Our national motto, “In God We Trust” has long been a favorite target of atheist groups who want to remove public references to God. Now they are at it again, this time in the Missouri town of Wentzville, which opened a brand new city hall building last November. The dias in the new council chambers features the phrase “In God We Trust.” This display, which was privately funded, attracted attention in January, when an atheist activist – who isn’t even from the town – came to stir up trouble.
Sally Hunt, from the neighboring county, protested that the sign was “clearly” an example of government advancing religion. She insisted that many city residents agreed with her, but were too afraid to speak up (she claimed) for fear of being bullied. In her initial speech at the January city council meeting, her badgering of the Mayor and abuse of her allotted time resulted in her being peacefully escorted from the meeting.
Word spread quickly of her opposition and by the February meeting, hundreds of Wentzville residents gathered at the new city hall to support our Motto. Nearly 500 turned out, with many estimating 90-95% of the crowd in support of the motto. There were a reportedly residents that agreed with the atheist activist and spoke against the phrase.
But this issue is far from over. It’s now appeared on national TV and local atheist Sally Hunt is calling in reinforcements from the Freedom From Religion Foundation and other anti-Christian organizations.
Wentzville Mayor Nick Guccione (GOOCH-EE-O-NEE) and the board of alderman aren’t budging, however. Guccione says that the sign absolutely isn’t about religion — it’s about national pride. “The overwhelming majority is in support of what we’ve done,” he said. “I don’t understand why it is offensive… I will not take it down. I will stand strong on it. I do believe it’s our national motto and it promotes patriotism.”
The Wentzville Rotary Club also privately funded “In God We Trust” decals for city Police Cars last year.
We are happy to see a city government that’s unafraid to support our American heritage and we hope they stick to their principles and inspire other towns to follow suit!
