A tweet that sparked a viral story last month was that of the National Cathedral’s January 12 blessing of the official Space Force Bible.
The National Cathedral’s tweet read (emphasis added):
“The Washington National Cathedral on Sunday blessed the official Bible for the new @SpaceForceDoD, which will be used to swear in all commanders of America's newest military branch.”
The National Cathedral’s tweet, which has since been deleted, quickly got responses such as “Gross" and “Um. We don't swear our military oaths on a Bible, or any text for that matter.”
The Space Force Bible blessing was also objected to by civil rights organizations, including the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), which wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper decrying the Bible blessing, and has just received a response from the Air Force’s top JAG, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Rockwell, on Esper’s behalf, which said in part:
“The tweet you quoted inaccurately described the intent for the ceremony. There are no official Air Force or Space Force religious or other sacred texts, nor is there any requirement for a member to use any sacred or religious text during swearing-in ceremonies.”
So then, Lt. Gen. Rockwell, what was the intent for the ceremony? Why was this Bible, held by the Air Force’s chief of chaplains decked out in full dress uniform, blessed for the Space Force if the intent wasn’t that it would somehow officially be used by the Space Force? Why, then, have a Bible blessing ceremony at all? Unless the Bible was being blessed in hopes of evangelizing whatever extraterrestrial aliens the Space Force might round up, the Air Force went to the trouble of holding a ceremony that apparently, according to Lt. Gen. Rockwell, had no intent at all. It was apparently just held for evangelical shits and giggles!