By Dr. Gary Scott Smith
On Monday the United States will celebrate one of its great
festivals of civil religion as Barack Obama is inaugurated for a second
time. Although nothing in the Constitution mandates it (the only things
the Constitution specifies are the date and the wording of the oath),
the ceremony will include an invocation, a benediction, undoubtedly one
or more mentions of God in the inaugural address, and the words “so help
me God” as part of the oath of office. These words are often attributed
to George Washington
(he allegedly added them to his oath in 1789, but no extant
contemporary evidence proves that he did). The historical record
indicates instead that these words were probably first spoken in 1881 by
Chester Arthur when he was sworn in following James Garfield’s death.
Of the nation’s 56 inaugural addresses, only Washington’s very brief
second one (135 words) does not refer to God. All others have invoked
His presence, asked for His blessings, and/or celebrated His
relationship with the United States.
