As a matter of fact I think it is a bad thing that any form of deity is referred to in legal code and in hindsight even more so. I always get an uncanny feeling when references are made to god outside churches; it tends to be a slippery sloop. A general reference there, some public praying there, some talk about being in pace with tradition, and woops the spirit jumps in as a sticker in biological textbooks.
I agree completely. Interestingly, so did many of the US's founders - including those who wrote the Declaration of Independence, and the group who wrote the Constitution. The very LAST thing they wanted in general was to bring religion into the mix. Both are very interesting documents. Worth a read if you have the time.
One of the reasons we have so many problems in the US today - the "foundation" of the debate (or at least the philosophical underpinnings) - is that the Religious Right US has forgotten the critical principles on which the US was founded (or choses to ignore them). Indeed, although they call themselves "Republican", they have even forgotten the roots of what they claim is their own party. A very bad time to be a gringo...