Thursday, September 18, 2014

USAF Ends "So Help Me God" in Enlistment Oath; American Humanist Assoc. Planned to File Lawsuit

The U.S. Air Force announced yesterday that -- effective immediately -- Airmen who enlist or reenlist will no longer have to say the phrase "so help me God" as part of the required oath, the Huffington Post website reports today (September 18, 2014).

The Air Force faced pressure to change the policy from the American Humanist Association, which threatened to sue it on behalf of an atheist airman who was not allowed to reenlist because he would not say the phrase.

Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said in a statement, "We take any instance in which Airmen report concerns regarding religious freedom seriously."

Both the Army and the Navy allow soldiers and sailors to omit saying "so help me God" from their oaths when they enlist.

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