In God they fund-raise

Motto shenanigans a win for politicians no matter what

Despite what you might have been told in some Republican candidate’s fund-raising letter, God was never kicked out of public schools.

Like any school board or court has enough authority to accomplish that.

But it’s hard to tell if you listen to some conservative Christian politicians who might have read that faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to move mountains, yet they believe God is blocked at the school house door. So they concoct all sorts of schemes to get God back in, convinced that His omnipresence can only be achieved by state action.

Rep. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville, sponsored a bill that gave our Legislature a chance to vote for God. What politician can resist that, even when the odds are a court will one day overturn the action? The measure was part of a grand plan: First, require Arkansas schools to hang “In God We Trust” posters if they’re donated. Second, make sure the donation happens.

At a time when teachers struggle to have funding for classroom essentials, naturally it makes sense to drum up funding for posters nobody in education asked for. Want funding for technology? Label it with a deity and the state might pay attention. Oh, who are we kidding? It can’t be just any deity. Arkansas lawmakers are mostly of the Christian variety. No other deities need apply.

Spend time with students of faith and it’s quickly clear that God is present in schools. Not a God that’s imposed on them, but the One they’ve put faith in of their own volition. That’s all the courts have said: School districts have no business picking one faith over another for official sanction. Kids can pray as they see fit.

So, 891 framed prints of “In God We Trust” are forced upon Bentonville, which dutifully placed them in each classroom. The district naturally wants to follow state law. And now, as predictable as ever, an atheist organization proposed a donation of its own posters featuring the traditional motto of the United States — E pluribus unum. The Latin phrase means “out of many, one.” Their poster was to also include details on when and why Congress adopted “In God We Trust” as the national motto all the way back in 1956.

Bentonville schools rejected the group’s politically motivated generosity, as they should have. The district’s statement said “our schools should not serve as the backdrop for political agendas, regardless of viewpoint.”

Here’s an idea: Put that on a poster and hang it in Jim Dotson’s office.

He and our Legislature enjoy their fun and games, trying to outsmart atheists and the U.S. Constitution. Woo hoo, what a good time! This is the kind of entertainment that happens when lawmakers try to worm proselytizing disguised as patriotism into the schools.

The lawsuit is coming, but lawmakers won’t care. Even if Dotson’s law is tossed out, it will have given politicians plenty of fodder for more fund-raising letters, urging supporters to help them fight on God’s behalf.

Glory be!