Yeah, I'd like my state-sponsored "We Are All Atheists" plate now, please. Great editorial. This is just another in a long string of efforts by the religious right to insert their God beliefs into state affairs. This particular instance seems harmless on the face of it, but pretty soon it will be just like our money. "What do you mean, we're not a Christian nation? It says so right on our license plates!"

Raymond Feldmeier, Clearly you are missing the point. You can believe in whatever God you wish. Just don't ask Hoosiers to pay for the advertisement of said God.

I have my own beliefs and I believe Raymond Feldmeier is delusional and missing the point of this entire discussion. Raymond, I don’t want you to believe, or not believe, as I do. Quite the opposite. I just want you to stop assuming that everyone who doesn’t believe as you do is lost. We’re fine. Your words are the screaming blind reason why the rest of us have had it with the childish insanity that is driving our country to an inevitable crash and burn nose dive into the history books of once great nations. I don’t care if you want an “In God We Trust” plate. Wallpaper your home with them. I don’t care if the State caters to your idiotic need to display what should be your private faith to the world. I JUST DON’T THINK THE REST OF US SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR YOUR POSTER! And for the record: I don’t want you to feel sorry for me; I don’t want you to pray for me; I don’t want you to even be thinking about me when it comes to your personal faith system. I am not now, nor have I ever been a child of your god, nor do I seek a way back. I have asked more questions, put forth more thought, and sought more answers about my belief system and world view than your archaic theology would ever allow you to imagine. I think you’re a fear filled, brainless believer of ghost stories and I wish you would just go worship the God of your choice in private, put your faith in an ancient mythology to find answers to your scary questions and leave the rest of us alone. How arrogant of you to think that anyone who doesn’t see the world through your very narrow minded kindergarten eyes must be lost and in need of your prayers. GO AWAY! I believe your public displays of mindless faith are an embarrassment to yourself and to anyone who continues to tolerate or subsidize your antics.

i had seen the plates and swore that if these were the official new indiana plates that i was gonna revolt. i don't care if people wanna put em on their car, but i don't think the entirety of indiana, with all our diversity and difference in religion, should have to subsidize them.

I'm sick and tired of people who don't believe in God trying to get everyone to not believe also. No one said you have to get that plate. The one's who have it believe in God and have every right to say they do as the ones who don't. This country was formed on religious freedom, even for the ones who don't believe in God. I feel sorry for non-believers and I pray someday they will see their way back to God, as all are children of God whether they know it or not.

The arrogance of the Dobsonites is combined with the ignorance of the fundamentalists to create a cesspool of a witch's brew. Power corrupts and pushes the state further down the road toward a theocracy. Is there anything more dangerous than religion run amuck? Yes, it's rhetorical. The examples are legion. Arrogance and ignorance...what a combination!

As a Christian pastor, I am also outraged at this blatant attempt by our legislature to establish my belief in God as the state religion. Especially unfair is the fact that is plate is FREE -- and thus an OFFICIAL alternative to the standard plate. What's even worse is that the "God" message on the plate is associated with the American flag motif at the bottom of the plate. MY God most assuredly does not associate Himself with any particular nation, form of government, political party or cause. This association with God and the American flag is, without question, one of the hallmarks of a fascist state. Is this what Indiana has become?!

I was returning home today with my son from a doctors visit when he pointed out a new Indiana license plate, which said, "In God We Trust". The first thing that went through my head was, "That’s Creepy". Maybe, if a private organization wanted to pay for a specialty plate that said, "In GOD ‘I’ Trust" maybe it could be justified, if and only if non-believers had no hand in it. However, who are the "we" in this license plate, all the non-religious taxpayers. All beliefs are paying for this plate. Then when I heard that it was free …Yah! Right! This is nothing but a state sponsored religious plate (Christianity). When are people going to start trusting in themselves, we are sovereign individuals? We are our own gods; we are all gods of our own sovereignty. What God do they trust in? This plate is a disgrace to all intelligent people who think and act of themselves. I would like a State sponsored plate that paraphrases a comment of Aristotle, "Religion is the Opium of the Masses", why not, as a citizen I have just as much right to this plate as one who is supporting one which says, “ In God We Trust”. Unless, however, the State is promoting such a religion, do you believe the State would sponsor such a plate for me, if not, why not. For one reason, a lot more is done in the name of God, such as wars, how about the War in Iraq. How about Police States, are we going to have Christian soldiers with identifiable markings on their vehicles? For centuries, politicians have used religion as a means to their own selfish ends, feeding off the fears of an estranged populace. What happened to the separation between Church and State? The government can better control and feed off a religious “patriotic” throng than a freethinking sovereign collection. Better yet, how about a plate, which states, “I am a freethinker, I trust in myself”. Religion is religion, no matter how many ways you look at it. This plate cannot be anything but a State legislated pandering of the Christian religion. This plate is the forerunner for a stronger and supportive Police State with its own Christian Soldiers doing heartless acts in the name of a God.. Just remember, the State has more than one reason for doing this. It is just a prelude for worse things to come, Totalitarianism in the name of God. Do Christians believe they are doing something great for the State of Indiana by getting this plate; they are just becoming minions for a tyrannical Political system. What a disgrace to live in such a state.

