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AFA ActivismAction Alert - July 3, 2001'In God We Trust' DayHappy Birthday America!
Dear AFA Alert Team, I have a challenge for you on this the eve of our nation's 225th birthday. Would you purchase 3 'In God We Trust' posters today as a birthday gift to America and distribute them for display in a public place in your community? The challenge is a simple one and yet has the potential of accomplishing great good all across America. Do you agree with me that the message of our national motto is an important one? I believe our national motto is a simple statement of our nation's birthright and secret to success as given to the founding fathers. The national motto certainly echoes a theme of the fourth verse of The Star Spangled Banner written by Francis Scott Key on September 20, 1814; Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved homes and the war's desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust." And the star-spangled banner forever shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! The AFA Action Alert Team is 16,000 strong and I appreciate your activism. Here is my challenge to the AFA Alert Team: 1,000 poster orders TODAY of 'In God We Trust' posters. Order your set of three "In God We Trust" posters today by pointing your browser to our online order page. You could also order your set by sending $10 to: Posters American Family Association P.O. Drawer 2440 Tupelo, MS 38803 I have one final request of you. Please hit the reply button on this email and let me know if you order a set of posters. I am counting on the AFA Action Alert Team for 1,000 orders. May you and your family have a safe and blessed celebration of the 225th birthday of America. Donald E. Wildmon, President American Family Association P.S. I am including information below about the legality of displaying our national motto (From the AFA Center For Law & Policy) along with a listing of good resources for celebrating America's Godly heritage. The national motto is a patriotic statement expressing a principle "deeply interwoven into the fabric of our civil polity," according to Abington v. Schempp, [374 U.S. 203, 303-04 (1963)]. It also serves the honorable purpose of "expressing confidence in the future and encouraging the recognition of what is worthy of appreciation in society." [Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668, 693 (1984)] The national motto, "In God We Trust," was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956. It is currently codified at 36 U.S.C.A. § 302. On July 24, 2000, the U.S. House of Representatives, with the concurrence of the Senate, unanimously resolved to "encourage" the display of the national motto of the United States in public buildings throughout the Nation." (See Congressional Record, H6747-6750.) This non-binding resolution was submitted by Representative Bob Schaffer (R-CO). The constitutionality of the national motto has been challenged on numerous occasions. Three federal courts of appeal, (Fifth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits) have ruled that the motto passes constitutional muster. The latest challenge to the motto was addressed by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. In Gaylor v. United States, [74 F.3d 214 (10th Cir.1996), cert. denied, 517 U.S. 1211, 134 L. Ed. 2d 934, 116 S. Ct. 1830 (1996)], the Freedom from Religion Foundation, Inc., and others challenged the motto on grounds that it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Tenth Circuit firmly rejected this challenge, noting that the motto has the secular purposes of symbolizing the historical role of religion in our society, formalizing our medium of exchange, fostering patriotism, and expressing confidence in the future. (Id. at 216) In addition to emphasizing the positive aspects of the motto, the court said that "the motto's primary effect is not to advance religion; instead, it is a form of ‘ceremonial deism' which through historical usage and ubiquity cannot be reasonably understood to convey government approval of religious belief." (Id.) The Tenth Circuit concluded by declaring that "the motto does not create an intimate relationship of the type that suggests unconstitutional entanglement of church and state." (Id. at 216) The Supreme Court denied review of the Tenth Circuit's decision. Moreover, the Supreme Court, in numerous cases, cited the national motto as an example of a constitutionally permissible expression of our nation's long tradition of faith in God. [See, e.g., Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306, 313-14 (1952); Abington v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203, 303-04 (1963); Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668, 676-77, 693 (1984); County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union, 492 U.S. 573, 625 (1989).] Of course, in order to eliminate any possibility of confusion, a public school display of the phrase In God we trust must, by its terms, plainly demonstrate that it is the national motto being advanced, and not a religious belief or practice. Therefore, we advise that the display of the words In God we trust must be accompanied by the conspicuous statement, National Motto of the United States. In addition, a school might also consider displaying the motto in conjunction with other symbols of American patriotism and/or America's heritage, such as the American flag, pictures of "Uncle Sam," pictures of Betsy Ross, the famous photograph of Marines erecting the American flag at Iwo Jima, founding-era paintings or prints, or documents such as the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Emancipation Proclamation. (Based upon our analysis of federal case law, it is our opinion that the national motto displayed alone, by itself, is constitutionally unobjectional. Nonetheless, some courts have indicated that historical documents arguably religious have a secular purpose when displayed with other, non-religious historical documents.) Importance of Morality and Religion In Government LINKS TO OUR HISTORY Go on a pilgrimage to INDEPENDENCE HALL HISTORIC PARK View original DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE from National Archives Visit the INDEPENDENCE DAY EXHIBIT from the National Archives The article THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE: A HISTORY Visit THE CHARTERS OF FREEDOM at the National Archives Visit BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS at National Archives Take a Virtual Tour of BETSY ROSS'S HOUSE Read our DOCUMENTS OF FREEDOM Visit THE LIBERTY BELL Homepage Visit the JOHN PHILLIP SOUSA Homepage Promote America's CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK in your Church and Community Visit the Historical Documents From TownHall.com ACTION NEEDEDOrder your set of three "In God We Trust" posters today by pointing your browser our online order page.You could also order your set by sending $10 to: Posters American Family Association P.O. Drawer 2440 Tupelo, MS 38803 Some are expressing a desire to order more posters than the set of 3. Here is price list for the larger orders. I am hopeful that churches, civic groups, and youth groups will order a hundred or more posters for framing and distribution. 3 for $10 10 for $25 25 for $50 50 for $75 75 for $80 100 or more $1 each The above price includes shipping. I have one final request of you. Please hit the reply button on this email and let me know if you order a set of posters. I am counting on the AFA Action Alert Team for 1,000 orders.
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