WASHINGTON, D.C., DEC. 7, 2010 (Zenit.org).- A group of US lawmakers are urging President Barack Obama to remember the nation’s religious heritage as expressed in its national motto and foundational documents.
Congressman Randy Forbes of Virginia, along with 42 bipartisan members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, sent a letter to the president Monday in which they pointed out that he recently misspoke when he said the national motto is “E Pluribus Unum” (out of many, one), and asked him to publish a correction.
Since 1956, the official national motto of the United States has been “In God We Trust.” The motto also appears in the national anthem, and on the nation’s currency.
In a speech given Nov. 10 to students in Jakarta, Indonesia, Obama said that the United States and Indonesia share a similar history: «It is a story written into our national mottos. In the United States, our motto is ‘E Pluribus Unum.'»
The members of the Congressional Prayer Caucaus said that it was «unacceptable» for the president to misrepresent the national motto: «The president is the primary representative of our nation to the world, and whether mistake or intention, his actions cast aside an integral part of American society.”
“President [Ronald] Reagan once warned that ‘If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under,’” the letter added.
The lawmakers also lamented that on various occasions, the president has omitted a reference to the Creator when quoting the Declaration of Independence. Instead of stating that all are «are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,» the lawmakers assert that Obama stated that «each of us are endowed with certain inalienable rights.»
The letter said that the «omissions and inaccuracies» misrepresent the United States, and undercuts «important parts of our nation’s history.”
“Trust in God is embedded into the fabric of society and history in the United States,» the note concluded. «If we allow these threads to be pulled, we will begin to unravel the very freedoms that birthed America.”
The Congressional Prayer Caucus is a bipartisan group of Members of Congress dedicated to preserving America’s religious heritage and protecting religious liberties.
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On the Net:
Full text of the letter: http://forbes.house.gov/UploadedFiles/National_Motto_Letter_to_President.pdf
