Replies to Msg. #894527
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 Msg. #  Subject Posted by    Board    Date   
02104 Re: Swear to God - or Leave the U.S. Air Force
   How is it NOT a religious test? If someone is being denied the abil...
oldCADuser   FFFT3   09 Sep 2014
4:00 AM
02103 Re: Swear to God - or Leave the U.S. Air Force
   Sorry Keystone but you are wrong here. There can be no religious test...
joe-taylor   FFFT3   09 Sep 2014
3:50 AM

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Re: Swear to God - or Leave the U.S. Air Force

By: keystone in FFFT3
Tue, 09 Sep 14 3:22 AM
Msg. 02100 of 65535
(This msg. is a reply to 02098 by oldCADuser)
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"So help me God"

The Enlistment oath and officer's Oath of Office both contain this phrase. Normally, it is not required to be said if the speaker has a personal or moral objection, as is true of all oaths administered by the United States government. However, a change in October 2013 to Air Force Instruction 36-2606 made it mandatory to include the phrase during Air Force enlistments/reenlistments. This change has made the instruction "consistent with the language mandated in 10 USC 502".

Tough call OCU. It doesn't seem to be a "religious test" so it would appear that Article VI does not decide the question.

I suggest the Supreme Court would have to determine if AFI 36-2606 is Constitutional.