I wrote a book, "A Christian Nation? An examination of Christian nation theories and proofs." (http://amzn.to/2E4B5Vg) I spend a full chapter on the Cold War and the national recognition, through legislation, of God into our money and motto.

The first use of In God We Trust was during the Civil War on the penny coin only. It was done to differentiate the Union from the Confederacy.

God is being used as a propaganda tool as opposed to the religious reasons. I question my Christian friends if they want their god to be a tool of propaganda or of faith. "Both" is not an acceptable answer. Once their god crosses that line (as it had in the 1950s) it is near impossible to get the concept back across the line.