A new Texas law orders public schools to display posters with the national motto "In God We Trust" in a prominent place.
Senate Bill 797, proposed by Texas Republican Sen. Bryan Hughes, requires schools to display "In God We Trust" posters – which must be donated by a private donor or purchased by the school with private donations.
The display must also feature the American flag and the Texas state flag. No other additional "words, images, or other information" are permitted to be included on the poster.
"The national motto, In God We Trust, asserts our collective trust in a sovereign God," Hughes tweeted last week.
"I co-authored the bill in 2003 that allowed schools to display the motto, and last year I authored the "In God We Trust Act," which requires a school to display the motto if there is no cost associated with the display," he continued.
The national motto, In God We Trust, asserts our collective trust in a sovereign God.
— Senator Bryan Hughes (@SenBryanHughes) August 16, 2022
I co-authored the bill in 2003 that allowed schools to display the motto, and last year I authored the “In God We Trust Act,” which requires a school to display the motto if there… pic.twitter.com/YWyopJZ11f
Bill co-sponsor Republican Rep. Tom Oliverson of Houston also expressed optimism about the displays.
"We just felt like it was a great opportunity to display our national motto in our public schools," Oliverson said. "This was an idea I had after seeing something similar happen in a couple different states."
The bill was passed by the state legislature and went into effect last September. However, the posters were not hung up because of temporary school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to The Blaze, the Texas-based Christian conservative wireless service, Patriot Mobile, donated framed "In God We Trust" posters to schools in the Carroll and Northwest Independent School Districts. Patriot Mobile will continue to make donations "until all the schools in the [Dallas/Fort Worth] area receive them."
"We are honored to be part of bringing God back into our public schools!" the company said in a Facebook post.
The Southlake Anti-Racism Coalition (SARC), however, argued that the new law is reflective of a "blatant intrusion of religion" in a "secular public institution."
"SARC is disturbed by the precedent displaying these posters in every school will set and the chilling effect this blatant intrusion of religion in what should be a secular public institution will have on the student body, especially those who do not practice the dominant Christian faith," the group said in a statement.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Alexandarilich
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
