In God We Trust? Heaven help us

When the issue was raised at Tuesday night's council meeting, Councilman Dave Warden noted that everyone has become so neutral there is no one willing to even discuss the idea of including the word "God." He's right that the word, whether revered or not, is commonplace. We pledge to the flag with it, we swear to tell the truth with it, we curse with it. Believers and non-believers alike use it as part of the common vernacular without any weighty consequences.

Even if Belmont had agreed to the motto, there would be no severe religious ramifications. It's not like with those words etched on the wall the entire Belmont City Council would haul in the Ten Commandments and toss secular reasoning to the wind. It's not like the mayor would end public comment periods with "Bless you my child" or condemn detractors to the outer circles of hell. Ballot measures wouldn't have been set aside while city officials wait for signs from God or city workers forced to wear "What would Jesus do?" bracelets. Swarms of locusts won't rain down every time a higher deity disagrees with a development vote.

It's not really like the motto would change much of anything in Belmont, the state, the nation or the world. Frankly, it probably wouldn't even be noticed much aside from observers trying to stay awake during meetings by ogling other things in the building.

That said, the words still do not belong on that wall or any other government entity. Communities are too diverse and too easily rankled, although the majority do embrace a god of some sort. While many are content to leave "God" where it already exists, such as the pledge, the addition of anything new is not something with which society is altogether comfortable. The country was founded on the basis of religious freedom. Imposing something traditionally associated with Christianity doesn't fly, particularly in this state and region. This is not the Bible Belt by a long shot.

If any individual wishes to wear an "I love God" T-shirt (or the current trendy incarnation, "Jesus is my homeboy") they are more than welcome to do so. The fashions would, at the very least, make the meetings more exciting to watch. What they can't do as a government body is make everybody else agree - which is exactly what embracing the motto as a City Council would do.

Forcing the issue is also being done by councils like Redwood City that insist on a prayer before every meeting. While a thought or even a non-denominational blessing is an unobjectionable if unnecessary beginning, a full-scale prayer complete with bowed head is not. In fact, it makes Belmont's motto appear innocuous.

By their actions, government officials can either make the rest of us pray for a recall or bless the heavens for their election. Their place, though, is not to decide that those religious entreaties belong in City Hall.

Michelle Durand's column "Off the Beat" runs every Monday and Thursday. She can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 104. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.