Atheist vows to erase reference to God from US money

0 Comments | AFP, November, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — An atheist waging a legal battle to delete the words "under God" from a patriotic oath recited in US public schools vowed to sue to have the phrase "In God We Trust" removed from US coins and bank notes.

Both US currency and the Pledge of Allegiance should be fully secular to reflect the US Constitution's division of church and state, and "to have all Americans treated equally by their government," Michael Newdow said.

Newdow told AFP he plans to file his new lawsuit electronically in federal court in Northern California by the end of the week.

"Can you imagine if, in some Catholic church, they passed the collection plate and the coins said there is no God?" Newdow asked.

"They wouldn't take that. I have a church, and I can't...