Still With The God Shit at the Air Force Academy

[Minimalist]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/08...tail=email

The oath of office is well known and traces its heritage to Washington’s oath written for the Continental Army. Unlike Washington’s oath, however, this oath contains four final words: “So Help Me God”. In practice, these four final words are “optional” for those who may object to adding them – consistent with Article Six of the Constitution, which bans any religious test for public office.

However “optional” those last four words may be, legally speaking, the pressure to say them can be literally overwhelming. Large cue cards for all oath administrators not only include those words, but they’re also usually highlighted in a bold, all-caps font. Unless the cadet specifically asks the administrator in advance to omit those jarringly theologically inspired words, they will certainly be said – as sure as the sun sets in the west. This leaves the non-believing cadet the only option of either NOT repeating them – which runs the very real risk of ostracism or being perceived as “disrespecting the administrator” – or stating something that counters their core personal beliefs.

Now watch the jesus shits whine about being persecuted.

[Elskidor]

All of this god stuff needs to be removed from the public eye, and kept within their private places of worship. Seeing new topics like this daily only tell me this is the new gay/lesbian issue and within time it will be corrected. Hopefully within the next 10 years things will change greatlly.

[Chad32]

It's a wonder how it even got this far in the first time, but I suppose it was probably a gradual thing. Like the 15 trillion dollar debt problem. It's not something we just suddenly had.

[Cato]

This silly oath is meaningless symbolism. It has no practical effect demonstrated recently by the revelation that there was rampant cheating by AF nuclear missle officers.

[zebo-the-fat]

If it saves a lot of hassle I would probably say the mumbo jumbo words, it means nothing to me, or I might say something like "So help my cod"

[KUSA]

If I had to say so help me god it would be to Odin.

[SteelCurtain]

I see the point, I support the idea of getting rid of that part of the oath, but as a graduate of the US Naval Academy, they are blowing the 'ostracism' pressure WAY out of proportion. First off, when you swear your oath, you are doing it at two times. One, when you become a midshipman or cadet, and two, when you graduate. You are doing it in a crowd of 1200-1500. No one notices anything. Been there, done that. I just didn't say "So help me God." Then I threw my cover in the air, and partied like a rockstar.

I am a pretty confident guy, and maybe that's the reason no one questioned me.

Either way, I just think they undermine their point when they overdramatize stuff like that.