Why Reclaim Instead of Fight?

We here at ReclaimTheMotto.org believe that the original motto of the United States - E Pluribus Unum ("From Many, One") - would be the best choice for an official national motto of our secular nation. However, what we wish for and what we have are two different things. While folks at The Original Motto Project - who you are financially supporting via your purchases - are doing the hard, long-term work of changing our national motto, we are attacking this issue from the other side. We figured there had to be more than just righteous anger as a way to respond to governments run by conservative religious ideologues placing the motto in schools, municipal buildings, and on police cars. And so, we created this project - a project to reclaim our national motto by reminding everyone - religious and non-religious alike - that "God" is an abstract concept that has had *many* meanings over the centuries, and can literally mean whatever you want it to mean.  Your "God" can be anything, from an ancient mythological character, to a modern satirical one. "God" can be thought of in non-theistic terms too - for example, when folks thank "God" for medical healing, often what is actually responsible for that healing has nothing to do with supernatural forces and everything to do with scientific progress. Therefore, without realizing it, those folks are actually thanking SCIENCE! for things. They're just choosing to use a different word. :) If Satan is who you choose to worship, then by definition, Satan is your "God." And as long as those in government accept that the motto on their cars and buildings could just as easily be talking about Satan, Ra, or Thor as they are the Christian YHWH or Jesus, then we have no point of disagreement.

We realize that this is a position that not every Church/State Separation advocate will support, and that's OK. We need all of our voices, from many sides, to be able to tackle this issue and bring about real change. We hope you enjoy our work. We look forward to hearing from you!