Artist wants to embrace U.S. motto fully

ZION, Ill., May 4 (UPI) -- An artist in Zion, Ill., says he wants to change his name to "In God We Trust" because that's the only way he can be fully free to embrace his true personality.

Steve Kreuscher has a date next month in a Lake County court, at which he will ask the presiding judge for permission to change his name to the U.S. motto, the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald said Saturday.

The 57-year-old school bus driver said the motto perfectly symbolizes his life because his belief in God helped him survive depression, divorce and a home invasion.

"I've had to trust God through incredibly hard times," the father of four said.

Kreuscher told the Daily Herald that if he is successful at his June 13 court date, he will keep the motto alive even if activists eventually have the motto removed from all U.S. currency.

"Those words are an endangered species," Kreuscher told the newspaper. "You might take it off the money, but you can't take away my name."