At the Oct. 12 Galax City Council meeting, a heated debate broke out when Galax Police Chief Rick Clark rose to address council regarding the “In God We Trust” project.

Shannon Watkins The motto “In God we trust” was placed on police cars in the City of Galax and Carroll and Grayson counties — but not without some dissent from city council members in Galax. Buy this photo Shannon Watkins Local law enforcement agencies added the motto “In God we trust” to their vehicles this month. From left are Galax Police Chief Rick Clark, Carroll County Sheriff J.B. Gardner and Grayson County Sheriff Richard Vaughan. The photo was taken on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Buy this photo

The project, according to Clark, involves approving the phrase “In God We Trust” as the official motto of Galax, as well as adding it to police cruisers, “because that phrase, or some form of that phrase, is deeply seated in the history of our nation,” said Clark.

Two city council members objected to the motto, on both theological and secular grounds.

Clark said his intentions, along with those of the Carroll and Grayson sheriffs’ offices who are also adding the decals to cruisers, were to have the motto “as a constant reminder that we live in the greatest nation that ever existed in the history of mankind.”

The project is a grassroots movement by Texas nonprofit organization The Liberty Group to urge municipalities to adopt the phrase as their motto, according to Clark, answering a query by Council Member Robert Lazo.

Clark said he only knew it was a nationwide project and that, so far, only one other county in Virginia, further southwest, has done it.

Per the notes provided for council by City Manager Keith Barker, the city attorney had been consulted ahead of time and it was not deemed legally inappropriate for the city to approve the proposal if the members so desired, given that the motto already appears on currency and federal buildings.

During discussion, while Clark was still at the podium, Council Member John Garner — describing himself as a man of faith — objected strongly to the request. Garner praised Clark and the department, but said, “I think it’s wrong for secular reasons, and I think it’s wrong for theological reasons. I’m not trying to change what’s already on government buildings. But this has become a political issue. We are a multicultural society.”

He said that, while the current usage of “In God We Trust” on currency and buildings was started in the 1950s, society has become more multicultural and adopting new uses of it would be “divisive, not healing. I don’t want to insinuate that this group thinks that when the group doesn’t all think that. When we’re politically charged, that is not the time.”

“I don’t look at is as trying to convert anyone,” said Vice Mayor Willie Greene. “I would support it.”

Lazo, who also said he was a man of faith, added that “ I don’t want us to go any further in bringing church and state together. We worked really hard for 200 years to keep it separate. It was probably right to do it in 1954, and I like having it on our coins. I do believe in God and trust in God. But that was 1954.

“Back then, a black child couldn’t go to school with a white child. Homosexuality was a horrible sin. In 1954 we thought the Communists were going to take over the world. We were wrong about a lot of things then. It was right to put it on the coins at that time. But I don’t think it’s right anymore. I want everyone to be able to practice their faith any way they see fit – Muslims and Jews and Catholics and Baptists, just like John.”

After some further discussion, a motion to allow the resolution was passed 4-2, with Garner and Lazo objecting.

After the meeting, Garner and Clark were observed shaking hands and speaking in the hallway. “I have the utmost respect for both of them [Garner and Lazo],” Clark said later.

On Oct. 15, the decals were added to Galax city police cruisers, along with those of both Grayson and Carroll counties’ cruisers, in a brief ceremony on the Blue Ridge Parkway.