A vote is expected in Congress to reaffirm “In God We Trust” as the nation’s official motto. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says it’s a simple confirmation of what’s been done in earlier sessions of Congress and he calls it a reflection on the spiritual basis for our society.
“There’s a lot of secularists in the United States who think ‘Under God’ ought to be taken out of the Pledge of Allegiance and that ‘In God We Trust’ ought to be taken off of our coins,” Grassley says. “I think a vast majority of people in this country accept the proposition of the existence of God.”
He adds, most of those people have no qualms about it being expressed in the current manner. Grassley, a Republican, notes that the government isn’t singling out any particular religion with the statement. Grassley says, “Whether you’re a Muslim, a Jew or a Christian, there is a belief in God.”
The measure’s sponsor, Representative Randy Forbes, a Republican from Virginia, says the vote would both reaffirm “In God We Trust” as our nation’s motto and encourage its public display in all public buildings and public schools. Grassley agrees.
He says, “It’s an expression against secularists that feel that government should be taking actions that would even deny the existence of God.” The resolution going before the House reads: “If religion and morality are taken out of the marketplace of ideas, the very freedom on which the United States was founded cannot be secure.”