The Dollar Bill

It is true that the copper penny is no longer a useful coin due to inflation, but the dollar bill still holds an important place in our wallets. We can also find some significant facts about our country by examining the very common dollar bill. We all recognize the portrait of George Washington, our first president who established the precedent that we would not have a king and who remained in office for only two terms. He wanted to make sure that the new country would not be a Monarchy or a Dictatorship.
Turning the bill over we see the words “ In God We Trust” prominently printed above the number ONE. To the left we have the Great Seal, and underneath the pyramid is printed “Novus Ordo Seclorum”, which translated from the Latin, reads “New Secular Order”. (According to the Cambridge Dictionary the definition of “secular” is “not having any connection with religion”.) Are these contradictory ideas?
I guess this is open to interpretation. I like to think that these two phrases complement each other. Most of the people in our great country put their trust in a God that is central to their religion. We worship God in many different ways. But no one religion or set of religious beliefs should dominate the civil and governmental laws. We can clearly see the problems that arise in countries where religious laws become the laws of the land. It is proper for Religious Leaders to encourage their congregations to vote for representatives that have ethical values and will work for the betterment of the people. But I do not think they should tell their parishioners to vote for representatives who want to make the doctrines of their own particular religion part of the laws of our country.
In my religion we look upon prayer as essential to making one a better person. But this should be done in the home and in places of worship. That is where it is most meaningful for all of the family members, most importantly in families where there are children.