Airman denied reenlistment for refusing to say 'so help me God'

[Ichingcarpenter]

An atheist airman at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada was denied reenlistment last month for refusing to take an oath containing “so help me God,” the American Humanist Association said Thursday.

And in a Sept. 2 letter to the inspectors general for the Air Force and Creech, Monica Miller, an attorney with the AHA’s Apignani Humanist Legal Center, said the airman should be allowed to reenlist without having to swear to a deity, and instead given a secular oath. Miller said the AHA is prepared to sue if the airman is not allowed to reenlist.

According to the AHA, the unnamed airman was told Aug. 25 that the Air Force would not accept his contract because he had crossed out the phrase “so help me God.” The airman was told his only options were to sign the religious oath section of the contract without adjustment and recite an oath concluding with “so help me God,” or leave the Air Force, the AHA said.

That is unconstitutional and unacceptable, the AHA said.


The AHA’s letter also called attention to a quiet update last year of Air Force rules governing reenlistments, which now require all airmen to swear an oath to God.

Air Force Instruction 36-2606 spells out the active-duty oath of enlistment, which all airmen must take when they enlist or reenlist and ends with “so help me God.” The old version of that AFI included an exception: “Note: Airmen may omit the words ‘so help me God,’ if desired for personal reasons.”

That language was dropped in an Oct. 30, 2013, update to the AFI. The relevant section of that AFI now only lists the active-duty oath of enlistment, without giving airmen any option to choose not to swear an oath to a deity.




http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20140904/NEWS05/309040066/Group-Airman-denied-reenlistment-refusing-say-help-me-God-


Note one doesn't need to be an atheist a Buddhist would also qualify for this dark ages bullshit.

[littlemissmartypants]

1. Kicking. Thank you. nt

[LiberalAndProud]

2. Wait a second. I have to reread ...

no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.


Yea. I thought that's what it said.

[djean111]

4. The people who think that cobbled-together bible trumps any and all laws and

Constitutional rights - for EVERYONE - are oozing into all the little nooks and crannies they can find. Revolting.

[DFW]

3. The God Squad strikes again

These right wing garbage-spouters can't stop trashing the constitution they so loudly claim to protect.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. The Silver Surfer is my favorite God Squad member.

[hifiguy]

31. The Silver Surfer was always one of my favorite

Marvel characters. He had a cool that was untouchable.

[Ichingcarpenter]

35. 'So help me Silver Surfer'

there.... I said it .... can I now reelist in this bullshit organization?

[awoke_in_2003]

36. Ah, but which Silver Surfer?

[barbtries]

6. dark ages bullshit is right.

the air force seems to be the biggest offender in this regard. clearly unconstitutional.

[The Wizard]

7. If an airman said

So Help Me Obama the Air Force brass would develop Tourette's.

[caraher]

8. The Air Force has been largely taken over by a Christian cult

At least at the Academy, judging by many news stories over recent years. But those people become officers, and then they decide it's a bad idea to accommodate people with reservations about the full oath, and... here we are.

[RKP5637]

13. It's like a creeping cancer, out of sight and mind for many, but it's there and growing, and so

totally ends democracy.

[sarge43]

9. This is stupid

Both the statue and the AFI allow affirmation which legally is a solemn and formal confirmation, but not an oath which would make "So help me God" unnecessary.

The CinC can swear or affirm and God is not mention. Article II, Section I(7), USC.

[Recursion]

10. Huh. Did they also take out the option to affirm?

I affirmed rather than swore when I enlisted, and nobody made a fuss. They probably just thought I was Jewish.

(Which gets to the other half of this problem: some very religious people would have problems saying "so help me God" after a promise.)

[Dr Hobbitstein]

11. I was USAF in the late 90s/early 00s.

We were instructed then that we didn't have to use the phrase "So help me God" if we didn't believe in such. I never saw someone denied entry because they didn't say it. Hell, I didn't say it.

[RKP5637]

12. Yet another reason I can't stand religion! ALWAYS forcing it on people! n/t

[NeoGreen]

14. I was USAF in the early and late 80s...

...and I was clearly given the option to "Affirm" verses "Swear" and there was no requirement for "so help me god".


