--- title: U.S. Air Force Changes 'So Help Me God' Policy description: “We take any instance in which Airmen report concerns regarding religious freedom seriously," the Air Force Secretary said in a statement canonical: https://time.com/3394862/air-force-god-oath/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-17T23:00:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T10:15:25.329Z article:section: Politics og:title: U.S. Air Force Changes 'So Help Me God' Policy og:description: “We take any instance in which Airmen report concerns regarding religious freedom seriously," the Air Force Secretary said in a statement og:url: https://time.com/3394862/air-force-god-oath/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ec7014aa22157a5/6986a3fe1eebf7130f372b2d/air-force-oath-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Untited States Air Force Academy graduation ceremony og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.S. Air Force Changes 'So Help Me God' Policy twitter:description: “We take any instance in which Airmen report concerns regarding religious freedom seriously," the Air Force Secretary said in a statement twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ec7014aa22157a5/6986a3fe1eebf7130f372b2d/air-force-oath-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Airmen No Longer Required to Say 'So Help Me God' During Oath by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Sep 17, 2014 11:00 PM UTC  United States Air Force Academy graduation ceremony at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, May 29, 2013. United States Air Force Academy graduation ceremony at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, May 29, 2013.Craig F. Walker—The Denver Post/Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Sep 17, 2014 11:00 PM UTC The U.S. Air Force said Wednesday that enlisted members and officers are [permitted to omit](http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/497535/af-to-change-instructions-for-oaths.aspx) the phrase “so help me God” from their oaths if they so chose. In a statement Wednesday, the Air Force said it arrived at the decision after consulting with the Department of Defense General Counsel; last week an airman who was prohibited from re-enlisting until he uttered the phrase [threatened to sue](http://time.com/3318974/u-s-air-force-sergeant-ouster-god/) if the Air Force did not change their policy. “We take any instance in which Airmen report concerns regarding religious freedom seriously,” Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said in a [statement. ](http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/497535/af-to-change-instructions-for-oaths.aspx)“We are making the appropriate adjustments to ensure our Airmen’s rights are protected.” The change will go into effect immediately and enlistment instructions will be adjusted within the coming weeks. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3394862/air-force-god-oath/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3394862/air-force-god-oath/"},"headline":"Airmen No Longer Required to Say 'So Help Me God' During Oath","datePublished":"2014-09-17T23:00:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:15:25.329Z","description":"“We take any instance in which Airmen report concerns regarding religious freedom seriously,\" the Air Force Secretary said in a statement","url":"https://time.com/3394862/air-force-god-oath/","keywords":["Military","Air Force"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ec7014aa22157a5/6986a3fe1eebf7130f372b2d/air-force-oath-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5ec7014aa22157a5/6986a3fe1eebf7130f372b2d/air-force-oath-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Untited States Air Force Academy graduation ceremony","caption":"Untited States Air Force Academy graduation ceremony","creditText":"Craig F. 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