There have been some heated arguments over In God We Trust being removed from U.S. currency. The two sides of the debate tend to be shown as anti-religious intent of driving the largest wedge they can between “the Church and State”, and the “religious right” desperately wanting to hold onto any form of representation of God in our Government, from various positions of historical relevance to avoiding biblical wrath.
The separation between Church and state is definitely a quagmire of a discussion for another day. For now I’d like to look at the Christian’s position and current argument about IGWT. As pointed out already there seems to be two general reference points for Christians: History and Bible.
Historically, its interesting to note IGWT didn’t appear on coins until 88 years after the Declaration of Independence, and not on paper currency for 181 years after. This starts to erode the implication that its always been there, from the founding of our “Christian nation.” In fact, it wasn’t until a Joint Resolution by the 84th Congress, approved by President Dwight Eisenhower, that declared “In God We Trust” must appear on American currency, in 1956.
So, how about Biblically? Let’s look at what is commonly referred to as the 3rd Commandment:
Exodus 20:7English Standard Version (ESV)
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
So what is “vain”? Merria-Webster defines it as “marked by futility or ineffectualness : unsuccessful, useless and/or having no real value : idle, worthless”
I can’t think of anything more vain than using His name to buy a blind pledge of allegiance to a piece of paper that’s used to fund global atrocities and brings zero glory to God.
So what is IGWT? Everyone is quick to point out the use and effectiveness of Propoganda, but never acknowledge if what they’ve been taught is, infact Propaganda.
Jacques Ellul wrote in his 1973 book Propoganda, “The aim of modern propaganda is no longer to modify ideas, but to provoke action. It is no longer to change adherence to a doctrine, but to make the individual cling irrationally to a process of action. It is no longer to transform an opinion but to arouse an active and mythical belief.”
So, I’ll end this entry with these questions to reflect on:
What kind of action does this provoke?
Do you see any resemblance of a mythical belief in the implication that our federal reserve trusts in God?
Do we think Christ’s response might have been different if the Caesar profiled Roman denarius had “in YHWH we trust”?
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More Ellul:
Ellul, Jacques (1973). Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes, p. 25. Trans. Konrad Kellen & Jean Lerner. Vintage Books, New York. ISBN 978-0-394-71874-3.
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