Air Force Nixes 'so Help Me God' Requirement In Oaths

[Jim_Alaska]

http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20140917/NEWS/309170066/Air-Force-nixes-help-me-God-requirement-oaths

 

The Air Force has withdrawn a requirement that all airmen who take the oath of enlistment and officer appointment conclude with “so help me God,” the service announced Wednesday.

The Air Force previously allowed airmen to omit those words, but removed that option in OctOBer based on its interpretation of 10 U.S.C. 502, 5 U.S.C. 3331 and Title 32, which contain the oaths of office. The Navy, Army and Marine Corps allow their service members to omit “so help me God,” spokesmen for all three services told Air Force Times last week.

 

The Air Force sought a legal review of the rule by the Defense Department’s General Counsel on Sept. 9, five days after the American Humanist Association announced it was representing an unnamed atheist airman, stationed at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, who was denied reenlistment for refusing to say, or sign a form, stating “so help me God.”

 

Monica Miller, an attorney with the AHA’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center said the association would give the Air Force until Sept. 19 to reverse course.

 

On Tuesday, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the service was “making the appropriate adjustments to ensure our Airmen’s rights are protected.”

 

“We take any instance in which Airmen report concerns regarding religious freedom seriously,” James said in the release announcing the change, which is effective immediately.

 

“Now that the Department of Defense General Counsel has provided an opinion, the Airman’s enlistment paperwork will be processed to completion,” the announcement said.

The American Humanist Association applauded the decision.

 

“We are pleased that the U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed our client has a First Amendment right to omit the reference to a supreme being in his reenlistment oath,” Miller said in a statement Wednesday. “We hope the Air Force will respect the constitutional rights of Atheists in the future.”

 

 

[John81]

Odd, considering one gives up many constitutional rights when they volunteer for military service and place themselves under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

 

In any event, beyond symbolism, this means little. Today few Americans take oaths and vows seriously. This is why they can't understand at all how people of the past held to their oaths/vows even at great personal cost (or those few who do so today).

 

Most aspects of true Christianity have been watered down, hidden or stripped away. We can't risk offending someone by being a true Christian but all other "faiths" are encouraged to be open in their religion.

 

As President Bush and President OBama repeatedly declared, "America is not a Christian nation".

[Jim_Alaska]

I consider this a long way from symbolism John. A national oath is something that not only applies to my sworn solemn duty, but it also declares who I am and what I stand for. It speaks to my integrity and honor under a Holy, Just and Righteous God.

 

In this case the "supposed" rights of one man outweigh the rights of possibly thousands. We must remember that our rights end where they infringe on someone elses rights. This man had the option according to the military to not say the words, "so help me God". But he had to deny all others their rights to say it because it "offended him".

 

Example: Someone is offended because I fly and American flag. It  his right to be offended if he so chooses, but it is also my right to fly that flag.

 

Anyway, I thought it might be an interesting read in the light of where our country is now and how we got there through political correctness.

 

It is certainly interesting that everyone, including the power of our government will stand behind and further the interests of athiests and humanists, but deny Christians the same rights and respect.

 

~End Rant~

[John81]

An oath should mean something, and for yourself, myself and a few others in this country it does; but for the majority an oath or vow are words spoken because they have to be, not spoken with conviction.

 

Whether marriage vows or oaths of office, most Americans view them as tradition, not as an actual binding promise meant to be held to.

 

When I joined the Air Force back in the early 80s most of the recruits, and latter those in service, would openly declare they were only there because they had no place else to go, had to get away from trouble back home, only wanted the education/training they could get. They weren't there for patriotic reasons, to serve their country, or to honour God.

 

There are still some good folks in the military, but they are surrounded by those who are in it for self. There are a few true Christians in the military today, but most who call themselves Christians are secular Christians, while many others are not Christian at all.

 

What good does it do for a man to say, "so help me God", when they don't know God, believe in a false god, or don't even believe in God at all?

 

For those few who take their belief in God seriously, their oaths and vows seriously, there is meaning to the phrase. For others, it's just more meaningless words.

 

As Scripture says, better to not make a vow at all than to make a vow and not keep it.

[Miss Daisy]

I'd be willing to bet this "airman" specifically joined the military to be used by this "humanist organization" to further its agenda.

[John81]

That would be no surprise if true Miss Daisy. These ungodly blokes look for places they can stir trouble, try to set precedent for their side, set out to discredit Christians, and in general push Christianity into the shadows.

 

That's how most of these homosexual/bakery issues have come about. Homosexuals specifically go to a Christian run bakery hoping they won't provide a homosexual themed cake so they can call the media about it and have their lawyer file charges.