Indiana is going to offer license plates with In God we trust on them. Some people saw that there is no separation of church and state and then go quote the first amendment when it says right there- no establishment of religion.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
And when the government says –put this tag on your car that says you believe in god, well its just gone and forced you to sign on to a religious belief you may not have.
As for the rights of believers- why don’t you get a bumper sticker? Or one of those little fish? Or a plastic Jesus? Nobody can stop you from displaying those. That’s where the free exercise clause comes in. I may not agree with you but I will defend to the death your right to have a tacky little plastic little statue of your god around.
Don’t you see the difference?
2006-08-02 08:21:20 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Other - Politics & Government
In this case , I don't think the gov of Indiana is trying to establish a religion. However, I agree with you on this one. There are other ways believers, or non-believers can display their sentiments, or not.
"I don't care if its dark and scary, long as I got Magnetic Mary riding on the dashboard of my car..."
2006-08-02 08:34:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's more of a rant than a question, but I basically agree with your views regarding the first amendment. Freedom of religion means freedom to choose your religion, and you can't do that if the government or the public school system imposes one on you. Keeping religion out of the schools is NOT an infringement on that freedom; it's protection of it. It doesn't prevent a child from saying a silent prayer (of any faith) over his lunch and it leaves him the freedom to worship any way he wants to on his own time. It does prevent him from being forcibly indoctrinated in a religion that may conflict with his own (and this could be true even of two Christian denominations -- they vary widely). Religion should not be taught in classrooms in public schools; that's what parochial schools are for.
On the other hand, if it's true that Indiana offers 43 license plates and the "In God We Trust" plate is not the standard one, I don't see anything wrong with offering it as an option. It would only be wrong if there were no other choice, or if it cost extra to have a plate without the slogan.
2006-08-02 08:42:18 · answer #2 · answered by ConcernedCitizen 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Indiana currently offers 43 different plates. Some are special purpose plates, many allow you to show personal opinion or group involvement. The "In God We Trust" plate is not currently an option. If there is a new one to show your belief in God, that is wonderful, but it is not on the "Standard" plate. The Indiana BMV is not forcing anyone to make a claim that the vehicle owner does not have. The vehicle owner would have to special order this plate. You can call it a "Plastic Jesus" if you want, but I call this "Freedom of Choice".
2006-08-02 08:49:21 · answer #3 · answered by Paul K 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