Friendly Atheist recently had a post about a House Resolution to reaffirm the national motto, here’s what I wrote to Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID2):

Dear Representative Mike Simpson,

I am writing to you in regards to H. CON. RES. 13: “Reaffirming ‘In God We Trust’ as the official motto of the United States and supporting and encouraging the public display of the national motto in all public buildings, public schools, and other government institutions.”

According to the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, 12% of Americans are atheists and agnostics and another 12% are deists, meaning they believe in a higher power but not a personal god. This means that a full 24% of the population do not believe in a god that we could trust in. Thus nearly a quarter of the population is not represented by the motto of the United States.

In trying to break it down for your constituency, it’s a bit more difficult. Due to religious groups such as Unitarians, Episcopalians, Buddhists, and Wiccans accepting those who lack belief in a personal deity and the tendency of some people to simply identify with what ever religious group they were raised in, only 15% of the national population identifies with no religion and another 5.2% refused to answer or don’t know. Idaho far surpasses the national average with 23% identifying with no religion and 6% either not knowing or refusing to answer. That means that 29% of Idahoans lack a religious identification, with many of them best being described as atheists, agnostics, skeptics and/or freethinkers.

Non-theists are the second largest “religion” in the country and the fastest growing, but unfortunately we are not represented in the US Congress by one of our own. This is why I, as an atheist and a leader in the atheist/freethought community in the Treasure Valley, am asking you to stand up for the rights of a sizable minority group of your constituents.

At the very least, I ask that you oppose this resolution that supports this divisive motto and at the most I would ask that you introduce legislation to return our great nation’s motto to it’s original inclusive form, E pluribus unum.

So you are aware, I am sharing this letter with the members of my freethought group and the readers of my blog which you can find at www.dwnomad.com. I would appreciate a reply and with your permission I would like to also share it.

Sincerely,
Dustin Williams

I would like to encourage all of you to write to your representative, feel free to use any or all of my letter.