Archive for Thursday, March 22, 2007
Accountability
March 22, 2007
Advertisement
To the editor:
The issue of whether or not to have inscriptions like "In God We Trust" on government currency has drawn much attention, but let us step back from the argument of church and state and consider the phrase itself.
"In God We Trust." To have this on our currency is to say that we trust in something higher than ourselves, namely God. For those who wish its inscription removed, I would ask them where we should put our trust and most importantly, to whom we are accountable.
Many people have said that the result of the November election was a wakeup call that the government, and namely the president, is still accountable to the American people. I would agree, but then we face the question: To whom are the people accountable? Themselves? Look at what happened in Nazi Germany. Hitler did atrocious things, but with the people behind him, inspired by their leader whom they elected. Perhaps we are accountable to the rest of the world, but what if the rest of the world had joined in on the call to exterminate this "inferior" race? Would it still be wrong? It would not have been if we as humans are only accountable to ourselves.
However, if we are accountable to something more than ourselves, and might does not make right, then it is imperative that we declare that it is in God, not ourselves, that we trust.
Isaac McPheeters,
Lawrence
More like this
- Whom to trust? 18 comments / March 24, 2007
- 'Under God' November 18, 2001
- ' November 18, 2001
- Godless coins 189 comments / March 13, 2007
- SOUND OFF October 25, 1995
Top ads RSS
- Now Hiring at our Kansas City Speedway location! Tired of ...
- PHLEBOTOMIST Part time experienced phlebotomist needed for medical office. Hours ...
- Live On Site Manager- Self storage complex in Kansas City ...
- YOUTH MINISTER Full-time Youth Minister. Emmanuel UMC - Abilene, KS. ...
- Academic Advisor Hawk Link Retention Specialist The Office of Multicultural ...
- Blog: What's Your Stripper Name? November 12, 2009 · 34 comments
- Mormons throw support behind gay-rights cause November 12, 2009 · 17 comments
- Lou Dobbs resigns from CNN November 12, 2009 · 17 comments
- Police accuse 'victim' in Long John Silver's break-in of lying, committing crime himself November 11, 2009 · 46 comments
- Vote supported November 11, 2009 · 19 comments
- Q&A with Kansas health officer about H1N1 November 12, 2009 · 5 comments
- Attorneys of man who says he killed George Tiller ask for change of venue November 12, 2009 · 13 comments
- On the street: Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? November 12, 2009 · 11 comments
- Phoenix prep signs with KU November 11, 2009 · 9 comments
- Independent counsel behind Bill Clinton investigation will speak at KU November 11, 2009 · 36 comments
- Kansas conservation activist Jan Garton dies at 59 November 11, 2009
- Q&A with Kansas health officer about H1N1 November 12, 2009
- Douglas County ceremony honors America's veterans November 11, 2009
- Report looks at county’s learning programs November 12, 2009
- Report: Nearly 6 million children die from hunger November 23, 2005
- Sunflower School educator chosen as Lawrence Master Teacher November 11, 2009
- Phoenix prep signs with KU November 11, 2009
- Mormons throw support behind gay-rights cause November 12, 2009
- H1N1 clinics begin Wednesday at Lawrence schools November 11, 2009
- ‘Office’ plots looking terribly familiar November 12, 2009
22 March 2007
at 4:15 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…
Wow, Isaac, that's so insightful. Next time somebody robs a liquor store or a bank, all the clerks need to do is point to the little inscription of “In God We Trust,” and the robbers will almost certainly immediately surrender to the proper (and trusting in God) legal authorities.
I'll bet if all those $trillion we've dumped down that hole in Iraq had the inscription in Arabic, the war would have been over the first time Bush declared it to be.
22 March 2007
at 7:18 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
75x55 (Anonymous) says…
I'm more concerned about when they'll need to remove the word “Liberty” from our currency.
22 March 2007
at 7:24 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…
“I'm more concerned about when they'll need to remove the word “Liberty” from our currency.”
BushCo will be printing it even larger on everything once they've finally removed any meaningful vestiges of real liberty.
22 March 2007
at 7:45 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
trinity (Anonymous) says…
anxious are you thinking of mr. mcfeeley? now that was a scarey name for a character in a children's tv show.
22 March 2007
at 8:05 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
BrianR (Anonymous) says…
In F-150 I trust.
