Marietta, GA Lawmakers Review 'So Help Me God' in Police Oath
City council members in Marietta, Ga., will consider changing the o...
As you might imagine, the religious are up in arms about this, screaming about how the US is a Christian country (nope, we aren't), how this is anti-Christian persecution (no, just removal of a bigoted assumption that all cadets are Christian), and one councilman (who is also a pastor) adamantly opposing any change to the existing oath.
He's joined in this by the mayor, who swears that he'll veto any attempt to remove or modify the oath, even to the point of allowing alternative versions for non-Christians.
“In the eight years I’ve been mayor, there’s never been a problem,” he said of the oath. “I don’t think there will be any changes at all. If someone does not want to make that statement, I’m not so sure I want them on our police force.”
Looks like the mayor needs to go read the Constitution. And not just the First Amendment, Article 11 explicitly forbids any test of faith for a government position. Such as, say, police officers.
As you might imagine, the religious are up in arms about this, screaming about how the US is a Christian country (nope, we aren't), how this is anti-Christian persecution (no, just removal of a bigoted assumption that all cadets are Christian), and one councilman (who is also a pastor) adamantly opposing any change to the existing oath.
He's joined in this by the mayor, who swears that he'll veto any attempt to remove or modify the oath, even to the point of allowing alternative versions for non-Christians.
“In the eight years I’ve been mayor, there’s never been a problem,” he said of the oath. “I don’t think there will be any changes at all. If someone does not want to make that statement, I’m not so sure I want them on our police force.”
Looks like the mayor needs to go read the Constitution. And not just the First Amendment, Article 11 explicitly forbids any test of faith for a government position. Such as, say, police officers.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Reggie on -
I find it funny that when Christians are not given preferential treatment, they cry "persecution".
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Permalink Reply by Dave G on -
Or even when it is simply pointed out that not everyone is Christian, and therefore not everyone shares their beliefs.
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Permalink Reply by Johnny on -
Yeah, serious lack of understanding. This line of thought - "even to the point of allowing alternative versions for non-Christians" - will likely land him in some trouble.
Would be nice to see some long-standing well-respected member of the force come forward and say "well I'm not Christian, does that mean you don't want me?" It wouldn't even need to be atheist, just one who was not Christian who was prepared to prove the point (and file a lawsuit if they really did try to dismiss).
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Permalink Reply by Johnny on
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Bummer...
The mayor and city council released the following statement last week:
The Marietta City Council is not proposing to eliminate “so help me God” from the oath of office taken by the city’s police officers. The councilperson that initiated the discussion to consider adding an option to affirm has withdrawn the request. The oath of office remains unchanged and includes “so help me God.”
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