I was surprised that Good Friday is not a national holiday here in the USA.
My perception has been that USA, where most are Christians, would declare Good Friday as a holiday. Whats more, the national motto in America since 1956 "In God we trust" is printed on dollar bills of all denominations. The U.S. Treasury states on its website:
The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was placed on United States coins largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War (Around 1860s). However, in this present day, there are controversies over the use of this motto, mainly over the issue of segregation of state and religion.
On the other hand, a search on the Internet revealed that in 1797 the Treaty of Tripoli states that "The government of the United States is not founded on the Christian religion". George Washington was often quoted as the person who wrote that line, but there has been conflicts as to who actually penned it.
Seriously I have never given the issue of religion and state much thought, because in Singapore we embrace racial harmony and we are all elated to have public holidays from Chinese, Muslim and Hindi celebrations. Here in America, however, there are simply too many other religions that you cannot possibly have holidays for them all.
