A group of atheists and agnostics have filed a federal lawsuit in Wisconsin to stop an architect from engraving "In God We Trust" and the words to the Pledge of Allegiance at the Capitol building's visitor centre in Washington, DC.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation claims the engravings, funded by US taxpayers, are a violation of the US constitution because they would be an endorsement of religion.
The US House of Representatives and the Senate passed measures this month ordering the architect to engrave "In God We Trust" and the pledge in highly visible areas at the entrance of the Capitol.
"In God We Trust" has been the official motto of the US since 1956 and appears on American currency. The words "under God" were officially added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954. The lawsuit alleged both phrases were adopted as anti-communist measures and that adding the words to the entrance of the Capitol would discriminate against the non-religious.
US representative Steve King, a Republican from Iowa, blasted the lawsuit: "This lawsuit is another attempt by liberal activists to rewrite history and deny that America's Judeo-Christian heritage is an essential foundation stone of our great nation."
.png?w=600)
