Now, if an airman does not want to say “so help me God” in their enlistment and officer appointment oaths, he/she doesn’t have to. On Wednesday, the Air Force officially told its offices to allow atheist soldiers to omit “God” from their oath if they please.
This decision comes following the rejection of an athiest soldier’s re-enlistment. He was rebuffed because he refused acknowledge the Almighty in his oath. He crossed out the words, “so help me God,” on his contract and requested a secular affirmation instead. “The airman was told by his superiors that he must swear to God or leave the Air Force, the American Humanist Association (AHA) said in a press release,” according to RT. The Air Force received a letter from the AHA’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center demanding that the man be able to enlist with a secular oath. The Department of Defense General Counsel advised the Air Force as to the legality of removing the word “God” from the oaths, so that they could accommodate potential enlistees that steadfastly don’t believe in the existence any higher power.
In a statement, Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James said, “We take any instance in which airmen report concerns regarding religious freedom seriously. We are making the appropriate adjustments to ensure our Airmen’s rights are protected.”
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