Yahoo News reports:
Man asks court to change his name to 'In God We Trust'
ZION, Ill. - Steve Kreuscher wants a judge to allow him to legally change his name. He wants to be known as "In God We Trust."
Kreuscher (CROY'-shir) says the new name would symbolize the help God gave him through tough times.
The 57-year-old man also told the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald he's worried that atheists may succeed in removing the phrase "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency.
He recalls that the phrase "God Reigns" was removed from the Zion city seal in 1992 after courts deemed it unconstitutional. Zion was founded as a theocracy — by a sect that believed the Earth was flat.
The school bus driver and amateur artist in the northern Chicago suburb says he has filed a petition to change his name in Lake County Circuit Court.
It looks like this poor chap's mind got washed over the edge of the world long ago. Maybe someone could tell him that (and if there's ever been a classic believer-inspired WTF moment, this has to be it) changing his name to "In God We Trust" does not in any way impact whatever the legal status of the phrase on money might be. And in the event the phrase ever were removed from currency, well, senseless as it may be, he could still choose it as his name.
Is there something about religion that just draws unhinged, reality-challenged people like this? Poor, poor fellow. Well, he's still not as stupid as this guy.
I'm an alien resident, but I consider the cultural significance of the motto to outweigh its unconstitutional endorsement of a particular deity. I mean, what's next, removing Christmas from the list of federal holidays?
ReplyDeleteI actually consider the motto on money to be a small issue, or, shall we say, a minor element in a bigger picture — keeping church and state separate and the growing threat of theocracy-creep as America struggles through its post-Bush decline — that should be fought at different levels. I actually know a lot of atheists who cross out "In God We Trust" on dollar bills with Sharpies, but to me that's kind of a waste of time.
ReplyDelete