A United States Senator from my home state of South Carolina, Jim DeMint, and a Congressman from California, Dan Lungren, are trying to return God to the public square; in this case to the United States Capitol Building.
Incomprehensively, the bureaucrats running the show at the U.S. Capitol Building seemed to forget that this nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles when they built the new Capitol Visitors Center (CVC). So today, Senator DeMint, introduced a resolution which tells the Architect of the Capitol to engrave America's national motto, "In God We Trust," and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag inside the gigantic CVC.
Congressman Lungren's resolution, H. C. Res. 131, will force the Architect of the Capitol to have engraved in the CVC, the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. The Cybercast News Service (CNS) reported yesterday that the resolution approved by the House Administration Committee on Wednesday also corrects a mistake in the visitor center, which wrongly identified the National Motto as "E Pluribus Unum" - Out of many, one.
Indeed, since the CVC opened, visitors have had to search for the real motto -- hidden in a back room -- which was added after complaints from conservatives. Meanwhile, the first thing you see right now in the historical displays is the incorrect motto.
Considering that the visitors' center was hundreds of millions of dollars over-budget and years behind schedule, it seems that getting the nation's motto correct is the least the Architect of the Capitol and the current leadership of Congress could have done for people of faith in America who comprise some 85% to 90% of the American population. When the president of the United States makes a speech in the U.S. Capitol Building, right above his head are the words "In God We Trust" in very large letters. But those in charge of Congress, or the Architect, or someone, seemed to have forgotten that.
The Cybercast News Service (CNS) reported yesterday that "The House Administration Committee has unanimously approved a resolution directing the Architect of the Capitol to engrave the National Motto -- "In God We Trust" - and the Pledge of Allegiance inside the new Capitol Visitor Center (CVC)."
The article goes on to quote Congressman Dan Lungren: "While the Capitol Visitor Center did a good job in incorporating many elements, I believe there are two important (items) that were absent -- the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Motto 'In God We Trust. I am pleased that this resolution remedies this oversight and incorporates those important parts of our national heritage into the CVC."
Conservatives, led by Senator DeMint last year, were highly critical of those in power eliminating references to America's rich religious heritage from the visitors' center. CNS reported that last September, Senator DeMint criticized the visitor center, which he said "generally ignores" the role of faith in the founding - and life - of the nation.
Senator DeMint said, "There are a few articles in the CVC that reflect elements of faith -- two Bibles, a picture of the congressional nondenominational faith space, and the oath of office -- but I believe they grossly understate the prominent role of faith and Judeo Christian values in the history of this great building."
The CNS report said: "Conservatives were also extremely unhappy because curators removed religious language from some of the center's historical displays. One display, they noted, deleted these words from Article 3 of the Northwest Ordinance -- 'Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind . . .' -- and the words 'in the Year of Our Lord' from a display of Article 7 of the Constitution."
After the DeMint and Lungren resolutions are signed into law, it would behoove Members of Congress to ensure that "In God We Trust" is etched permanently in the most prominent place in the Capitol Visitors Center.
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