Comments on: Make $20 and support a good cause at the same time! https://gregladen.com/blog/2013/02/23/make-20-and-support-a-good-cause-at-the-same-time/ Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:53:17 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.6 By: Roger https://gregladen.com/blog/2013/02/23/make-20-and-support-a-good-cause-at-the-same-time/#comment-486139 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:53:17 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=15949#comment-486139 I’d like to revise my comment slightly. One could interpret the statement as advocating a religion over no religion, which has been interpreted by the courts as part of your 1st amendment rights. I’d still argue that it’s not a particularly forceful “establishment,” though.

]]> By: Roger https://gregladen.com/blog/2013/02/23/make-20-and-support-a-good-cause-at-the-same-time/#comment-486138 Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:43:09 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=15949#comment-486138 For one, I just don’t see the big deal over whether or not our money has a religious statement on it. It’s also green(ish), has Arabic numerals, pictures, and all manner of things (legal tender for all debts public and private, and what-not).

I really can’t see why anyone would be truly offended by it unless they chose to be offended by it. I’m personally far more offended by paper money being a permeable carrier of disease and the occasional trace of cocaine. 😉

Besides, this printed statement in no way prevents your free exercise of religion, and as it does not specify a particular god or deity, or require that you pay homage to a particular god or deity prior to using cash, it is a rather weak argument that those four words constitute an establishment of religion by the government.

Now, if you had to say a prayer, or “God bless!” any time you chose to spend the money, that would be something else.

I just feel that going after small, insignificant things like this make the atheist “cause,” if you will, seem petty and irrational to outside observers (like myself, as I have absolutely no dog in this fight). Maybe it’s a bigger deal to truer non-believers (wow, that phrase sounds odd).

Please don’t perceive my lack of perception of an offense to be an offense in and of itself. 🙂

]]> By: boba https://gregladen.com/blog/2013/02/23/make-20-and-support-a-good-cause-at-the-same-time/#comment-486137 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 21:30:40 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=15949#comment-486137 Actually we didn’t trust god with our money until 1863, when Salmon P Chase had it added to the coinage. And given that coins, particularly silver and gold were the preferred medium of exchange its absence from the paper money was not particularly important.And I got a $10 printed in 1950 in change when in Lone Pine CA (coming off the trail). Still keep it in my trail diary as my “just in case” bill.

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