In God We Trust (til when?)

Easily answered, as the two are indeed different.

Attending public school is mandatory, regardless of religious affiliation, if any, or none at all. Time set aside for prayer is time dedicated to an activity in which some may wish not to participate. School children did not opt to be in that setting and are, in effect, a captive audience.

Using cash isn't forced upon you . . . moreover, reading those itty-bitty, inconspicuous letters on coins and bills isn't either . . . those are choices made of your own free will.

If one has no choice but to give his / her time / attention to the beliefs of another because he / she is a captive audience, that is wrong, and should be interpreted as unconstitutional. It is not wrong, and should not be considered unconstitutional if one is freely able to turn the other cheek without suffering the loss of money, time or productivity.

 

My opinion is that the people who care about this subject are either collectors, or an insignificant minority who care about removing any mention of God, first from outside the Bible, and eventually from within it.

Because mass media gets rich off of covering controversy, it encourages the ‘outrage brigade’ cited by @baseball21, no matter the cause (as long as it doesn’t criticize the media, of course).

The numbers of the outrage brigade, all perceived as wanting to eliminate IGWT are significant, not because of this issue in particular, but because the brigade comprises many special interest groups . . . freedom of religion, reproductive rights, sexual identity, environmental protection, gun control and other causes, all banded together in a common cause. That cause is the enrichment of the media moguls, whether the brigade is aware of their manipulation or not.

As long as the media gets its daily fodder, it cares not what pawns deliver it.

 

That part's easy - popularity. It started with Lincoln and grew from there.