Pat Robertson has never been a pillar of understanding and tolerance. When the Air Force made an accommodation to allow an atheist to remove the words “So help me God” from his oath, Robertson lost all confidence in the service.
“What is wrong with the Air Force? How can they fly the bombers to defend us if they cave to one little guy?” Robertson said.
On Wednesday, the Air Force announced that, after an airman protested the requirement that he swear to God in his oath, that the phrase would become an optional part of their appointment oaths.
“We take any instance in which airmen report concerns regarding religious freedom seriously,” said Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James. “We are making the appropriate adjustments to ensure our airmen’s rights are protected.”
That’s not enough for Robertson though.
“You want these guys flying the airplanes to defend us when you got one little guy terrorizing them?” Robertson said. “That’s what it amounts to.”
To Robertson, asking that your right to practice or not practice a religion amounts to terrorizing your government.
“You know, we swear oaths. And ‘so help me God,’ well, what does it mean? It means with God’s help, and you don’t have to say you believe in God. You just say, ‘I want some help besides myself [with] the oath I’m taking,” said Robertson.
