"No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." So the Constitution decrees, even if the US Air Force temporarily forgot it. The Military Times reported on Sept. 9 that an airman at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada was prevented from re-enlisting because, as an atheist, he refused to swear the oath prescribed by law, which concludes with "so help me God." The airman crossed out that phrase before signing his re-enlistment contract, only to be informed by the Air Force that the religious language was not optional.
But under the Constitution, it is indeed optional. Until last October, Air Force enlistment rules — like those of the other military services — had always made that clear. The right of Americans to substitute a nonreligious affirmation for a required oath is well-established. At least one president, Franklin Pierce, took an affirmation instead of an oath when he was inaugurated in 1853.
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Under the threat of a lawsuit by the American Humanist Association, the Air Force eventually reversed course. On Wednesday, the service announced that the Nevada airman's re-enlistment would proceed without hindrance. Still, that should never have been at issue. The government has no right to penalize anyone for personal religious convictions.