South Carolina has a ton of specialty license plates and it may get another.
The Department of Motor Vehicles has started taking orders for Christian-themed license plates.
The plate’s design has a stained glass window with a cross on the left side and the words “I Believe” across the top.
The agency will begin making the plates after it gets at least 400 prepaid applications.
People can pay $5 online to reserve the plate, in addition to the regular registration fee of $24.00.
Rabbi David Weissman, of Temple Shalom of Myrtle Beach said God is a part of the fabric of the United States; references are on the money, in the Pledge of Allegiance, and even on a South Carolina license plate.
But when it comes to the "I Believe" plate, Weissman said he doesn't object to the words, but the specific religious symbol.
"When you put a religious symbol on a state-issued document, that becomes divisive and I think the purpose of government should be to unify people and not divide them along religious lines." said Weissman.
Weissman said he would have the same objection if it were another religious symbol.
Daniel Brown, who lives in Myrtle Beach, said he would pay the extra five dollars for the plate because he thinks Christians should be allowed to let people know what they believe.
"All this other separation of church and state you know it's carried to far really, it really needs to be the point where people can stand up and be proud of being a Christian instead of being put down." said Brown.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. said the license plate violates the constitution by giving preference to Christianity.
The group filed a federal lawsuit in Columbia in the U.S. District Court in June to block the plates.
According to Americans United executive director Rev. Barry W. Lynn “The state has clearly given preferential treatment to Christianity with this license plate, I can’t think of a more flagrant violation of the First Amendment’s promise of equal treatment for all faiths. I believe these plates will not see the light of day.”
The South Carolina legislature unanimously passed legislation to produce the plate.
According to the DMV, if the plate is not produced or sold, all fees will be refunded.
If the plates are produced, they should be available about one month after the production process is complete.
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