I do solemnly swear…So help me God

What happened to the gravity formerly afforded of oaths of office?

Oaths, in this Country, are as yet universally considered as Sacred Obligations. That which you have taken and so solemnly repeated on that venerable Spot is an ample Pledge of your sincerity, and devotion to your Country and its Government. -
John Adams to the Massachusetts Militia

Any elected official, in order to take office, is required by the Constitution to take an oath wherein that official swears to uphold the constitution:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution

U.S. Constitution, Article VI, Paragraph 3

There once was a time in this country when oaths of office, or any oaths for that matter, were taken with grave seriousness. Our founding fathers, as part of the Declaration of Independence, swore their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to one another, and they went to war to prove it. Now, it seems as though our elected representatives take their oaths simply as a matter of ceremony. They say the words, and even repeat “so help me God,” yet they lack sincerity. One may wonder if they have a third hand behind their backs with fingers crossed, or if they are crossing their toes in their shoes when seeing the antipathy with which they treat the responsibility to which they swear before God. The only wars they fight are generally with those sitting on the other side of the aisle.

Consider the oath of office for those taking office in Congress:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

How many elected officials assume their office and almost immediately begin working toward legislation that violates the Constitution or the Bill of Rights? How many have proposed such laws as necessary for protecting the country? If the foundation of the country consists of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, how could violating these ever protect the country?

“Well, we need to ban certain firearms because people are getting killed” (not by the firearms they seek to ban, mind you - at least, not in significant numbers). Or, as the President likes to assert, “no amendment to the Constitution is absolute.” Of course, the amendments are absolute - they are absolute restrictions placed on the government in order to protect our rights; and the oaths of office taken by members of Congress, and by the President, requires they uphold those amendments, as well as the rest of the Constitution.

What about protecting the border? Are California, Arizona, and Texas being “invaded” by people unlawfully crossing the border? Absolutely! And what does the Constitution say?

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 4

Where is our protection from invasion?

Perhaps taking oaths of office lightly is a symptom of the culture. Could we really expect more from our elected representatives? When people go into marriage, taking an oath, “for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part,” but they really mean “for better, but I’m outta here when it gets worse, and don’t you dare get sick on me either, and, well, maybe not death, but at least until I get bored or find someone more attractive or interesting,” why would we believe those for whom we vote would take their oaths of office any more seriously? What makes anyone think that the people they elect will behave any better than they themselves behave?

What is truly amazing is that, as with marriage vows, these oaths are not merely oaths before people, they are oaths witnessed by God. Those sworn into Congress make their pledge with the condition, “so help me God.” It is one thing to not be a person of your word; it is wholly another to make a false oath and bring God into it. This goes back to us being, as John Adams said, “a moral and religious people.” When Adams said that, he did not mean “religious” as in simply adhering rigorously to a belief or practice; rather, he meant having faith in God as a supreme being to whom we would be held accountable. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans are no longer the “moral and religious people” Adams claimed were needed to maintain our republic. And if a person does not truly believe in God, how much weight does making an oath before God carry with that person?

Perhaps also taking oaths of office lightly is made easier by the fact that those who break them are not held accountable. Where are the consequences? Are these people not run out of office because the people don’t care? Is it because the people don’t even realize to what Constitutional responsibilities their elected representatives are bound? When is the last time an elected official actually lost his or her job over a violation of their oath of office? Three Presidents have been impeached, whether legitimately or illegitimately, and all acquitted by the Senate. Only Nixon resigned his office after his impeachment. I cannot think of a Congress critter who lost his or her job for failing to uphold the Constitution.

The American people need to start holding their representatives accountable. Whether while in office, or at the ballot box when terms end, we must make them understand there are consequences for not doing their jobs. If we fail to do so, we have no one but ourselves to blame for the havoc they are wreaking with our country.