Any reference to God is a lightning rod these days.

A recent challenge involves the Australian War Memorial which had considered removing the phrase "known unto God" from the Tomb of the Australian Unknown Soldier, a war memorial which opened in 1941 to commemorate Australians killed in World War I. Memorial director Brendan Nelson had proposed replacing the phrase, attributed to British writer Rudyard Kipling, with the inscription: "We do not know this Australian's name, we never will."Nelson said he has been accused of "de-Christianizing" the memorial, which he said was always intended to be a secular institution. Prime Minister Tony Abbott, a former Roman Catholic seminarian, personally intervened to prevent the change.Last week, The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs received a political correctness challenge from a religious freedom group over an oath cadets take to swear allegiance to the school's honor code. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation protested the "so help me God" phrase that was added to the end of the oath that has cadets swearing they won't lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do. The religious freedom foundation says tying the honor code to a religious test violates the Constitution.Stating that it needs to be respectful of all people of faith or those with no faith, the academy said it is considering dumping the entire honor oath or making the ecclesiastical reference optional.Another reference to divinity has touched off debate in Pennsylvania. Rep. Rick Saccone, representing Washington and Allegheny counties, has authored a bill that would require school districts to post America's national motto - "In God We Trust" within 60 days of passage.Saccone's bill, which passed the House education committee, 14-9, was immediately challenged by Vic Walczak, head of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, who said it would inject religion into public schools.Saccone argues that religion has nothing to do with it, and that his intent is to honor the 150th anniversary of having "In God We Trust" stamped on coins. The motto first appeared on 2-cent coins in April 1864, in the midst of our Civil War.The phrase "In God We Trust" didn't become the national motto of the United States until 1956, when President Dwight Eisenhower approved a Joint Resolution of the 84th Congress.Saccone wonders why we can have Harry Potter on the walls, zombies and witches on brooms but not be allowed to display the national motto. He said that posting it somewhere in the building would simply show students that there's a storied history behind it.Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University law professor, said the courts have been strict in separation of church and state in public schools but isn't sure how they will rule.Saccone has been hearing it from both sides. Opponents feel he should be concentrating on solving the funding problems in our schools. Some proponents feel it is our national motto and people need to be reminded to put our trust in God during the good and bad times.The national motto being ruled unconstitutional in our schools? That decision may be closer than you think.By Jim Zbickeditor@tnonline.com