A Nebraskan bill (LB73), introduced by state Sen. Steve Erdman, would require schools to display “In God We Trust” signs or posters in classrooms or common areas “where each student shall be able to see and read it each day school is in session.”
According to local media, Erdman claimed this bill, which tells students to put their trust in Erdman’s god, “has nothing to do with religion.”
“This is not putting God back into our schools,” he said. “It’s my opinion that we need to put God back into our schools but this isn’t about doing that.”
Instead, Erdman is insisting that “In God We Trust” is a patriotic expression, and ought to be displayed to honor the national motto. The truth, of course, is that this proposal is one of many pieces of model bills being disseminated across the country as part of the Christian nationalist legislative crusade, “Project Blitz.”
Please remind members of Nebraska’s Legislature that they are elected to represent all citizens, including those of us who do not believe in a monotheistic god or any gods. “In God We Trust” is a religious statement. The history of the motto “In God We Trust” evidences no secular purpose; on the contrary, the motto was first adopted in 1956 during the Cold War, as a reaction to the purported “godlessness” of communism. “E Pluribus Unum” [out of many, one] is the entirely secular original motto selected by a distinguished committee of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.
TAKE ACTION
If you live in the area, please attend the hearing TODAY (Tues., Jan 22) in front of the Education Committee at the capitol in Lincoln.
When: TODAY, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, at 1:30 p.m.
Where: Room 1525, Capitol building: 1445 K St, Lincoln, NE 68508
If you can’t testify at the meeting, please immediately contact members of the Nebraska Education Committee. Click on the red “Take Action” link below to e-mail the members of the Education Committee.
