"In God" we must see

My friend and I had a disagreement the other day.

It started with an email forward she sent me that was asking (demanding?) people to boycott using the new presidential dollar coins that are being minted in a series, much like the state quarters (http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/$1coin/index.cfm?flash=yes). The reason stated was because these coins did not have "In God We Trust" printed on them at all.

I sent her an email back informing her that the coins do in fact have "In God We Trust" printed on the edge of the coin, along with "E Pluribus Unum" and the mint year. This is much like the Euro coin. I also pointed out that using these coins are a good idea because they last many times longer than a dollar bill and therefore can save the government enormous amounts of money, as well as not requiring the use of trees for the paper. In my opinion this is a great idea. Europe uses a 1 Euro coin, Canada uses a 1 dollar coin (as well as a 2 dollar coin!). And while I definitely don't advocate doing something just because thats what other countries do, when it makes since in (almost) every regard, lets jump on the band wagon.

She replied back, that while she appreciates my points, and though "In God We Trust" is printed on the coin, the fact that it is printed on the edge and "in the smallest letters possible," she would still refuse to use it.

This truly puzzled me. It drove me to examine a normal quarter (not a state quarter) where "In God We Trust" is printed on the face, and compare the print size to that used on the new dollar coin (of which we happened to have sitting on our counter). To my eyes there is no difference in font size. The only difference being that the letters are more spaced out on the dollar coin to cover more of the circumference, so making the phrase actually larger in that regard. In fact, the font sizes on the dime and penny are smaller, it seemed to me.

So that would seem to leave the only argument as being the placement of the words. Edge or face.

This then drove me to wonder, what other people might think about the new coins, and I hoped to find further justifications as to why not to use it. I found none. In fact what I did find was a very clever commentary that emphasized that refusing to accept the dollar coin was illegal as it is legal tendered currency. However, one can request an alternate form of payment, such as a dollar bill (if available), or other equivalent coinage.

Refusing to accept the new dollar coin as a statement of faith (for so it was claimed) seems to me a lifeless and loveless expression of something that is so rich and deep as the Christian faith in God. Does God really care that his name is no longer on the face of a coin, but instead on an edge? I leave this last thought: having "In God We Trust" printed on the edge of a coin, means that in a stack of coins, like that you would receive from the bank in its clear plastic sheath, would mean that "God" is seen 39 more times than it otherwise would be. Does that make it better? Who knows.

I guess my point is that we try to make these grandiose statements of faith (in whatever we believe in) in some of the most innane ways. I appreciate my friend for her faith and her desire to stand for a cause, but my fear is that many other people, like a my friend, are sucked into these ways of thinking and acting that are not helpful to a greater cause. I hope that her choice of actions does make a good difference in someone else's life. I'm just afraid that this is all that our faith has come down to.