Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!wuarchive!psuvax1!psuvm!RUG!DEVOSCM From: DEVOSCM@RUG.NL (Marco de Vos, Kapteyn Lab Groningen) Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia Subject: RE: In God We Trust Message-ID: Date: 15 Jan 90 10:11:00 GMT Sender: Practical Christian Life Reply-To: Practical Christian Life Lines: 34 Approved: NETNEWS@PSUVM Gateway X-VMS-To: IN%"CHRISTIA@FINHUTC.BITNET" > While I perfectly agree with the sentiment expressed on >the dollar bill ("In God we Trust") I have some serious reservations >with any religious commentary being placed on U.S. Government property. I too have some problems with thing like the "In God we Trust" on dollar bills (most dutch coins have "God with us" on their side). I myself agree with those remarks. However, many of my fellow-citizens don't. To them, the remark most probably has the same effect as some Islamitic expression of faith would have on me. I can respect it, but do not share it, and still I am passing it aroud while paying with those coins. No you may look at the inscription as a way of spearding the Gospel (I don't say it's not, it can be used that way), but I doubt wether it's a very efficient one. There is an other thing about this that worries me more. A complaint (if I may call it such) of many non-christians is that "religion" is just a side-effect of culture. Look at the inscription on the coins, they say. Nobody believes that anymore, and still it's there. No I can argue that "nobody believes that" is quite wrong, but the point they raise is still valid. Those inscriptions were first put on in a time when most people were believed them, and when the state had strong connections with some churches. That is no longer true. I think it's better to accept that truth than going on putting words on coins that, for most people are just traces of the past. They may start thinking that my own expression of that faith is also just a trace of the past, or a cultural expression. It's not, of course, but the coins may give them an excuse not to think about it. By the way, how should we think of "giving to Ceasar what's of Ceasar" in view of those expressions? Marco.