Free, Indeed!

Take a look at any U.S. bill or coin you have in your pocket, purse, or wallet, and you'll see "In God We Trust,” our country's motto, imprinted on each. 

The original motto, “E. Pluribus Unum,” Latin for “out of many, one,” was replaced with “In God We Trust,” which Congress adopted as our official national motto in 1956.

We are a nation founded on the belief in a Creator. The first line of the Declaration of Independence includes the phrase, “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” Other references include people “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…,” that they have “a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence,” and “…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

The Constitution does not specifically refer to religion; however, the words “the year of our Lord” appear in Article VII.

In 1954, Congress passed a law amending the Pledge of Allegiance to include the words “One Nation Under God.”

We are fortunate to be a free and independent nation. The First Amendment guarantees each citizen the right to practice the religion of their choice—or the choice not to practice. Each can decide as they wish. 
 
For those who believe in a higher power, remembering the “In God We Trust” motto on each bill and coin is a way to remind ourselves to trust in the One who created us.   
 
I hope you had a joyful celebration of our nation's 250th Independence Day. My prayer for this new "birthday year" for our Nation is that it will be one in which our collective strength, courage, and perseverance will uphold the values we hold so dear. 

May we learn to gather as one people, undivided, no matter our differences, for our country was not intended to be merely called the "States" of America, but this great Nation was proudly named the United States of America.
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A few verses from the Bible describing the freedom found through Jesus Christ: 
"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:32
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." - Galatians 5:1
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" - 2 Cor. 3:17

Photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com

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