I must say I enjoy reading The Christian Index, and although I agree with the letter in the Oct. 7 issue from Rita Boyett, I do not agree with her facts. In that letter she states that the nation's first coinage contained the motto "In God We Trust."

She was using this to state her belief that our nation's founders saw it necessary to add God's name to our coins to acknowledge His sovereignty. And she was using it to defend her belief that the Ten Commandments should remain in place in government buildings.

This statement is frequently used by Christians to show America's deep roots in Christianity, but it is not true. As Christians we must be sure that we do not accidentally spread false accounts of historical events.

Our founding fathers actually chose to avoid the mention of God on our coinage, not because they didn't believe in Him but because they knew first-hand the abuse of church and state relationships as they experienced in England.

In fact, our first Continental Dollar, minted in 1776 and based on a design by Benjamin Franklin, contained the British admonition "Mind Your Business."

The "In God We Trust" motto did not appear on our coins until N.R. Watkinson, a Pennsylvania pastor, wrote to the U.S. Treasury in 1861 during the Civil War and suggested some wordage that would affirm the nation's belief in the Christian god. His suggestion was well received and the first coins, in two-cent denominations, were minted in 1864.

Thank you for allowing me to correct the record.

 

Editor's Note: This interesting footnote to our history can be viewed at www.ustreas.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.html. This site is a fact sheet on the history of the motto on U.S. coins and currency. It explains that the motto appeared and later disappeared on a variety of U.S. coins through the years. "In God We Trust" was not authorized as the nation's motto until 1956.