Florida Sheriff Rebuffs Atheists, Won’t Remove ‘In God We Trust’ from Patrol Cars

A Florida sheriff has rebuffed requests from an atheist group to remove “In God We Trust” decals from the county’s patrol cars.  

“They have a better chance of me waking up thin tomorrow morning than they do of me taking that motto off our cars!” Sheriff Wayne Ivey of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News. 

At issue are the county’s new fleet of patrol cars, which are emblazoned with an American flag on the side and the phrase “In God We Trust” on the back. The latter is the national motto. Ivey, in an October Facebook post, called it a “patriot theme” that was inspired by a veteran, as Christian Headlines previously reported. 

The Freedom From Religion Foundation – a coalition of atheists, agnostics and skeptics – sent Ivey a letter urging him to remove the stickers. The decals imply “a religious test for employment” and send non-religious citizens an “appearance of bias,” the letter said. 

“Spending taxpayer time placing religious messages on patrol cars is beyond the scope of secular government,” Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the group, wrote.

Ivey told Fox News the decals will remain.

“I personally believe that our country is at a tipping point,” he said, “and if we, as strong patriotic Americans, don’t stand for the principles of our great nation, we are going to lose…