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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dcarr, post: 2332897, member: 4781&quot;]The founders of the United States had various religious beliefs (some more than others). At the time the US Constitution was written, many European coins had legends on them which were various references to &quot;God&quot;. Unlike Europe, America&#039;s founders specifically chose NOT to put any reference to any deity on the money.</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;In God We Trust&quot; is definitely an establishment of religion. It excludes religions which involve no god, or more than one god (&quot;gods&quot;).</p><p><br /></p><p>And the statement is inherently false. Exactly who does the &quot;We&quot; refer to ? It implies <i>everyone</i>. Most people in the United States believe and trust in &quot;God&quot;. Some do not. So that makes it a false statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>Given Mark Twain&#039;s writings, I believe that it is somewhat of an insult to him to place the motto so prominently next to his portrait.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are some of my favorite Mark Twain quotes concerning religion:</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;The easy confidence with which I know another man&#039;s religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Man is a Religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion--several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn&#039;t straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother&#039;s path to happiness and heaven....The higher animals have no religion. And we are told that they are going to be left out in the Hereafter. I wonder why? It seems questionable taste.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man&#039;s reasoning powers are not above the monkey&#039;s.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;In religion and politics people&#039;s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Man is kind enough when he is not excited by religion.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Religion consists in a set of things which the average man thinks he believes, and wishes he was certain.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;A religion that comes of thought, and study, and deliberate conviction, sticks best. The revivalized convert who is scared in the direction of heaven because he sees hell yawn suddenly behind him, not only regains confidence when his scare is over, but is ashamed of himself for being scared, and often becomes more hopelessly and malignantly wicked than he was before.&quot;[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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