I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe that he died for the sins of man and that salvation is a gift we must choose to receive.
Joe MackI believe we live in a country where we have the freedom to declare the choice of Christianity or to remain quiet about our convictions. I believe that pastors have the right to preach biblical truth, even when it flies in the face of social and moral liberalism. I believe that every person has a constitutional right to free speech. I believe that free speech encompasses written language – especially on one’s private property. I also believe the new license plate that states “I Believe” and displays a stained-glass window to be a protected first amendment right for anyone who chooses this new tag.
To be sure, there are groups that will challenge this option. Some may say that the state is promoting Christianity because there is no tag for any anti-Christian belief.
In fact, there is a South Carolina license plate promoting the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry. Secular humanism has been defined by the U.S. Supreme Court as a religion; therefore, a precedent has been set to allow religious convictions to be depicted on South Carolina tags. Our Code of Laws sets forth the manner in which non-profit organizations may apply to establish a special license plate.
Some of the other specialty plates that South Carolina offers include sororities and fraternities, a variety of NASCAR drivers, universities and colleges, Gone Fishing, homeless pets, and others. And since we have a tag paying homage to the venerable wild turkey, why don’t we have other tags to highlight our other state symbols? It is because the state does not devise specialty plates on a whim. If a new design is approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles, an individual or organization must pre-sell 400 tags or pay a $4,000 start-up fee.
I am thankful that we live in a state where we can publicly proclaim our belief in Christ. I appreciate living in a place where we now can pray in Jesus’ name at public events and meetings without worrying about a lawsuit.
We are blessed to have public servants who offer and pass legislation to make these freedoms possible. I want to thank Lieut. Gov. Andr? Bauer, Sen. Yancy McGill (Kingstree), and Rep. Bob Walker (Landrum) for leading the way to make the “I Believe” license plate a reality in South Carolina.