We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

In the Declaration of Independence it is made clear that the rights of men were not things to be granted by the government, but things to be protected by the government by virtue of being fundamental to the nature of man.

It is not at it's core a religious claim, but a moral and political claim about the relationship between a government and its citizens. Even for those who do not believe in God, it still applies to how they should treat the nature of government.

Saying that the nation is "Under God" or that "In God We Trust" lays a foundation for proper bounds on government that would be absent if there weren't something under which even the government was. It serves as a rebuke of monarchy and totalitarianism that all Americans should celebrate regardless of their personal religious beliefs.

Edit: Perhaps my view can be summed up this way:

• The founders say natural human rights come from God

• The founders say the legitimacy of government is derived, in part, from respect of these rights

• The phrase "Under God" is a nice way of recognizing the natural rights of all people as seen by the founders

• People should act as if all people have rights from God regardless of whether they believe that is true

A lot of the discussion here has devolved to theological debates about moral realism and the nature of God and clarifying that, no, God does not equal Christianity. Since it's largely gone off topic I'm outta here. View not changed.

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