STATE RELIGIOUS MOTTOS IN THE UNITED STATES

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Overview:

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as interpreted by the courts, requires that a wall of separation be maintained between the government and religion -- or as it is usually expressed, between church and state. Specifically, the First Amendment stipulates that:

State mottos:

There are four states with mottos that mention "God." Most people would probably regard them as being religious mottos:

Are they constitutional?

These mottos would seem to promote theistic religion at the expense of non-theistic religions and secular belief systems. They imply the existence of a single, male Judeo-Christian deity. Such a concept is foreign to the beliefs of many other religions. Some followers of these religions might find such mottos offensive: 

These mottos would seem to violate the principle of separation of church and state. They promote the existence of God. In fact they recognize a specific concept of God -- the Judeo-Christian model. They are thus advancing some religions at the expense of other faith groups and secular belief systems. But that is not necessarily how the courts interpret these mottos.

Decisions by the courts on the national motto:

The national motto "In God We Trust." has been challenged by three lawsuits and has consistently been found to be constitutional. Courts have stated that:

Courts have basically ruled that the national motto is constitutional because it is not really a religious saying.

The Ohio state motto:

During the 1950's the state organized a contest to select a new motto. A 12-year-old youth from Cincinnati was the winner. When it was adopted by the legislature in 1959, "the Ohio Secretary of State publicly acknowledged in a press release the slogan's Judeo-Christian roots from the book of Matthew." ₃ 

In 1997, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit, challenging the constitutionality of the motto. 

In 2000-APR, "A three judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the 41-year-old slogan violated the separation of church and state, and was a government endorsement of the Christian religion." ₃ The motto, "With God, All Things Are Possible,." is a direct biblical quotation from Matthew 19:26. Judge Avern Cohn wrote in the majority opinion: "In the context in which the words of the motto are found -- as the words of Jesus speaking of salvation -- to a reasonable observer, they must be seen as advancing, or at a minimum, showing a particular affinity for Christianity... Simply put, they are an endorsement of the Christian religion by the State of Ohio.  No other interpretation in the context of their presence in the New Testament is possible.  No amount of semantic legerdemain can hide the fact that the official motto of the State of Ohio repeats word-for-word, Jesus' answer to his disciples' questions about the ability to enter heaven, and thereby achieve salvation..." The state then appealed the ruling to the full court.

On 2001-MAR-16, the full 6th U.S. Court of Appeals reversed the decision of its own three judge panel. In a 9 to 4 decision, they declared the Ohio motto "With God All Things Are Possible" to be not a religious slogan. Thus it does not violate the separation of church and state. They ruled that this motto did not differ from other similar references to God, like the current national motto "In God We Trust."  They determined that the motto is a form of "ceremonial deism." It is not sectarian or religious in nature. It resembles certain rituals, such as opening legislatures with an invocation, or an elected official taking their oath of office on a Bible, etc. 

The ruling may be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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