Oh and Kick... (this $h1t)

[sarge43]

21. USAF 62-83

I always affirmed -- five times as did the spousal unit (60-80).

Sounds like one of those ate up holier than thou academy grads got 'righteous'. Asshole.

[rhett o rick]

39. How sad that you find the need to call him an "asshole" because he stood

up for himself. He wasn't afraid to make an issue out of it. The words don't belong and just because he didn't choose to "affirm", he is an "asshole".

I don't like the fact that "under God" is in our National Anthem either even though I can skip saying it. This righteous asshole wants it out.

[sarge43]

40. You don't do close reading well, do you.

Although airman/men is generic term for all Air Force personnel, officers do not enlist, let alone re. Secondly, enlisted personnel do not graduate from a service academy, such as the Point or the Springs. Finally, only officers can administer enlistment oaths/affirmations. Therefore, riding this logic train to the station, the referenced asshole is the jerk officer who made a BFD over four meaningless words and refused to let a noncom get back to work.

I agree, God has nothing to do with it.

[rhett o rick]

42. The words were included because they have a meaning to some. I resent that such

words are included because the righteously devote are trying to force us into a theocratic state.

"You don't do close reading well, do you." Was that really necessary?

[sarge43]

43. As necessary as accusing me of trashing the airman

Let's drop this. We're in agreement about the essentials.

[MohRokTah]

15. So the cultists finally took over the entire Air Force. eom

[Hoppy]

16. These guys spend their time closer to The Big Guy in Hebbbin than you do.

You better listen to them.

[blackspade]

17. The Air Force has long been a teahadists branch of the....

Armed forces.
The Airforce Academy sounds more like liberty college than an actual place for education.

[MrScorpio]

18. Wha.. What?

What happened to the Air Force?

[hootinholler]

26. The Talibornagain happened to the AF

Just keep them the fuck outta my Navy!

[NuclearDem]

33. Well, it lost one hunk of a SSgt.

[3catwoman3]

19. My husband is a 1968 Air Force Academy grad...

...and the takeover there of the RWNJ religious folks absolutely infuriates him.

[Nay]

32. Mr Nay served in Vietnam in the Air Force and this shit enrages him, too. nt

[enki23]

20. But that can't be. I'm told there is no religious privilege in this nation.

.

[whatthehey]

22. Yes. I'd heard that too. Right here.

No doubt we'll be told he could have just lied in an oath and gone along his merry way but being a troublesome "militant" (in this case accurate in a different sense) atheist had to offend the poor oppressed Christians with his honesty.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

23. The teabaggers seem to be pining for 18th Century England

Where there was a religious test for public office.

[riderinthestorm]

24. It's just a little prayer!!!11!1

Remember that brouhaha over the inauguration prayer?

We were told to get over ourselves.

Wonder how long it will take DU to slam those who share that Air Force person's view...

[edhopper]

25. Nothing like

having our own Taliban being in charge of our nuclear arsenal.

[KamaAina]

27. You know who else didn't swear an oath? A former Commander in Chief.

Nixon was a Quaker, so he affirmed instead.

[KamaAina]

28. They need to be taken to court NOW

Freedom of religion. First Amendment. Open and shut.

[Jokerman]

29. I almost didn't rec this...

Because the number of recs was at 42 and it looked great with your sig line.

[hifiguy]

30. i see a lawsuit in the future.

A very big, very embarrassing lawsuit.

[avebury]

34. It would be interested to know how the Air Force would have

treated this same situation if it was a highly trained pilot. Would they let religion trump wasting the enourmous tax dollars spent to train the pilot if they kicked a non-Christian pilot out of the service?

[Hissyspit]

37. They took it out???

Seriously? Who pulled that shit?

Fucking fundie nut jobs.

[Uncle Joe]

38. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Ichingcarpenter.

[JHB]

41. Now that calls for an investigation. It had to be deliberately taken out.

Who did that? Who slipped in that change?

And watch for this being characterized as an attack on Christians.

[99Forever]

44. So, could one of the Christians here, answer a simple question for me?

If your religion and god is such a great, wonderful, and accepting thing, why is it you have to force feed it to people who think and believe differently than you?