On a day when Christians worldwide observe Good Friday, the holiest day of their year, and a few days after the world’s Jews celebrated Passover, their holiest day, it seems appropriate to revisit the ageless debate over the separation of church and state.

On Wednesday, Butler County Commissioner Dale Pinkerton proposed hanging a plaque, bearing the inscription “In God We Trust,” in the commissioners’ meeting room.

Pinkerton proposed the idea based on a nationwide initiative, started 12 years ago in Bakersfield, Calif., by the nonprofit organization In God We Trust~America, which is dedicated to spreading the mission of patriotism. “I just believe it’s the right thing to do,” Pinkerton said.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier voted with Pinkerton but later indicated he would not let the county get involved in litigation to defend it.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein opposed the move, saying it would be interpreted as a violation of the separation of church and state. He said the resolution is “grandstanding.”

So the measure passed, two to one, and the county affirms and aligns itself with the national motto, which not only appears on our currency but also is posted in the halls of Congress.

That’s probably at least part of county solicitor Mike English’s assurance that there should be no problem hanging the plaque.

There’s also assurance in the fact that more than 300 municipalities affiliated with In God We Trust~America have adopted similar resolutions affirming their motto as their own, some of them for a decade or longer.

There’s no reason to oppose the resolution as long as some fundamental understandings are in place.

The most important understanding is that faith in God is not faith in any established religion. The world’s three great religions — Christianity, Judaism and Islam — all acknowledge the presence of the same deity. Even atheists must accept the concept of God, if only so they can reject the concept.

Religion is not God; rather, religion is man’s imperfect and incomplete interpretation of God’s will. That imperfection is why there are so many different church sects and denominations, each of which represents a bitter disagreement and falling-out over people’s differing opinions about their creator’s will. Many involved wars. All involved religious people who were certain about their faith.

Thank heavens our motto is not “In church we trust,” “in religion we trust,” or even “in our fellow man we trust.”

Neither is it “in state we trust,” which is indeed a scary prospect.

There’s a hint in irony that Eckstein’s intended rejection of posting the motto might turn out to be its strongest defense.

“Now anyone can thump on a Bible or praise God in public,” Eckstein said. “That is the easy part. The hard part is living out the teachings.”

That’s not such a bad standard.