HOT on the heels of the Indiania “In God We Trust” licence plate controversy comes the news today that the Florida legislature is to consider a speciality plate with a design that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words “I Believe”.

According to this Google report, it’s the brainchild of Craig Dobson from Faith in Teaching who submitted the design for consideration. The group supports “faith-based” schools activities.

If approved Florida would be the first US state to have a licence plate featuring a religious symbol that is not part of a college logo. The plate would cost drivers an extra $25 annual fee.

Democrat representative Edward Bullard, the plate’s sponsor, said people who “believe in their college or university” or “believe in their football team” already have licence plates they can buy. The new design is a chance for others to put a tag on their cars with “something they believe in,” he said.

But Bullard isn’t sure all groups should be able to express their preference. If atheists came up with an “I Don’t Believe” plate, for example, he said he would probably oppose it.

His plan is not without opposition.

Said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida:

The problem with the state manufacturing the plate is that it sends a message that Florida is essentially a Christian state, and gives the appearance that the state is endorsing a particular religious preference.

Simon added that approval of the plate could prompt many other groups to seek their own designs, and they could claim discrimination if their plans were rejected.

That could even allow the Ku Klux Klan to get a plate.

And some lawmakers warn that the state should be wary of the plan. Rep. Kelly Skidmore, a Roman Catholic, believes the “I Believe” plate is inappropriate for the government to produce. Said Skidmore, a Democrat who voted against the plate in committee:

It’s not a road I want to go down. I don’t want to see the Star of David next. I don’t want to see a Torah next. None of that stuff is appropriate to me …

This isn’t the first time a Florida license plate design has created religious controversy. In 1999, lawmakers approved a bright yellow “Choose Life” license plate with a picture of a boy and girl. It raises money for agencies that encourage women to not have abortions.

That generated a court battle, with abortion rights groups saying the plate had religious overtones. But it was ruled legal, and about a dozen states now have similar plates.

A “Trust God” license plate was proposed in Florida in 2003. It would have given money to Christian radio stations and charities, but was never produced.

FOOTNOTE: I don’t know whether Americans are as wary of vehicles bearing religious slogans as we are in the UK.  Certainly, the most dangerous drivers I have encountered in 30 years of motorcycling in London and the South East have displayed the fish and other Christian symbols, and on one occasion I was almost wiped out by a driver whose bumper sticker read:  “God is the driver, I am only the passenger.” When I furiously banged on his window and asked where the hell God got his driver’s licence, the quivering driver stared straight ahead, and maintained a white-knuckled grip on his steering wheel.