<p>[South</a> Carolina plans license plate for Christians - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/07/sclicense.plates/index.html]South”>http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/07/sclicense.plates/index.html)</p>
<p>As long as there Rastafarian plates as well, with joints in the corner, and the words “Nah Badda Mi”, I can’t imagine there could be any problem.</p>
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<p>They’d be wise to back down. Otherwise they are going to waste a lot of money defending a lawsuit that they will surely lose in the end.</p>
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<p>Cuz if you can’t proclaim it on your license plate, you obviously don’t believe it…?</p>
<p>Jesus said, “Go into your pickup truck, and pray in secret.”</p>
<p>Garland, God hates bumper stickers. The license plate is the only outlet for religious expression believers have!</p>
<p>And the Lord spake (sounding a lot like Charlton Heston) “Yea verily. This is a really dumb idea”.</p>
<p>The SC plates will go well with the 10,000 plates North Carolina issued with *** in them.</p>
<p>I would be offended if my state issued a Muslim license plate or a Wiccen license plate, etc. I don’t think you can ban those license plates without also banning Christian ones. The same rule should apply to everybody.</p>
<p>What, God will not know that South Carolina Christians “believe” unless he sees it on a license plate? Does it really matter if the driver behind knows or not? Seems kind of self-centered (as opposed to God-centered) to me…but hey if that is the way they want to be perceived… </p>
<p>Although, what’s the matter with good old fashioned prayer?</p>
<p>What, God’s not satisfied with those metallic fish - He now demands license plates, too?</p>
<p>Whatever they decide in South Carolina, just pass along word that everyone will be stuck with the results. In New Hampshire, their license plate (and state motto) says, “Live Free or Die.” A state resident put masking tape over the last two words and was stopped by police. </p>
<p>I don’t have the court case, but the motorist’s argument was more than just First Amendment/free speech rights to use tape on a car license. He also claimed “or die” made the statement theological, thereby violating the “anti-Establishment” clause of the Constitution that forbids government to promote or establish religion. In court, his case lost, but I don’t know how high up it went in appeals.</p>
<p>If they also allowed official South Carolina license plates to say, “I don’t believe,” or “I believe in Allah,” then I’d be OK with this.</p>
<p>But they don’t.</p>
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<p>That’s defacing state property. Also, it’s obstructing the license plate.</p>
<p>I don’t have a problem with these license plates. You can get license plates with many other things on them…</p>
<p>South Carolina has a bunch of specialty license plates from which to choose. Some need proof of membership (Greek letter and a couple of colleges). Others are for anyone who wants to support a specific cause.</p>
<p>[SCDMV</a> Online: Specialty Plates](<a href=“http://www.scdmvonline.com/VehPlateSpecialty.aspx]SCDMV”>http://www.scdmvonline.com/VehPlateSpecialty.aspx)</p>
<p>Yes, lots of states do. You can support the Shore in NJ, too. But that’s a wee bit different from all of a sudden supporting (one) religion.</p>
<p>A tempest in a tumbler.</p>
<p>Though, to me, it shows bad form and a vulgar religious disposition I can’t see a real problem with a personal license plate proclaiming a personal preference – from “SQUARE AND ROUND DANCERS” to “I BELIEVE”.
It’s all a bit tacky, but that’s the point, isn’t it?</p>
<p>Scrolling down I noticed a SC plate that read</p>
<p>“IN REASON WE TRUST”</p>
<p>Bravo!</p>
<p>This is more PT Barnum than Moses or Jesus, but there should be no legislation against bad taste. Especially not in South Carolina!</p>
<p>Also, kudos to Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Rastafarians and all the rest for not turning their deeply held religious beliefs into a bummer-sticker slapped on a dirty automobile.</p>
<p>Another reminder that South Carolina is not Manhattan or San Francisco, but that even far away from the disgruntled janitorial staff at Purdue University, many of our fellow citizens are quick to take offense at other peoples opinions and beliefs when they are displayed in print.</p>
<p>–Bad Taste: of course.
–A moral offense: not really.</p>
<p>Just a lot of noise…all they way around.</p>
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<p>Bad taste–yup. Moral offense–besides the point.</p>
<p>Constitutional issue? Sure sounds like government preference of one religion to me. But what do I know? I’m just a citizen.</p>
<p>South Carolina currently has an “IN GOD WE TRUST” specialty license plate. It also has an “In Reason We Trust” plate, issued under the auspices of the Secular Humanist Society (which expressly rejects any belief in “God/gods”). How is a plate that more specifically states one’s religion unconstitutional? I would have no problem with a plate for Jews, Muslims, Wiccans, Mormons—what-have-you. Issuance of specialty plates is usually placed into motion by groups with enough interested members who are both, willing to advocate for their use, and willing to pay the fees for issuance. In my state (Virginia), quilters were trying to garner enough support for a specialty license plate a couple of years ago—they were certainly pushing hard for it in my guild—but ultimately failed to garner enough support to bring it to fruition (not enough quilters willing to pay the biannual fee, I guess):rolleyes: </p>
<p>In any case, “The State” is a neutral party in the issuance of any specialty tag, with the only “establishment” being, insuring that the fees get collected.</p>
<p>Personally, I’d be a lot more “offended” by the “Sons of Confederate Veterans” plate, with its prominent display of the “rebel flag” (already issued by South Carolina) than by one displaying a cross, a Star of David, or one proclaiming a belief in Islam.</p>
<p>It really doesn’t matter whether anyone is “offended,” or how many people are “offended.” What matters is whether this violates the establishment clause of the Constitution. I tend to think it does. </p>
<p>People who wish to proclaim their particular religious beliefs on their cars are completely free to affix bumperstickers. That are NOT state-sponsored.</p>
<p>A reasonable person who was not intent on bullying everyone else by pushing their religion as close to state-sponsored status as they can get it would not request this. Just as any reasonable person who was not intent on pushing their religion as close to state-sponsored status as they can get it would not push for prayers over the public school loudspeaker, official prayers at public school football games, or official prayers at ANY public school event for that matter. Not to mention displays of the ten commandments in public courtrooms and the like. This goes for all religions.</p>