"In God We Trust" Removal Pt. 1 - Bills

[socksumi]

Is this legal to do? Maybe they have some law about defacing government currency.

[aajoeyjo]

@socksumi This is legal to do. The law says don't make it unusable and don't change any of the numbers. Marking out IGWT is legal.

[socksumi]

@aajoeyjo Thanks for pointing that out. BTW, congratulations on your vids and your contributions to the "Atheist Experience" show---I'm a big fan. I live in Canada and while we don't have "God" on our money, we do have public funding of a Catholic school system which is a glaring contradiction to our otherwise completely secular government.

[mindprism]

False premises: 1) That the 'government' you see is bound by the Constitution. 2) That you have a government. 3) That those notes are issued by this alleged 'government'.

To summarize, your issue should be with the notes (private property). I suggest the book "They own it all, including you"

[faRahGT]

Awesome,but did any shop accept any of your money??

[drumline17]

@faRahGT Yes, doing this doesn't make money invalid at all

[aajoeyjo]

@faRahGT All of them. I've never had anyone tell me they wouldn't take cleansed cash.

[wassoncrane]

@faRahGT They have to. As long as the value and serial number is visible, it is valid currency.

[Atheist961]

I do this all the time , and i hope that you do that too (all of u)

[xxrigo22xx]

I'll be joining you brother..

[msabat08]

what a dick

[xxrigo22xx]

@msabat08 nah, hes awesome

[ssexton2009]

love how these Godless people just delete or slam opposing arguements

[Joelit121]

@ssexton2009 There is no opposing argument. It's illegal.

[aajoeyjo]

@ssexton2009 - How is "In God We Trust" on our money an argument?

[prsldy]

Please join us on our Facebook page "Keep God Off Currency, in reason we Trust" Lots of good ideas there :)

[BristolPalinsBabyDad]

My friends and I used to cross off the letters in FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE so it just said SERVE NOT

[SilentJoe1986]

Next how to easily remove in God we trust from coins

[ssexton2009]

that is illegal, it is illegal to deface money since it is property of the US government....have fun in jail and in hell

[SilentJoe1986]

@ssexton2009 It's unconstatutional to have God on our money. i would love my day in court to defend myself

[ssexton2009]

@SilentJoe1986 congrats your still blotting out God, have fun in hell! and if you were smart there are credit cards with no interest...but guess your not

[Joelit121]

@ssexton2009 Funny how the religious are the most hateful. Get a clue, if you are so sure there is a god....please elaborate because I don't see you receiving any Nobel Peace prizes or awards for proving the existence of a supernatural being watching over everything that will send you to eternal damnation for not sucking his dick.

[SilentJoe1986]

@ssexton2009 Sorry Hell and The Devil are aspect of your religion. My religion is older than yours and by the gods carries more weight in my heart.

[RoxxiSadalsuud]

@ssexton2009 Title 18, Section 333 of the United States Code states that currency defacement is generally defined as mutilation, cutting, disfiguring, perforating, uniting or cementing together, etc any thing acceptable as payment that renders it unfit for circulation.

Simply covering up an illegal phrase isn't considered defacement.

[ssexton2009]

@RoxxiSadalsuud ahhh so its ok to punch you in the face as long as it doesnt leave any marks...good to know.....oh and last tome i checked graffiti is a form of mutilation.....money is the property of the US government and according to that same exact title that you butchered it is punishable by fines or up to six months in jail.....once again i say, have fun in hell

[RoxxiSadalsuud]

@ssexton2009 No, it isn't ok to punch me anywhere. Violence against another person is not what is we are attempting to discuss with you. I'm sure that graffiti is a form of mutilation to buildings and things that are damaged in removing said graffiti, but it doesn't apply to money. Check the law, it only applies to graffiti only if it attempts to change the value of the money. And the only slamming being done here is by you.