22 March 2007
at 8:49 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
jafs (Anonymous) says…
The issue of church and state is more complex than the characterizations above.
While the founders were religious, they were almost certainly NOT fundamentalist Christians.
The concepts of religious freedom and not implementing a state religion point to a tolerant, diversity supporting perspective.
Just because some of us are concerned about the infiltration of right-wing religion into government, that doesn't make us “anti-God” or “atheist” or “far-left”.
Political debate seems to have degenerated into name-calling.
22 March 2007
at 10:57 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Agnostick (Anonymous) says…
Do I *really* need a coin with a particular inscription jingling around in my pocket to remind me about God? I can't help but think that the “faithful” who desperately think they need this… don't really have much faith at all.
I'm not worried so much about the inscription itself, as much as how some of these things happen: Extremist political posturing.
Agnostick
agnostick@excite.com
http://www.uscentrist.org
22 March 2007
at 11:17 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Jamesaust (Anonymous) says…
Yeah, prior to “popular sovereignty” the people were accountable to the monarch God placed over them.
The idea that Nazis did “bad things” because there was too much “people power” is certifiable.
22 March 2007
at 12:53 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
jcantspell (Anonymous) says…
I don't consider my self right or left.
I do believe in god.
And considering what we humans do with money.
I would like to think that god would not want anything to do with it.
But I can't read gods mined so we will just have to wait and see!
22 March 2007
at 1:01 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
KWCoyote (Anonymous) says…
Who is there to hold God accountable, if the critter exists? Every rotten thing in the universe that you don't like, that you call godless sin, etc, is something that happens or exists because God allowed it, and even made it happen. “God works all things after the counsel of his own will”–Ephesians, I think. God purportedly created the devil. So who is there to hold the lazy-bum drunken slacker god to account? I tried that trusting-God stuff several decades ago and found that it's useless because God's an indifferent slacker. As a French satirist once said (more or less), “God's reputation would be better if he did not exist.” Because if he does exist, the buck stops on HIS desk.
22 March 2007
at 3:44 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Strontius (Anonymous) says…
I'm still not understanding why humans need to be “accountable” to something higher than themselves. It's pretty clear that those who believe in this accountability aren't any more moral than the rest of us, so I don't see what purpose such a thing serves to society overall.
I'm so tired of seeing people twist history to give justification to their ridiculous fairy tales about magical sky gods and messiahs. If you're religion can't stand on its own, then you have a bigger problem than people who want to level the playing field by removing public references that give special consideration to your particular deity.
22 March 2007
at 4:16 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
lefthanded (Anonymous) says…
I don't think there are nearly as many Christians in the US as some polls indicate, like the ones that say 80 or 90% of the US is Christian. I think the actual number of Christians is much lower, you know, the kind of Christian that truly follows Christ's example of humility and wisdom and has true love for people. Worse yet is the leadership of the Christian church in the US (all the denominations included) who lie, cheat, steal, and are in love with their position or power, hiding their weakness for fear of losing their position. Remember the big wig pastor who used to rip on homosexuality who recently got called out of the closet by the prostitute he fooled around with? The President of the US has clearly stated that he is not only a Christian but a faithful one, led by the Holy Spirit. What kind of example has he set? A bad one I think. When he's with Christian's he talks like one, when he's not with Christians or when it's not popular he doesn't bring it up. Christianity has done a terrible job representing Christ in America from it's beginnings and across the world in the 21 century. Shame on all of you Christians whom I describe, including me.
22 March 2007
at 5:37 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
jimincountry (Anonymous) says…
Liberals: Would your motto of “If it feels good, do it”?
22 March 2007
at 5:39 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
jimincountry (Anonymous) says…
Would it satify the liberal in you?
22 March 2007
at 5:59 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
lefthanded (Anonymous) says…
Right, I apologize for not being very clear. I should have said he's a politician and acting like one. Thanks.
22 March 2007
at 7:26 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
budwhysir (Anonymous) says…
HMMM
22 March 2007
at 11:22 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Noturus (Anonymous) says…
What Mr. Pheeters forgets is that the Israelites committed genocide on the Canaanites, Amalakites, and others, on his god's orders. Belief in a god does not prevent genocide or other morally reprehensible behaviors. As an American and an atheist I hope that the phrase In God We Trust is removed from our currency.