Posted: Monday, November 18, 2013 5:30 pm | Updated: 5:50 pm, Mon Nov 18, 2013.
God backs the American dollar and lords over courtroom testimony. But can God do anything to improve classroom test scores?Signs of the Almighty could be coming soon to every school in Pennsylvania under legislation, which passed through the state House Committee on Education last month with votes from some Bucks County lawmakers.
House Bill 1728 would direct every school board to install “In God We Trust” signs in all public schools. The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Rick Saccone, R-39, Elizabeth Township, suggests “a mounted plaque or … artwork as result of a student contest that will be prominently displayed in each school building.”
On Oct. 23, the House education committee voted 14 to 9 in favor of Saccone’s proposal.
Republican state Rep. Bernie O’Neill, R-29, Warminster, joined with eight Democrats, including Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-31, Lower Makefield, in voting against the "In God We Trust" proposal.
The newspaper was unable to reach O'Neill or Santarsiero for comment on the bill after calls and e-mails to their offices Friday and Monday.
Education committee chair and state Rep. Paul Clymer, R-145, West Rockhill, voted in favor of the "In God We Trust" bill along with 12 other Republicans and one Democrat.
Clymer said he supports placing the national motto in schools as a reflection of our national heritage.
“It is not a religious issue,” he stressed, repeatedly. “If you look at the history of our country, we have always put our faith and trust in God. Our Founding Fathers had trust and faith in God to get us through the Revolution. William Penn came to the new world to escape religious persecution. In his writings, Penn put his trust in God.”
Representatives for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania strongly disagreed.
“This is without a doubt a form of religious speech," said Andy Hoover, legislative director for the ACLU.
Hoover noted that students are a “captive audience” in the classroom and “more susceptible” to influence as young learners. Still, he declined to speculate on whether the 'In God We Trust' bill would pass since, as he put it, “this legislature is full of surprises.”
"Our legal team has already said that they would want to fight this thing," he added. "It may appear on money but that doesn't mean it becomes in our schools."
Saccone, who represents portions of Allegheny and Washington counties, has timed his legislation to potentially take effect with the 150th anniversary of "In God We Trust" on American currency.
“In God We Trust” first appeared on American two-cent pieces issued back in 1864, he said. The phrase was officially adopted as the national motto in 1956, replacing ‘E Pluribus Unum’ (Latin for ‘Out of many, one.’)
It also appears in the rarely sung, extended version of the Star Spangled Banner with the words: “Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
Thirteen years ago, Congress passed legislation encouraging ‘In God We Trust’ signs in all public buildings across the nation.
Americans generally like some God in their government, suggests numerous polls going back decades.
In 1994, the ICR Survey Research Group asked 1,002 Americans whether the phrase "In God We Trust" should be taken off U.S. currency and be replaced "with a different phrase or motto." Ninety-two percent of Americans surveyed said no.
In 2009, Fox News commissioned a similar survey. The Fox News/Opinion Dynamics survey contacted 900 registered voters by telephone. Ninety percent of those surveyed said “In God We Trust” should remain on currency.
A 2001 Gallup poll surveyed 1,016 Americans about the amount of religion that should be present in schools. Sixty-three percent of those polled said religion had “too little of a presence” in the classroom.
A similar 2001 poll from Gallup was conducted on the national anthem. Thirty-four percent of those surveyed would replace the Star Spangled Banner with “God Bless America."
The Pew Center for People and the Press also conducts regular surveys on the role of religion in American politics.
A June 2012 poll asked 2,973 Americans whether “liberals have gone too far in trying to keep religion out of the schools.” Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said yes.
15 comments:
I'm a fan of God. I'm not a fan of this concoction by the folly of man.
Lawsuits here we come, over stupid culture war garbage that won't help education one bit.
What a waste of time, money and resources. Since when does God need anyone's help to be relevant?
It's an unfunded mandate. Make the Republicans who want this pay for it.
Oh they'll pay alright.
I'm outraged.
Students don't need a sign to remind them about god. Keep religion out of public schools.
god protect me from your followers
How's He doing so far?
everything started to fall apart when they took religion out. you wonder what happened to society and community and you wish for the days when kids behaved and acted repectfully and didnt carry knives etc but boohoo dont talk about God. that what our country was and is founded on. Whether its your God or mine or anyone elses its important for kids to have structure and purpose and understanding and that is part of it. shame on all of you who think it should be separate.
"Students don't need a sign to remind them about god. Keep religion out of public schools."
I agree with this.
Years ago social media was different, there was no child care, many mother's had more one on one interaction with their children, the divorce rate was lower, there were more things for children to do. I am not judging, just stating that which is true. I know this may not be popular, but I really think that the combined change in these things has more to do with where we are than God in schools.
I am a person of faith. I have raised my children to be people of faith. I agree that it's important for kids to have structure and purpose and understanding and that is faith a part of it. But that important responsibility is mine to teach them which I have gladly done. I am not ashamed at all by this.
and...When I was a kid everyone carried a pocket knife : )
Rest assured there's no slippery slope here. Lawmakers will stop with this. There will never again be any attempts to legislate God or religion into the public sphere.
I'm appalled that a human would try to speak for God! Shame on you! How dare you!
I'm appalled that you're not also outraged!
These signs will solve most, if not all, of our educational problems, and will be a boon to the struggling mounted plaque industry. What's not to like, and why do you hate God so much?
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