[aajoeyjo]

@ssexton2009 - It's not necessary to rely on acts of violence to win an argument. Or at least it shouldn't be. You should check again about graffiti. I report graffiti all the time, to the city govt. for clean up, and I would never claim that it's a form of mutilation. lol

[VannahWilson]

@ssexton2009 Jail? It's not defacement unless the bill is rendered unfit to be reissued, or if it has a notice, advertisement, or the like put on it. No documented cases exist of anyone being prosecuted for crossing out or putting a stamp over "In God We Trust", and such altered bills are frequently recirculated by the Federal Reserve.

[VannahWilson]

@ssexton2009 Hell? Firstly, he obviously doesn't believe in Hell, and there's no evidence that Hell exists, so that's an empty threat. Secondly, a loving God wouldn't send anyone to Hell just for removing "In God We Trust" from a piece of paper, and any God who would do something like that wouldn't be worthy of worship anyway.

[EvilAdam]

You've inspired me to do this to every bill in my wallet as long as I live going forward. Thanks for this.

[shandi411]

This is silly. I'm a full fledged atheist, but for me, God just means nature. So I don't care what my bills say - they are legal tender. As for not using credit cards because they charge interest? That's dumb. I use my credit card daily and don't pay any interest. I simply only charge what I can afford and I pay in full every month, online, with no checks or cash. I even get about $500 FROM Discover card every year as a bonus.

[aajoeyjo]

Booyeah! A thousand views in a day and a half of being public. Hoorah!

[OrbitalMike]

Have you had anyone refuse to take any bills so marked?

[aajoeyjo]

@OrbitalMike - Not me. Not even once. I don't think I've even had anyone ever ask me about it, before accepting it.

[judoyodan]

I've been doing this for years.

Well done. Keep spreading the word.

[pbrskater26]

I put in science we trust!!

[globalarte]

@pbrskater26 Great idea !

[edanburg]

I saw a american dollar note with Zoidberg on it

[disrxt]

I immediately got out my marker and defaced the currency in my wallet. It felt good.

[dallased25]

I do this as well all the time. I wish more people would.

[ndrthrdr1]

I always mark out that phrase.

[eminescinescu]

@accent77 :)))

[o0leary]

Send me some dollar's, i can help ;) ***Eveeryday i'm huzzelin

[pmdillavou]

Done this many times ....

[Breadbug240]

Welp.

Subscribed.

[stickmanpwner64]

I would like to do that.

But I'm in Canada.

[pmdillavou]

@stickmanpwner64 ... we'll do it for you here ....

[ReligionIsBULLSHlT]

I just crossed out those filthy words on my rent money...$580, due on Thursday. Can't wait to see the look on the face of my fundamentalist christian landlord.

[PedroAntoniodaCruz]

You are a cool guy! Thumbs up

[MayokoLove]

i dont get the big deal....you dont get money to read,you get it to spend. if ur like me you dont even have it long enough to read anything lol

[PompousPreacher]

IN ALLAH WE TRUST

[amazonhippie]

I've been doing that for years. I'm 31 years old and never had a credit card. I only use cash. I bet I've marked out God on close to $10,000.

[shandi411]

@amazonhippie Cash is a pain in the butt. What if you don't have enough cash on you? I only charge what I can afford and then pay off the card in full every month. No interest, no messing with cash or checks (I pay the bill online) AND I get around a $500 cash back bonus every year. I am MAKING money by using my credit card.

[caveman73]

I do the same thing all the time.

[demonorse]

Good idea!

[MastrodiAtheist]

Thanks for reminding me I haven't done this in a while.

[bentoms]

Amazing :)

[AssassinOfIgnorance]

Well said sir.

Now how about the Pledge of Allegiance? ;)

[aajoeyjo]

@AssassinOfIgnorance - I'm sure I've mentioned the pledge in videos I've made about state/church separation, but I don't think I've made a video specifically about that, and nothing else. Maybe I will soon. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Rabboleth]

I usually just remove the initial "t" in trust, or replace "god" with "science". ^_^

[eminescinescu]

why 95 dollars ? :))

[IceSurfbumb]

As a individual I know that there are no gods/allah and there will never be one only the delusion of one.

