Does including the phrase, “So help me God” to an oath add value or impact? The United States Air Force Academy believed so in 1984 when it changed the candidate oath to include these words. But now they are removing the same words because of a complaint by the Military for Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF).
Only a year ago, the Latin word for “God” was removed from the logo of an Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. The word was removed after objections by the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers.
Is religion in the U.S. military under attack from “friendly fire?” Undermining and demeaning Christian faith in the armed forces is expected to come from Jihadists, but it seems that there is a domestic battle being waged as well.
“A Clear and Present Danger: The Threat to Religious Liberty in the Military” is the title of a report recently released by the Family Research Council (FRC). It is replete with cases in which service members were denied what the FRC calls First Amendment freedoms of speech and religion.
Just a few of those examples include:
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center issued a policy banning Bibles in September 2011. The ban was revoked after much public outrage. ,
- According to published reports, in November 2011 the Air Force Academy Commandant of Cadets issued a formal apology to MRFF President Mickey Weinstein for promoting a charity that gives toys to needy children at Christmas. The charity, called Operation Christmas Child, is affiliated with Rev. Franklin Graham’s charity, Samaritan’s Purse.
- In March 2012, “Evangelical Christianity” and “Catholicism” were listed as examples of religious extremism by officials leading the Pennsylvania Army Reserve Equal Opportunity training course on extremism. Also included were Al Qaeda, Hamas and the Ku Klux Klan.
- There were media reports that military officials ordered soldiers to remove a steeple and cover up cross-shaped windows at a make-shift chapel at a forward operating base in Afghanistan, in order the keep the facility ”neutral and open to all religions.”
The decision to make “so help me God” optional in reciting the oath is not enough for Weinstein.
“Are they taking the four words out?” Weinstein asked. “If the words are still there, if our clients are willing to come forward, we’ll sue the academy in federal court aggressively and as soon as we can.
According to a Breibart.com report, Weinstein has a no-tolerance view of Christianity in the military. One of his beliefs is that soldiers – even chaplains who share the gospel of Jesus Christ – are guilty of “treason.”
In the Washington Times, news writer Cheryl K. Chumley wrote a piece entitled, “Military under attack: Fight to show faith impacting ‘readiness’” in which military officials allege that the anti-faith attacks are impacting national security.
The story quoted Lieutenant General William “Jerry” Boykin, who served 36 years in the Army and now holds a leadership position at the FRC.
“[The attacks] will force religion to go underground and that will lead to retention problems,” he said. “People of faith will not stay in the military and people of faith will not join the military. [What’s happening] is not about declining faith. It’s about the suppression of faith and the restrictions on faith. And that impacts the military’s readiness.”
With groups like the MRFF on the rise, it’s not surprising that the Pentagon issued a statement saying, “Soldiers who promote their faith can be prosecuted under military law.” The statement went on to say that, “Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense.”
Removing the right for soldiers to exercise and express their faith is not only harmful to them as individuals, it is harmful to the country…and it is unconstitutional. There would likely be an ugly uprising if any comparative actions were taken, or even spoken, against Muslims in the military.
Men and women defending the security of the United States deserve the right to worship God and freely express their faith. As a follower of Christ, and a citizen of the United States, you can engage in this battle through spiritual warfare.
As you pray, consider including these specific prayer points:
- Pray for military men and women of faith to be protected from physical, emotional and spiritual harm
- Pray truth for those who are deceived into believing that faith practices should be banned from the military
- Pray that Congress will stand up against the tide of attacks against religious freedom
Diane Markins hosts a program on a Christian radio station in Phoenix, AZ, writes two blogs, is a conference speaker and the author of a new book. She lives near her children and grandbabies in the desert with her husband of 33 years.
