The Oklahoma license plate features a depiction of a sculpture of a Native American shooting an arrow at the sky to get the attention of the rain god so that the land will get water. It's a noteworthy piece of Oklahoman (that sounds right; it's surely not "Oklahomer") art, and depicts a major part of the area's history, but a Methodist minister by the name of Keith Cressman finds it to be offensive.
As a Christian, he doesn't want to display a depiction of someone else's religion, and in order to do so he'd have to pay $18 initially and an annual fee of $16.50 for a specialty plate. We can understand not wanting to be forced to display someone else's religion on your car, but we can also understand how the sculpture is seen as a cultural, and not a religious, icon by many.
Personally, my initial reaction was something along the lines of "is it really that big of a deal?" but the law needs to be applied evenly and separation of church and state should apply evenly to all religions, so he's probably in the right here. The current plate should be a paid for specialty plate that benefits the reservations, similar to the "In God We Trust" plate that the state offers, and the state should have a totally religion-neutral plate. If Cressman wins, some are speculating that it could set a precedent that would lead to the repeal of the 1956 decision to replace the national motto with "In God we trust." Perhaps "E Pluribus Unum" could rule again.
Related: Indiana is Officially Okay With LGBTQ License Plates
Related: Gallery: 30 Ratchet License Plates
[via Wisconsin Gazette]
