Pennsylvania politics has always been godless, but does it have to be blasphemous and stupid, too?

As another nonsensical "In God We Trust" bill winds its way through the state House, the ayatollahs in the Pennsylvania Legislature are feeling especially devout.

And why shouldn't they? Pandering to religious conservatives hell-bent on dragging the commonwealth back to an era when McGuffey's readers and white-knuckled disciplinarians were the sum total of enlightened educational philosophy is easier than working with actual educators to reform the state's ailing school systems.

In their infinite capacity for self-deception, our legislators look across the country for places where similar laws have taken root and mutter to themselves, "Why can't our schools be more like Mississippi's?"

Who but a liberal atheist with no rights a good Christian is obliged to respect anyway would object to House Bill 1012 permitting the plastering of a "religiously neutral" credo like "In God We Trust" in every public school auditorium, classroom and cafeteria in the state?

Sure, the motto reeks of the benign transcendentalism of the 19th century more than the muscular confession of Christian faith the bill's sponsors would prefer to replace it with one day, but if it's good enough for our devalued currency, then it's good enough for schools in Pennsylvania. At least it has the virtue of mentioning "God," the camel's head under the tent separating church and state as far as the disingenuous "National Motto Display Act" crowd is concerned.

Once again, it took spiritual giants on the order of Rep. Tom Creighton, R-Lancaster, and Rep. Bob Bastian, R-Somerset, to co-sponsor a bill that clarifies once and for all the relationship between the lost and wandering god of American civil religion and its faithless children searching for a meaningful patriotism.

"We're a country that was formed by Christian-thinking people and we need to continue to have our trust in God," Bastian said, oblivious to having committed several assaults against logic in one gulp.

In keeping with such deep thinking about American history, legislators across the country echo this sentiment from their respective domains of received wisdom and assorted claptrap. "In God We Trust," they thunder hoarsely, though hardly anyone has a clue as to what it means anymore. Not that it matters. Politicians will genuflect before any non sequitur that will help them coast to another term in office.

Politics in Pennsylvania would be transformed overnight if our elected officials actually spent time practicing the religion they're in such a hurry to promote with Trojan horse legislation designed by the American Family Association.

It would be too much to expect the Republican majority and the handful of Democrats who have supported HB 1012 to have read Scripture like Amos 5:21-24 that their shallow legislation smugly contradicts:

"I can't stand your religious meetings. I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice -- oceans of it. I want fairness -- rivers of it. That's what I want."

"In God We Trust." What does that mean? Are we supposed to put a sheep-like trust in the god of HB 1012 to maintain our materialistic standard of living? Does it work by a magical feat of patriotic osmosis?

Are students supposed to absorb a divine lesson from reading those words in class every day? Does a banality like "In God We Trust" mean anything outside the arbitrary designations of a spiritually bankrupt political process?

When are we going to learn that whenever politicians put on the vestment of clergy, they're usually not wearing pants? They're monkeying around with a Constitution that belongs to all of us, and we shouldn't tolerate it.