in God we trust?

Here's a thought that I had ... while gardening (although it has nothing to do with gardening, that's tomorrow).

Christians like to adamantly defend the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency. We got all upset when we thought it wasn't on the new dollar coins. We say passionate things like, "When they take 'In God We Trust' off the money, I'm moving out of the country." (Which is strange to say anyway, because which country would you move to? No other nation that I know of has "In God We Trust" on their money, so the grass isn't really greener anywhere else is it?)

Why?

We want our country to recognize our God, sure. We want to ... what? ... honor God by "trusting" Him, in print, on our monies?

I wonder if God wants to be on our money.

Hear me out.

When you take a fifth grade class on a field trip, you sometimes put them all in the same shirt - with the school's name on it - so you can pick them out of a crowded museum. Or when a high school jazz band goes to compete, they're all wearing their school name. What do the teachers always tell them? They're supposed to not only fulfill the purpose of the day (attend the museum, do well at the competition, etc.), but they're supposed to be on their best behavior. Why? Because they are representing your school.

Similar phenomenon when Christians do silly things that are contrary to the word of God - like protest the funerals of homosexuals or military persons. They stand there in the name of Christianity, spewing hatred and all things not Christ-like, and I don't know about you but it irritates me. Because by association they are making me look bad. Non-Christians in this country think Christians are judgmental and hypocritical more than anything else.

So I wonder about God. I wonder if He looks at the United States of America as a collective body and sees

• The remorseless killing of 4000 babies every day
• Adultery that's as prevalent in the Church as without
• A pornography industry that makes more money than four major sports franchises combined
• The legalization of homosexual marriage

The list goes on and on. There are good things happening, sure, and I have faith that the nation as a whole can repent and turn back to God if it chooses, but in the meantime I wonder if God wants us wearing His name while we behave like this in front of the rest of creation. Isn't that kind of insulting? Hypocritical? Disrespectful?

Obviously, the best solution would be to get the laws of our land back to a place that honor God, but given scores of prophecies about the last days ... I mean I hate to be negative, but ...