This past weekend marks the 60th anniversary of the national motto of the United States, “In God We Trust.”

On July 30, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill that made the phrase the national motto. Prior to the 1956 legislation, “In God We Trust” had been inscribed on coins and used in a variety of other ways throughout the country.

Sixty years after its official designation as the national motto, the Daily Iowan Editorial Board believes that our national motto deserves a revisiting and analysis. And more than that, the question of whether “In God We Trust” ought to still be the motto of the United States of America.

In the 1950s, a motto overtly connecting the United States to God or faith of some kind made a lot of sense. It served to oppose the atheist, communist views that were coming to represent the antithesis of U.S. culture and beliefs. As the Cold War heated up, so to speak, values of U.S. capitalism were pitted against those of Soviet communism.

Long before the fight against communism, however, another phrase was adopted for official purposes in the United States. But despite being the only words featured on the official seal of the United States since 1782 (just six years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence), “E Pluribus Unum” has never been adopted as the national motto.

And while some may not appreciate or approve of the religious implications of “In God We Trust,” its similarity to “E Pluribus Unum,” should be noted.

On the one hand, “In God We Trust,” asserts an undeniable faith in God by the collective “We.” Thereby indicating “We” all share one thing — trust in God. On the other, “E Pluribus Unum” asserts, literally, “Out of many, one.” That is, from a variety of backgrounds, religions, races, and creeds, we all make America a single whole.

So no matter which motto you prefer, Americans are defined as parts of a whole. A whole that is irrefutably better than the sum of its parts. But just having obvious similarities should not mean that one expression be considered the official motto of the country over the other. In fact, ignoring momentarily the desire of many to secularize American culture, E Pluribus Unum may make much more sense as our national motto for another reason: timelessness.

Today, the ideological fight facing the United States is not faith versus the lack thereof. Rather, it is a fight between the Western way of life and the extreme views of groups and countries around the world — some religious, some secular (for example, ISIS and North Korea).

“In God We Trust,” was adopted symbolically in a time during which faith could be used as a counterpoint to the enemies of the United States. But the reality is that the world changes. The enemies of one day may not be the enemies of the next. Judeo-Christian values are not being threatened by ISIS — the Western way of life is.