Mississippi has enacted legislature to change their state flag.This is great, and we should all support getting rid of hateful symbols. However, the legislature states that the words "In God We Trust" should be on the flag. This is a bad idea for multiple reasons. This intertwines religion and state too closely, and it does not follow good design principles.

Adding the text "In God We Trust" to the state flag integrates religion and state too closely. This could disenfranchise Mississippians who are not Christians. The flag should be a symbol that every single Mississippian can support without feeling like it was designed to exclude them. Even if the text is removed, this does not target Christians who support God, as it would lead to no ideology being espoused instead of one that disenfranchises nearly 20% of Mississippians, who deserve to have the same respect as all citizens of the Great State of Mississippi.

Having the text "In God We Trust" would violate many design principles of good flags. The North American Vexillological Association, the world's largest flag studies organization, states that a good flag design should not include either lettering or seals. If the committee was required to include the text, the most likely outcome would be a "seal on a bedsheet" flag—a flag with the state seal emblazoned on a solid background. Any other options would necessarily be compromised by this requirement. Imagine if the founding fathers had required the text "In God We Trust" on the flag when it was designed. It would ruin a great icon of this country. This would be an improvement on the current design, but it wouldn't allow the committee to choose a truly great flag. It would also remove any of the suggestions that have already been made from the discussion, including the Hospitality Flag, which is a popular design with backing from many Mississippians.

I hope the legislature chooses to reconsider the requirement of including text on the state flag, as it would strip Mississippians of the chance to have the greatest flag in the nation.