The Virginia General Assembly seems well on its way to requiring all public schools across the Commonwealth to post signs bearing the national motto, 'In God We Trust.' This phrase has been our motto since it was officially adopted in 1954, and has appeared on U.S. currency for a much longer time.

Virginia is not the first or the only state to consider putting the motto in the schools. Such a bill did pass the House last year but died in a Senate committee. Delegate Robert Marshall, the sponsor of the current bill, argues that such a display - especially in these perilous times - would promote patriotism and reinforce values of American citizenship.

It's hard to quarrel with such a goal in the abstract. There's seldom been a time when patriotism seemed worthier than it does today. The only concern is just what means government may use to buttress such values. Those who oppose the mandatory display of the motto point out that not everyone does 'trust in God.' In fact, some extremely patriotic fellow citizens belong to no formal religious body and are not believers in the conventional sense. For them, or more precisely their children in the public schools, the message that government conveys when it gives prominence to such a motto is probably unexceptional for most of us, but may trouble and offend others.

Even some who are devout believers, and trust very much in God, question the wisdom and propriety of having such a display on public property, especially in our schools. They argue that when government makes such a law, it endorses or sponsors religion as an element in public life. For them, the prominence of the motto evokes seasonal displays of religious symbols on public property, which the courts have viewed with disfavor -- as with the nativity scene in front of the Albemarle County Building, which was ruled unconstitutional a decade or so ago.

The law affecting the motto is less clear. Federal courts have consistently refused to bar the use of this very language on U.S. coins and bills. The courts have also upheld the use of the phrase 'under God' in the pledge of allegiance. But when it comes to schools, and children of an impressionable age, judges have taken extra care to keep religion at some distance - not only the Lord's Prayer and the Bible, but subtler messages as well. If the motto mandate does pass, it will almost surely be challenged in court, and we will then have an answer. (Robert O'Neil, National Public Radio, February 18, 2002)

Robert M. O'Neil was formerly president of the University of Virginia, and is presently Director of the Thomas Jefferson Center for Freedom of Expression and University Professor at the UVa School of Law.