Fantasists are no delusion.

Change it to ( In fascists and bankers we trust)

[AlderDragon]

Why are you marking out the tips of the pyramids?

[aajoeyjo]

@AlderDragon - At the top of the pyramid on a one dollar bill, is the all seeing eye of God. It's not on other denominations, any of them, I believe. Anyway God is God, imho.

[TheBiAtheist]

@aajoeyjo This is perfectly legal I assume? I'm right there with you, but I don't want to do it unless I know for a fact that it isn't.

[aajoeyjo]

@TheBiAtheist - It's legal. Many Atheist activists have looked into the law on this, including me, and we're happy to report that for some reason, the govt. doesn't care if we mark out IGWT. 

[shandi411]

@aajoeyjo god is whatever you want it to be. For Christians, God is some all powerful being who can do anything he wants (so I guess he is a malicious being). As for me, God is nature. Nature is real and we are all a part of it. I am an atheist, but when I see the word God on money or hear it in the pledge, to me it just means nature.

[VannahWilson]

@shandi411 But the ones putting it on the money obviously don't mean "Nature". And rather than putting "In God We Trust" on there, and having everybody think of it with a different meaning, and argue about it, why don't they just NOT PUT IT THERE? It's not necessary and it just sparks these kinds of pointless discussions.

[YY4Me133]

Anyone who's concerned about the legality of crossing out the unconstitutional words/symbols can Google: Title 18, Section 333 of the United States Code.

"Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note…with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note...unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both."

[richwfd2002]

@YY4Me133 My question is, "Does it render it unfit to be reissued?". It doesn't seem to be the case. Those bills will be reused again and again.

[progrockcoffee]

@richwfd2002 Agreed. Definitely.

[YY4Me133]

@richwfd2002 I was making the point that it's not illegal to write on paper money. To my knowledge, the things that can't be altered/defaced/marked over are the denomination and serial number. There may be something else, but that's all I can think of offhand that would render it "unfit to be reissued."

[EmperorLibertarian]

@YY4Me133 "Anyone who's concerned about the legality of crossing out the unconstitutional words/symbols can Google: Title 18, Section 333 of the United States Code."

It’s legal to write your name or some other message on bank notes because there is no intent to render them unfit to be used (it’s also illegal to write on them in a manner designed to change the apparent value)

[YY4Me133]

@EmperorLibertarian That was my point. I pasted the code because this question usually comes up whenever the subject of crossing out the word "God" is discussed. If I simply said it's okay, there'd be no reason for anyone to take my word for it.

[EmperorLibertarian]

@YY4Me133

Oh, then my apologies for missing it.

[YY4Me133]

@EmperorLibertarian No problem. I thought my intentions were clear, but judging by the responses, I didn't do a very good job.

[theshadowify]

@YY4Me133 Yeah, I would like to see them just try to arrest anyone for marking out in god we trust.

[YY4Me133]

@theshadowify The point I was making is that it *is* legal.

[theshadowify]

@YY4Me133 Sorry, I misread it.

[aajoeyjo]

@theshadowify - I would like to be that person.

[cuznclem]

I consider this to be the people's line-item veto.

[canerdc]

conratulations on closing your bank accounts. 5*

[Katalyzt]

Nicely done Joe ★★★★★

Katalyzt

[TrooperTK602]

Like



[geffel]

Sigh - Britain DOESN'T have separation of church and state, and the queen of England's likeness appears on all the cash, from bank notes to coins to stamps.

However, god doesn't get a mention.

Darwin does appear though - on the ten pound note...

[TheUnmaskedMagician]

I keep a Sharpie in my car just clean my money when I am out and about.

[bamboo4tameshigiri]

Thumbs up