"So Help Me, God?"

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States 

against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; 

that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;

and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

So help me God.”

Title 5, United States Code, § 3331

Upon being commissioned an officer in the armed services of the United States, an individual is required to take this oath of office.  The first time I took this obligation upon myself, it was with all those in my graduating class who were being commissioned second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force.  On subsequent occasions relating to promotion, this same oath was administered to me personally.  I have also had the great privilege of administering the same oath to several other newly-minted officers, including my son, upon his graduation from West Point.  It is an oath that all military officers share, regardless of service, and it places each one of us under the common authority of our Constitution and those who administer it. It is that which binds all officers together, past, present and future.  We consider it sacred, and it governs the conduct of all our duties.

It grieves me deeply that, given the path our nation currently seems to be following, it seems inevitable that the words, "so help me God," should soon be deleted from the oath, or at minimum made optional.  By so doing, we formalize the notion that we do not need God, even though Jesus clearly said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing."  (It is also somewhat remarkable that the oath of the President, who is our Commander-in-Chief, does not contain these words, though he may add them at his discretion after the oath.)

Yet today I read a passage in which Jesus also commanded his followers not to have varying degrees of integrity:

“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, 

‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ 

But I say, do not make any vows!

Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne.

And do not say, ‘By the earth!’because the earth is his footstool.

And do not say, By Jerusalem!’for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 

Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black.

 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’

Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

Matthew 5:33-37

It seems the Jews of Jesus' day had gotten into the custom of fudging on their commitments by making their promises conditional, based upon the relative value of that to which they attached their promise.  If someone would swear by the temple, it was possible he would keep his promise, but if he swore by the gold on the temple, well, that was obligatory!  Jesus allowed for no such equivocation.  "If you say, 'Yes,' mean what you say.  If you say, 'No,' mean that as well.  Period."

There was a small flap last week about whether President Obama ought to place his hand on the Bible as he takes his second inaugural oath.  This symbol, recognizing accountability to God for his actions, is seen as objectionable to some.  Yet, what Jesus is telling us is this:  Whether we put our hand on the Holy Bible, the Holy Qur'an, the telephone directory or any other book is really irrelevant.  Whether we say the words, "So help me God," or not, it is still God to whom we will ultimately give account for our actions, it is still God who will judge us, it is still Jesus upon whom we are dependent, whether or not we acknowledge Him, for every single act, even so small as getting up out of bed in the morning.

So, say what you mean, and mean what you say, Jesus says.  "Let your 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no' be 'no.'  For His followers, the obligations are the same, regardless of the symbols.