Aetheists, sue to have IN GOD WE TRUST removed from license plates.
« on: Today at 01:14:37 PM »
https://www.foxnews.com/us/atheists-sue-remove-in-god-we-trust-license-platesAtheists sue to remove ‘In God We Trust’ from Mississippi license plates
State is violating residents’ freedoms, charge plaintiffs
By Mark Lungariello | New York Post
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A group of atheists filed a lawsuit Tuesday to remove the phrase "In God We Trust" from Mississippi’s official state license plates.
The state is violating residents’ freedoms by forcing them to display a religious phrase – or pay extra for specialized plates, said the federal lawsuit by the American Atheists, Mississippi Humanist Association and three state residents.
"Wherever I use my trailer, I am forced to profess a religious idea that I do not believe," Alan Griggs, a plaintiff, said in a statement.
"Imagine a Christian having to drive around with ‘In No God We Trust’ or ‘In Allah We Trust.’"
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Car owners can avoid displaying the phrase, which has been on Mississippi plates since 2019, by buying specialized plates for $32 – but there are no specialty plates for cars with custom tag numbers or for RVs, motorcycles and disabled drivers.
Atheists are being forced to "act as a billboard" for the religious message, said Geoffrey Blackwell, attorney for the American Atheists, which claims 350,000 "members and supporters" nationwide.
The message is "rooted in hostility" against non-Christians and non-believers, the lawsuit stated.
"Some can avoid being a mouthpiece for the government by paying a penalty," Blackwell said in a statement. "For many others, even that isn’t possible."
"Atheists with a disability or a special category of vehicle are struck proclaiming a belief in the Christian god. It’s an abuse of power and unconstitutional."
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The Satanic Temple had previously threatened a lawsuit over the redesigned plates, WLOX reported.
The groups who filed the lawsuit targeted Gov. Tate Reeves for his support of the phrase and perceived hostility toward atheists.
A 2019 campaign ad showed Reeves affixing the plate to a vehicle.
"Mississippi has a brand new license plate but the out-of-state liberals hate it," he says in the spot. "It’s because of these four words: ‘In God We Trust.’"
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On Tuesday after the groups announced the suit, Reeves reposted the video to his Twitter account.
"I know Mississippi’s values are our strength … and I meant it when I said as Governor I would defend our values every single day!," he wrote.
"I will defend ‘In God We Trust’ on our tag, on our flag, and on our state seal ….Every. Single. Day."
