Faith Digest: Academy drops ‘God’ from oath

Academy drops ‘God’ from oath. U.S. Air Force Academy cadets no longer will be required to include the words “so help me God” when taking their annual honor oath. Officials at the Colorado Springs, Colo., campus announced its 4,000 current cadets would be allowed to opt out of the final phrase of their honor code, which they reaffirm each of their four years of study and training. “Here at the Academy, we work to build a culture of dignity and respect, and that respect includes the ability of our cadets, airmen and civilian airmen to freely practice and exercise their religious preference—or not,” said Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, the academy’s superintendent. The oath read: “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, so help me God.” The academy’s first class adopted the oath in 1959 without the final phrase, which was added in 1984 following a cheating scandal. Honor oaths at other U.S. military academies do not include the word “God.” The change came after complaints from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a New Mexico-based watchdog organization headed by Michael Weinstein, a lawyer and Air Force Academy graduate whose family includes seven people who have attended the academy.

Religion motivates fewer home-school families. According to the federally funded National Center for Education Statistics, Reading hour for some home schoolers in California. (Image: Wikipedia)the share of parents who cited “religious or moral instruction” as their primary motivation for home-schooling has dropped from 36 percent in 2007 to just 16 percent during the 2011-12 school year. Latest data shows 3 percent of American students age 5 to 17 are home-schooled, up from 2.2 percent in 2003. Most parents cited the environment of public schools (25 percent), not religious belief, as the main reason behind their decision to home-school.

Indian court mulls mandatory yoga in school. The Supreme Court of India is weighing whether yoga has a religious element as it decides if public schools may teach the ancient discipline in the country where it originated. India’s school policy considers yoga an integral component of physical education. But the court has expressed caution, and it is considering arguments that yoga has a religious component. The issue is complicated because India is a secular democracy but has pockets of Hindu nationals. Of India’s 1.2 billion people, 80 percent are Hindu, 13 percent are Muslim and 2 percent are Christian.