The Santa Clarita City Council has voted overwhelmingly to include the Christian phrase 'In God We Trust' on the city's logos and buildings.

The Santa Clarita City Council bypassed a public vote Tuesday night and decided on its own to include 'In God We Trust' on the council chambers and government buildings where the city council sees fit.

Have no illusions, Santa Clarita is not the first to do this, not even close. One site supporting this movement (here) shows 40 communities in California alone which have adopted this motto, including Bakersfield, Carson City, Huntington Beach, and Compton. Dozens (if not hundreds) more communites across the nation have already adopted Christian mottos or are considering similar measures.

Mottos are just a small aspect of the Christian America platform. Six states still have clauses in their state constitutions which require belief in God or a diety to hold public office. Let me repeat that. Six states require belief in God or a diety to hold public office.

• Arkansas: "No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court"
• Maryland: "That no religious test ought ever to be required as a qualification for any office of profit or trust in this State, other than a declaration of belief in the existence of God"
• North Carolina: "The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God...:
• Pennsylvania: "No person who acknowledges the being of a God and a future state of rewards and punishments shall, on account of his religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust or profit under this Commonwealth."
• South Carolina: "No person who denies the existence of the Supreme Being shall hold any office under this Constitution."
• Texas: "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being."

Now, as pointed out at the referenced link, these clauses are superseded by the 14th Amendment and are not currently enforceable. However, the rumblings from many of the same Christian movements is for greater determination at the state level, and we've seen this often in arguments against gay marriage and abortion. Having these clauses on the books might have no legal standing right now, but that doesn't stop them from becoming enforceable as state's rights advocates push for less constitutional authority for the federal government.

Those of you who have started celebrating the rise of secularism and the death of 'Christian America' should wake up fast. Despite the recent upswing in self-identified non-religious people in this country, and some popular press about the growing atheist/agnostic movements, the religious folks are consolidating their bases and forming stronger organizations aimed at, among other things, 're'establishing the US as a Christian Nation. Look what happened with Prop 8 in California last year if you need any proof of the power religious movements can bring to bear.

This is happening at the very highest levels with two such bills now being considered in Congress. One seeks to use revisionist history to affirm the nation's 'religious foundations':

The resolution, H.RES. 397, would put Congress on record as 'recognize[ing] the religious foundations of faith on which America was built are critical underpinnings of our Nation's most valuable institutions and form the inseparable foundation for America's representative processes, legal systems, and societal structures.'

A second bill (H. Con. Res. 121) attempts to establish 2010 as 'The National Year of the Bible'.

Encouraging the President to designate 2010 as ‘The National Year of the Bible’. Whereas the Bible has had a profound impact in shaping America into a great Nation; Whereas deep religious beliefs stemming from the Old and New Testament of the Bible have inspired Americans from all walks of life, especially the early settlers, whose faith, spiritual courage, and moral strength enabled them to endure intense hardships in this new land;

This is far from over folks, and what's worse, secularists are outnumbered, outgunned, and have few allies in the media and the corporate world. Don't expect 'Christian America' to roll over. The secular movement is a tremendously useful rallying cry to their cause, and you better believe they will use every political, informational, and economic advantage they have to drive this desire for state-recognized Christianity all the way home. Don't you dare accept that 'we are winning'. We very clearly are not.

(posted on my blog: http://davenichols.net/