacement/alternative to the unofficial motto of E pluribus unum (from many, one), which was adopted when the Great Seal of the United States was created and adopted in 1782. President Dwight Eisenhower on July 30, 1956, declared “In God We Trust” must appear on American currency. This phrase was first used on paper money in 1957 when it appeared on the one-dollar silver certificate. The first paper currency bearing the phrase entered circulation on October 1, 1957.
Simply because we have this motto on our currency does not mean that it guides Washington at all. Some have argued that the Roman architecture and the Egyptian style obelisk for the Washington Monument are somehow signs of a deeper cult at work. That is a stretch. There is, of course, the Thomas Jefferson Bible which he composed excluding Jesus as God, but more as a philosopher.
The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, is what has been referred to as the Jefferson Bible. Jefferson wrote one of two religious works. First, Jefferson wrote The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth, which was completed in 1804. However, there are no known copies that still exist today. The second work was titled, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, which was completed in 1820. However, this was put together by cutting and pasting with a razor numerous sections from the New Testament. Jefferson extracted the teaching of Jesus condensing the composition excluding all mentions of miracles, the supernatural, and the four gospels that contain the Resurrection. Essentially, Jefferson extracted the teachings of Jesus as a philosopher omitting the passages that portray Jesus as divine.
Nevertheless, those in power are not worshiping the Devil as many portray. Throughout history, those at the top are worried about themselves and maintaining power. They rarely, if ever, think about God. That is self-evident simply by the laws that they pass. If we look at Constantine I the Great (307-337AD) who is portrayed as making Christianity the official Roman religion, all one needs do is look behind the propaganda. He portrayed himself as an arm of God. On his coins, he pictured himself with his eyes uplifted to heaven. However, he also showed himself as one emperor jugate with the Roman god Sol, which was a political statement that there should not be four emperors as in the Tetrarchy established by Diocletian (284-305AD), but one God and one emperor. This was the justification for his war.
Now, as for him witnessing a vision and God showed him the cross in the sky and told him to put this symbol on the shields of his army and he would defeat an army twice his size, this is the classic propaganda. There was no vision. Instead, it was a brilliant strategy. The opposing army was CHRISTIAN led by Maxentius (307-312AD), who even built the first Christian church in Rome. Maxentius was the son of the Western Emperor under the Tetrarchy. By putting the sign of the cross on his army, Constantine undermined Maxentius for his army did not want to kill Christians.
Following the death of his father Constantine the Great, Constantine II (337 – 340 AD) was perhaps the main instigator in what has become known as the “palace massacre” during which most family members born of his step-grandmother Theodora were murdered. Few were spared and those were only due to their extremely young age, particularly the future Emperor Julian II (360-364AD). It was Julian who was called the Apostate because he rejected Christianity after he saw his entire family killed on the night of Constantine’s death all for power. He did not see Christianity as some religion that made men better. Julian pictured himself with a beard whereas Christians were clean-shaven. Julian restored paganism on the coinage, but he was killed by one of his own troops during battle because of his religious rejections of Christianity.
So you see, religion plays only a role in propaganda for those in power. They do not practice religion by any form or shape. Likewise, they do not worship the Devil either. They only worship power. It was Karl Marx who stated the only truth of those in power. Socialism goes against the Ten Commandments. It is anti-religious yet is marketed as if it is justice.
In court, you simply swear to tell the truth. You no longer swear with one hand on the Bible. A President takes office swearing on the Bible, but this is simply symbolic. It by no means actually confines his actions and more than Constantine II on that fateful night. Obama was sworn in holding his hand on two bibles for his second term. One was previously owned by Martin Luther King and the other by the founder of the Republican Party, Abraham Lincoln – not the Quran as many claimed. Both were simply symbolic. Obama did far more against human rights than perhaps any modern president with Obamacare exploiting the youth to fund the old and attacking the rich and business under the pretense of helping the poor ignoring the rights based upon age and class as if they do not deserve the same freedom.
