In God We Trust and the First Amendment essays

In God We Trust and the First Amendment essays There might be contentions in some sectors of the American society that putting the In God We Trust phase in U.S. currencies violates the First Amendment rights which states that: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances (The United States Constitution). But if the amendment is carefully dissected, it states a general clause that tempers the government from prohibiting the free and democratic exercise of believing in a supreme deity. It does not specifically promote or condone a particular religious sect or faith but rather gives a universal perspective of practicing ones beliefs provided one religious belief does not curtail the practice of another. The In God we Trust phrase can also apply to any religious group because the term God can be interpreted as a generic term for a supreme being believed by any religious group. Indeed, there is the separation of the Church and the State in the United States, and putting the In God We Trust does not uphold any particular religious organization but rather gives a sweeping idealistic notion that the political government of the United States promotes freedom of ones chosen religion but will not specifically represent any one specific religion. Thus, if I were to give a final judgment on whether the In God We Trust phrase violates the First Amendment, I would surely say it does not in the general sense because it simply expounds on the Founding Fathers belief in a supreme deity without getting into specifics. Only if a particular group challenges my judgment or complains that the phrase is actually a connotation that supports religion or is against the concept of separation of the Church and the State will I take at second look at the ...