US Air Force Academy Adds Pagan Chapel
The US Air Force Academy cadet chapel is expanding to the outdoors. Along with its Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and Buddhist chapel areas, the cadet chapel will now officially include a “pagan circle” located on a hill just above the chapel grounds.
The Academy pagan group is led by USAF TSgt Brandon Longcrier, an NCO who works in the astronautics lab within the academic faculty. Longcrier was effusive in his praise of the Academy and the Chaplains in their support for his efforts, which included pagan rituals for Basic Cadet trainees over the summer.
“There really haven’t been any obstacles for the new circle,” he said. “The chaplain’s office has been 100-percent supportive.”
According to Longcrier, the pagans meet during each Monday night (chapel-sponsored SPIRE meets that night).
It would appear that those who claim the US military is officially “Christian” are losing any vestiges of evidence to support their claim.
That’s great news, JD. It shows a willingess to be accepting of “other” faiths. Don’t you think it’s great news?
The “great news” part of this story is that the military is finally getting the recognition it justifiably deserves for the lengths to which it goes to ensure the free exercise of its members. I regularly write about Chaplains who bend over backwards to ensure the Constitutional rights not only of Christians, but those of virtually every conceivable faith system represented in the military, including Judaism, atheism, Islam, Buddhism, and the Wiccan/pagan or earth-based belief system. This isn’t a new story.
Given the recent dismissal of the lawsuit against the DoD that asserted Christian favoritism, as well as this example showing the Air Force supporting not one or two, but five distinct faith systems, one would hope that people would finally realize that the military actually does a fairly admirable job of supporting the faith tenets of nearly 3 million total force members.
Still, it remains popular to target Christians in the military as a “promoted” group.
True religious freedom is preserved by free and open debate. Differing religions don’t have to agree on each other’s truth claims, they only have to acknowledge their respective freedoms to make those claims. The same is true for the government. When the government allows free exercise, whether it be by Christians, pagans, or anyone else, it is not therefore endorsing their religion; it is simply endorsing their right to have that religion.
Your recognition of the military’s support of diverse faiths is appreciated.
I do beleave that we have the right to practice the religion of our choice. But I also beleave that this country was founded ONE NATION UNDER GOD. We as a nation have fallen from this by acknowledging differing religions and allowing them to dictate their beleif into the very fiber of our nation. They have changed our pledge of alleagence. stoped prayer in schools and tryed to take God out of our Country. Where is their tollarance for religious freedom. Why are my rights taken away to pledge alleagence to ONE NATION UNDER GOD. It is time to take our Country in a new direction. Beleave in ONE NATION UNDER GOD. Preserve the Nation as it was founded. GOD BLESS AMERICA, CHRIS ELLSWORTH
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Um, Chris? Being that the country was “founded” by the Constitution, the Supreme Law of the land, in 1787, and the Pledge of Allegiance was penned by (socialist) Francis Bellamy in 1892, with the words “under God,” added by Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954, your history of who changed the pledge is just a tad off. Perhaps, you could pull out your trusty pocket Constitution, and tell us all where it shows that this nation was founded “ONE NATION UNDER GOD.”
I think JD could have, and should have, reminded you that those serving in the US military, swear to protect and defend the Constitution, which clearly says: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The only other time religion is mentioned in the Constitution, is prohibiting any religious test requirements for serving political office. Your post, Chris, advocates removing the rights of “differing religions,” who are not dictating their beliefs by having their religious freedoms respected, as you wish to have your respected.