New NASA director takes oath with science book instead of Bible

By Rhuan C. Soletti

Dr. Makenzie Lystrup was sworn in as director of the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center last April 6 and broke tradition by taking the oath with scientist Carl Sagan’s book “Pale Blue Dot” instead of the Bible.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson nominated her for the position.

In Article VI, the US Constitution requires that all state officials be “bound by oath”.

However, the same article emphasizes that no religious oath can be required for the qualification of the official.

[…] “The senators and representatives aforesaid, the members of the several state legislatures, all officers and judicial officers of the United States, shall be bound to support this Constitution by Oath or Affirmation; but no religious oath shall be required as a qualification for any public office or trust of the United States.” (ARTICLE VI)

Dr. Lystrup justified her choice by saying, “Considering his personal importance to me and how his message resonates with the work we do at NASA Goddard […], it seemed appropriate to me to include him in the ceremony.”

Dr. Lystrup is the first female director general to receive the position, succeeding Dave Mitchell.

SAGAN AND THE BOOK

NASA/JPL-CALTECH

The book is named after the famous picture of the earth taken by NASA’s Voyager 1 satellite.

It chronicles the “exploration of space,” suggesting that “survival may depend on the wise use of other worlds.”

It is an analysis of practical and theoretical achievements of space travel.

It also deals with man’s view of himself and his place in space.

NASA/JPL

Author Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, science communicator, biologist, planetary scientist, astrophysicist, writer, and activist.

He is revered as one of, if not the father of astronomy, and has made a formidable contribution to the real advancement of the field.

As much as atheists love to praise him as a “prophet” of scientistic religion, his account of his religious position was controversial and certainly a bit ironic:

Interview with Robert Pope of Windsor, Ontario. October 2, 1996:

“I am not an atheist. An atheist has convincing evidence that there is no Jewish-Christian-Islamic God.”

“I am not that wise, but I also do not consider that there is adequate evidence for a god.”

“Why are you in such a hurry to decide something like this?”

“Why not wait until more convincing evidence?” said Sagan.

Furthermore, he criticized the entirely skeptical stance of these people:

“If you are entirely skeptical, no new ideas will pass you by. You never learn anything,” stated Sagan in The Demon-Haunted World.

CONCLUSION

Decisions like Lystrup’s are nothing new. Many US government officials have done the same kind of eccentricity, such as:

• In 2018, Mariah Parker took the oath as Athens-Clarke County Commissioner with her hand on a copy of the book “The Autobiography of Malcolm X.”
• Former US Ambassador to Sweden, Suzi LeVine, took her oath with her hand on her Kindle in 2014.
• Neil Armstrong refused to swear with the Bible that the moon visit was actual.

Several people, such as Joseph Backholm, a Biblical Worldview, and Strategic Engagement member, criticized Lystrup’s feat.

“The reason we take our oath with the Bible is to affirm our fear of God and to recognize that we are responsible for what we do,” Backholm said.

“Not only did she deny any fear of God and any sense of responsibility to an authority greater than herself, but she also affirmed her faith in naturalism, which is not exactly a faith, but a belief in nothingness.”

“It is troubling when you are led by people who publicly declare they have no fear of God at all. Even pretending is better than publicly declaring it,” Backholm concluded.

“Well, at least you haven’t celebrated the oath with the Bible because you know it means something.”

“That way, you can swear on something without consequences because it has no meaning.”

It is worth noting that the oath was taken at NASA headquarters called Mary W. Jackson in Washington-DC, a block away from a huge Museum of the Bible.

With information from Brasil Sem Medo