The Associated Press
In a bold, populist move, Mississippi senators voted Friday to add “In God We Trust” to the official state seal.
We’re joking about the move being “bold,” however, since the great majority of Mississippians identify themselves with a religion — most Christianity. Only a handful, 7 out of 100, said they had no religious faith.
Adding the slogan to the state seal seems perfectly OK to us. In fact, until the story of Senate Bill 2681 broke, we sort of assumed the slogan was already there. Who reads the fine print of seals much anyway?
Almost certainly the anti-Christian community will come out and cry foul, claiming the separation of church and state isn’t being followed and that their rights are being violated somehow by the new slogan.
Most of that is hogwash, however.
The interesting thing is that the same bill, titled the “Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” does have one noticeable act of government unnecessarily at work.
Part of the bill includes language that prohibits the government from being a “burden” in the way of a person’s right to practice religion.
Unless Mississippi’s good senators plan a second secession soon, we’re fairly certain that Mississippi is still a proud member of the United States.
As members of the United States all Mississippi citizens should enjoy complete religious freedom by way of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — which trumps anything the good senators seek to pass in Jackson.
While the bill may make us all feel good, the reality is, it’s a bill seeking out a problem where one doesn’t exist.
(From the Natchez Democrat)