Memo to godly (and other) U.S. folks

17 years ago

The radio reports that an error at the U.S. mint that went undetected ...

... meant that a number of the new U.S. Dollar coins have been put into circulation, lacking the slogan, "In God We Trust".

They are being referred to by the title of "Godless Dollar"s.

Perhaps a number of godly U.S. people would like to grab as many of the new dollars as possible, seeking the godless ones, to take them out of circulation!

Other people may want to do so, as well.

They are reputed to be saleable for $60.00 each!

ole joyful ... who hasn't seen any - or of the regular kind, either, for that matter

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Comments (15)

duluthinbloomz4
17 years ago
I haven't seen any of them either. Went to the bank yesterday, but forgot all about asking for a roll or two. So far, the "mistakes" seem to have come from the Philadelphia mint; perhaps 50,000 out of a mint run of 300 million coins between the Philadelphia and Denver mints. They were initially going for $600 on ebay, but once the possible large number of errors was known, the value dropped sharply. Being "mistakes" they'll probably always have a higher value - but the true value of something is what someone is willing to pay for it.
rivkadr
17 years ago
As one of those "Godless" types, I certainly would like to get my hands on one of these "Godless dollars". It would be nice to own a piece of currency that actually did meet the definition of separation of church and state :)
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joyfulguy
Original Author
17 years ago
Hi rivkadr

One doesn't have to be related to a church to believe in God.

There are lots who do who don't have a connection with any religious organization.

Jews also qualify.

Muslims as well.

Some folks who claim to believe in God claim that God should run the (various) state(s) ...

... through them, as local managers in charge, of course (in many cases).

Have a momorable weekend - for good things, of course.

ole joyful
rivkadr
17 years ago
And there are many, many people who do not believe in God. That's what makes our country so great -- so many different people, believing (or not believing) so many different things.

Regardless, I personally don't believe that our money should make a statement about God on it. I don't "trust" in God, so why should I have be forced to use currency that proclaims such? That is a personal statement of faith -- not something that should be on a national currency, especially in a country that has no national religion, and which supposedly gives lip service to the separation of church and state. But...I have a lot of gripes about how our country handles religion in relation to the state ;) I'm sure that those of you who do believe in a higher power couldn't fathom what I'm talking about. Those in the majority rarely do.
pineviewplanter
17 years ago
Riv, I hope I NEVER am able to fathom what you are saying. Regardless of what you might think, God is still in control, always has been and always will be. This world might belong to Satan, but we will manage to get through the muck and mire of this world to find our way to life everlasting. You my friend are welcome to continue to ride that "Long Black Train" and believe the great deceiver...

And as far as those coins are concerned, they should go to the casinos to play with the devil and his devices.

Humans can NEVER really separate the creator of all things from all things except perhaps in their own mind.
rivkadr
17 years ago
Just because someone does not believe in God does not make them a Satanist. That is an offensive and ignorant statement.
rivkadr
17 years ago
Humans can NEVER really separate the creator of all things from all things except perhaps in their own mind.

Again, that is YOUR belief. Not mine. The hardest thing for people like you to understand is that I have the right to believe what I want, just as you do. And in this great country of ours, MY belief (or lack thereof) has just as much standing as yours does.
edselpdx
17 years ago
I'm with you, rivkadr--good riddance. I would love to run across a few of those coins.

Closed-minded people seem to think that because one does not believe in their god (or any god) that they are incapable of moral behavior and are somehow satan-worshippers. They just can't believe that people would be good people just because it's right, not because their imaginary friend told them to. BTW, we who don't believe in god also don't believe in Satan... it kind of goes hand-in-hand. And no, I don't hate Xians, just their religion when they push it on me...like when it's printed on the money I have to use. To each her own; I don't push my atheism on you, and you don't push your Christianity on me and we're all good.
steve_o
17 years ago
I'm a little surprised this thread hasn't been "disappeared", but...

pineviewplanter, I'm sure you see your view of the world as The Only Way. However, in most of this world your worldview is considered "incorrect" and "unenlightened". The fighting in Iraq (and the fighting in scores of locales throughout the world now and earlier) is being perpetuated by at least two groups who each believe their version of "the truth" is the only version of the truth. (Why God would sanction anyone to kill another of His creation to succeed in making that point escapes me totally.)

