Atheists relentless in trying to expunge God from public square

Congressman Steve King reacted last week to the atheists' attempt to ensure that our nation's motto, "In God We Trust," and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag are not permanently engraved in the new Capitol Hill Visitors Center (CHVC). Congressman King said: "This lawsuit is another attempt by liberal activists to rewrite history and deny that America's Judeo-Christian heritage is an essential foundation stone of our great nation."

Christian Coalition of America has been at the forefront in the fight to include references to our great Judeo-Christian heritage in the beautiful -- although way-over-budget -- Capitol Visitors Center. It is disappointing that those in charge of setting up the exhibitions in the CHVC neglected to include much of our Christian heritage. Indeed, they even had what they thought was our nation's motto prominently displayed in the visitors' center: E Pluribus Unum. Unfortunately, these historians did not know that our nation's motto is "In God We Trust."

Once Senator Jim DeMint, from my state of South Carolina, and Congressman Dan Lungren from California, introduced legislation to force the Architect of the Capitol to engrave -- in very prominent positions at the entrance of the U.S. Capitol Building visitors center -- "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, and once both Members of Congress got this legislation passed by their respective chambers, the atheist groups got involved.

Late last week, on July 17th, "The Washington Times" reported that the "Freedom From Religion Foundation" filed a lawsuit just days earlier in the U.S. District Court in western Wisconsin claiming that engraving the words and the pledge on the government structure "will give actual and apparent government endorsement and advancement of religion" and at the same time exclude nonreligious Americans.

Congressman Lungren called the atheists' lawsuit: "patently absurd." Senator DeMint said in "The Washington Times" article that omitting the motto "In God We Trust" represented "a complete and unacceptable whitewash of our national faith heritage."

The overwhelming majority of the American people agree with Senator DeMint and Congressman Lungren, and the federal judge should immediately throw out this frivolous lawsuit.