The battle for the national motto at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center will soon be taken to court.
The Visitor Center houses engravings of the national motto and the Pledge of Allegiance. Jay Sekulow, chief counsel at the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), tells OneNewsNow that the Freedom from Religion Foundation filed suit to eliminate the etchings. "Initially in the Visitor Center, they didn't have our national motto, 'In God We Trust,'" explains Sekulow."That was changed because Randy Forbes, the congressman, as well as other congressmen, objected to the architect of the Capitol omitting our national motto." The motto and Pledge of Allegiance were ultimately added to the Visitor Center because the public let elected representatives know how they felt about the exclusion. But just as supporters of the national motto voiced their opinions, it is now argued that individuals who do not believe in God or would otherwise be offended should be accommodated. Sekulow disagrees with the latter. "First of all, it's our national motto," he argues. "It's part of who we are. No one's making you observe 'In God We Trust.' You don't even have to read it. You don't have to meditate on it. You can ignore it. But the price of freedom sometimes [means] you're going to hear things and see things you disagree with. This happens to a lot of these people." The brief offered by the ACLJ states that the First Amendment allows atheists the freedom to disbelieve, but that does not mean it compels the federal judiciary to "redact religious references in every area of public life in order to suit atheistic sensibilities." The ACLJ chief counsel believes the case ought to be dismissed, and he is asking the Court to do so on behalf of 44 members of Congress -- 41 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and three members of the U.S. Senate.
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