Question

Why is the motto "In God We Trust” present on national currency? Check all that apply.

The courts have recognized Christianity as the most important religious belief in the United States.
During the Civil War, many Americans believed that the nation was facing destruction because of their lack of religious conviction.
Many Americans wanted to contrast the religious United States with countries that promoted atheism, such as the USSR.
Atheists in the United States have not bothered to sue to have the phrase removed.
The courts have ruled that the phrase is not religious in nature, but is instead patriotic and ceremonial.

Answer 1

Correct answers:
- During the Civil War, many Americans believed that the nation was facing destruction because of their lack of religious conviction.
- Many Americans wanted to contrast the religious United States with countries that promoted atheism, such as the USSR.
- The courts have ruled that the phrase is not religious in nature, but is instead patriotic and ceremonial.

Brief explanation:
- The phrase first appeared on coins in the 1860s (Treasury action in 1864, driven in part by wartime religious sentiment such as requests from clergymen and statements by Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase).
- It was made the national motto and put on paper currency in the 1950s (1956) amid Cold War-era efforts to contrast the U.S. with officially atheist communist states.
- Courts have repeatedly rejected Establishment Clause challenges, characterizing the motto as “ceremonial deism” or a patriotic, nonsectarian phrase (see cases such as Aronow v. United States and subsequent rulings).

The two incorrect choices:
- The courts have not recognized Christianity as the “most important” religion in the U.S.; doing so would violate the Establishment Clause.
- Atheists have, in fact, sued to remove the phrase; those suits have generally been dismissed.