Nothing in or representing our government should involve religion, and yes god involves religion.
Religion involves God. But you can believe in God without belonging to a religion - Agnostics, for example, or more generally the irreligious.
The churches would be all over us if our motto was "There is no god but there is freedom!!!!!11"
Because the motto would denounce all religion. Saying "There Is No God" is much different than saying "In God We Trust". The former is talking about God as an entity, stating its falsehood as fact, while the latter can be interpreted in a number of different ways and leaves viewing of it more open. To give brown townogy, saying "Bless you" after someone sneezes is a common courtesy. Just because you say such doesn't mean you believe in God and it doesn't force anyone to believe such either. If, though, you said "Blessings are fake" after someone sneezes, in addition to getting a number of odd looks, you would be making a statement endorsing the idea of the falsehood in blessings. Now if you were a nation, doing either would cause controversy like this is right now. Words and terms occasionally detach from their original meaning over time, but sometimes become more effective as they can then mean a variety of things to a number of different people.
Who cares if seperation of church in state was in the constitution its still a widely held value
I'm assuming you meant "wasn't". Even if it is "widely held", that doesn't make it law. The affirmation of the motto has not been claimed unlawful by any judge or member of Congress (As of yet that I know of) and thus cannot be considered such. Is it ethical?
Should they be able to do it? That's the good thing about this country, there is a chance for change. Maybe one day the motto can be something a bit more secular in the eyes of all people, but then, maybe one day we'll start worrying about more important things.
Christians are in the Government? :/ I thought the majority of the populace was atheist.
Agnostics outrank atheists, I do so believe, but that is mostly due to the fact people have ceased going to church and what not. :o
In my own view, the motto is a good one. It is suiting for the nation, or at least it comes from a time when it was. But I wouldn't object to it being changed to something more secular. Nothing like "In Our Respective Deities We May Trust If So We Choose", though. Either have the spiritual tone or not. Maybe something that rhymes...
And fun math:
A government/itself = the fall of a nation