The U.S. was founded by people who were escaping a religion (King George's version of Christianity) which did not fit the way they saw God. The Founding Fathers took some pains to make sure that this fledgling democracy did not favor any particular religion, remembering that this country was founded by people seeking such freedom; people who were not willing to trash what they believed for the sake of what someone else declared was correct and true. Though the U.S. is largely Christian (in the broader Judeo-Christian tradition rather than the narrow definitions that keep Protestant sects squabbling among themselves; no offense, OJ), and despite what those hooyocks in Washington are trying to perpetuate, the U.S. remains a country in which one is free to practice any tradition one believes in as long as it does not run afoul of the law (which is agreed to by the majority, not by any religious group that sets itself up as the arbiters).

Courtesy of U.S. law, you certainly are free to hold your belief that those who do not believe in your particular flavor of religion are "doomed". Expressing that thought in a public arena, however (and especially toward specific individuals) is offensive and -- frankly -- off-putting. Instead of divisively assigning people into "us" and "them," how about expressing some of that love and joy that God supposedly has given you?

Whether U.S. currency has "In God We Trust" engraved on it is not a big thing for me, though I certainly can see the point of those who object to it. It should not be there. But I'll settle for more currency floating around even if it has Ronald McDonald's face on it if it gives people a decent standard of living.
duluthinbloomz4
17 years ago
(Waves back at you steve o from Duluth). I don't think the OP's intent was to spark any kind of religious debate. However, if it was, the post would have been more appropriate to the "Hot Topics" forum over on the GardenWeb side. Let's keep this side free of religious and political discussions. Finances, the discussion of money and what it can and can't do for you, how to get more, how to spend less, etc. and not what happens to be on our coinage or bills is what should be under discussion here.
rivkadr
17 years ago
If all the OP wanted to do was let people know that there were rare coins out in circulation, he could have said as just that. But he posted:

Perhaps a number of godly U.S. people would like to grab as many of the new dollars as possible, seeking the godless ones, to take them out of circulation!

Using words like "godly" and "godless" is going to spark debate, whether or not it was intended.
joyfulguy
Original Author
17 years ago
I have been known to speak a bit tongue-in-cheek, on occasion, and this was one.

I think that I've heard that there's been some talk of removing that long-lived slogan from the U.S. currency, and thought that likely the strongly committed while rather doctrinaire Christians would be rather upset about that prospect.

That was the reason for the subject line being as it was and I was rather wondering whether they might not want to grab up all of those distasteful coins, to get them out of sight.

In the line quoted by rivkadr, I think that I should have put quotation marks around "godless", as it referred to the designation that some had given the new coin as the "godless Dollar" that I'd referred to in the previous sentence.

While I may take a different approach to the foundations of living than others, it seems to me that I need to treat those views with respect, so long as they treat this world and its inhabitants with respect.

I don't think that religious people do their God or their faith any favours when they disparage the faith system of others, and in that light I offer you my regrets for the personal attack that resulted from my having composed this post as I did, rivkadr.

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend.

ole joyful

P.S. Will we need to stop referring to that unit of currency as the "Almighty Dollar", do you think?

Some do seem to grant it a level of respect bordering on reverence.

o j
chelone
17 years ago
LOL, Steve. Having read the biographies of Henry VIII, his 6 wives, his children, and the lives of Reginald Pole, Stephen Gardiner, and Thomas Cranmer in the past year, religious persecution is precisely what drove the exodus to the New World. Fascinatin' reading, I assure you, It goes back a lot farther than King George I!

OJ, I "got" your original post, too, have you pulled your tongue out of your cheek yet?

;)
joyfulguy
Original Author
17 years ago
chelone,

A bit hard to talk, if one doesn't ...

... occasonally, anyway.

I'm not above rattling right-wing Christians' chain!

o j
ian_bc_north
17 years ago
From time to time I see signs in businesses which say "In God we trust, all others pay cash."

Memo to godly (and other) U.S. folks

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