I think that this is an exceptional article that hopefully will open some eyes to the fact that we all have different beliefs, and those beliefs should be expressed individually instead of assumed and reflected as a whole.

This stuff makes me want to puke. It is time to Impeach Gov. Daniels, president Bush and the whole lot of these zealots who believe their theologies should be woven into the fabric of our laws. If we do not have the guts to stand up for what is right and DEMAND our freedoms be respected then we can simply kiss them good-bye. This country is always up for grabs to the majority vote. And this country is today EXACTLY what has been voted for. These uncompromising fanatical idiot leaders didn't magically appear. They have been voted into power by uncompromising fanatical idiot citizens. We are one of the dumbest states in one of the dumbest countries in the world. What are we to expect? Either we find enough people to vote for a leaders who support a rational interpretation of our constitution and protection of our freedoms and liberties or we submit to the will of the ignorant, God fearin' majority.......or we move to Canada. It really is that simple. We are either the free majority with equal rights for all or we are the oppressed minority. We need to get this fixed and soon because the rest of the world is getting tired of these idiots as well and they sense the weakness in our division.

"....use of the Indiana State sponsored "In God We Trust" license plate by some Hoosiers, is an embarrassment to us all Hoosiers."

I even heard one of my friends say that a BMV rep told him that the 'In God We Trust' plate was now the official Indiana license plate. Obviously this is incorrect but its scary that this type of false-information is being spread. The fact that the BMV is promoting the plates so hard is so freakin' wrong I don't even know where to start. I have an Arts Trust license plate and I know part of the fee is actually an admin fee..it doesn't toward the organization that you're supporting, it just covers the overhead of the specialty plate. In the case of the 'In god we trust' plates we are all covering the admin fees whether we have one or not.

Yet again the Hoosier mentality of god, guns, chewing tobacco and general stupidity have infested the state government, now through this repulsive, knee-jerk plate I keep seeing. Why is God being bantered about on our license plates? TO ANTAGONIZE ME?? Bumper stickers were not good enough for the GWB crowd? Are legislators in this state taking their marching orders from that coward James Dobson or his ilk? (So what if is on coins, it is an archaic phase.) But what you don't realize folks is that these plate are really blatantly unconstitutional and someone with more time on there hands than I should begin pressing this fact in the courts. Understand that the Ten Comandments are not even allowed to be displayed on government grounds or offices (unless in historical context supposedly). So why this bullshit? People in this state wake up, take charge and stop the KKK from taking over again. By the way, if your are an orthodox Jew you are most likely offended seeing the spelling of your supreme deity being plastered about so cheaply in a political stunt. I would be infuriated. Write your reps. Soon.

I have no opposition to these plates EXCEPT that they cost no more than a standard plate. Where's my no-extra-cost plate that says, "In The Goddess I Trust"...or should that be "In The Goddes WE Trust"?

Yes, thank you! On a recent visit to the BMV I realized these plates were no extra charge. During my hour-long wait I also observed several of the BMV employees offering these 'god' plates to customers before the regular plates. Seems like they are really pushing it in more than one way here.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson, for informing us the God plates can be obtained without extra charge. I had been seeing them on the roads in ever-increasing numbers, and assumed they were a lot like all those fish symbols that used to be so popular--silly displays of religiosity, but not state-subsidized. But if they are indeed "freebies" (unlike all the other specialty plates), then the political panderers who dreamed this up should at least have offered religiously-diverse Hoosier motorists a wider selection of sanctimonious or even secular sentiments from which to choose. My own preference would be something along the lines of "In God We Trust--NOT." But others might prefer "God is Great" in Arabic, or perhaps even a plural version of the current God plate for those who worship more than a single deity. And let's not forget the Wiccans or the Baalists!