A few weeks ago, it was reported that the USA Air Force dropped a requirement to say “so help me God” from their Honor Oath. That oath says “We will not lie, steal or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does. Furthermore, I resolve to do my duty and to live honorably.” It was created in 1959 for the first class (remember, there was no separate Air Force till after WW2) of students in the academy.
The words “so help me God” were added in 1984 due to a cheating scandal. So, a mere 30 years ago, our culture understood that the concept of honor and truth are dependent on more than just one’s own opinions, but need to acknowledge that these ideas stand on a deeper foundation.
Now, after 30 years of relativism and post-modernism that attempts to claim that there is no truth, only what works for you, the USAF feels it best to eliminate the basis for the truth. Hmmm…now how does that work? In this world of relativism, what Richie Incognito has done in Miami should be no one business. I mean, he and the Dolphins should just say “Well, those actions and words are true for Richie, so however Jonathon Martin feels about it doesn’t matter.”
That is the entire point of relativism. There can be NO WRONG…EVER. Whatever is right for you is right. Heck, at Valencia, our “Peace and Justice Initiative” makes the same untenable statement when they claim you should always “suspend judgment,” “all voices have value,” “give space for unpopular answers,” and “when things get difficult, turn to wonder.” So, Martin should have made sure he gave Ingognito space, respect and kept in perpetual wonder, yet a respectful acceptance of his attacker’s truth?
I know where the USAS Academy is going. They don’t the many cadets who are not Christians to feel pressure. I get it. And, as a Christian, I actually prefer the concept that a person who really doesn’t care about getting God’s help pretending to care. I appreciate the honesty in that concept.
My point of writing about it is that its merely another example of how far we have drifted from our core historic values. When George Washington begged for God’s help, not only at his inauguration, but during countless other speeches and writings, he was not joking around nor creating something to get more votes. He was rather reflecting the previous two centuries of belief about God and about values.
If the Academy really does want its cadets to not lie, steal or cheat, then they had better realize that if you make that claim merely on one human’s set of internal rules, you give the other no reason to follow along. Your human beliefs are no better than anyone else’s. Hence, our values are not merely human values, but ones created by an Almighty and a Living God.
The sooner we return to that concept, the better we will be. Otherwise, we will continue to descend down to a hell on earth where untoward actions are the norm.