As noted at FoxNews, the Air Force censored a video called “God Created a First Sergeant,” which was based on the “God Made a Farmer” Super Bowl commercial.

“Proliferation of religion is not allowed in the Air Force or military,” wrote the chief of the Air Force News Service Division in an email obtained by Fox News. “How would an Agnostic, Atheist or Muslim serving in the military take this video?”

“The choice of ‘On the Eighth day’ verbiage to begin this video is highly suggestive from the book of Genesis in the Bible and has Christian overtones,” he wrote.

The quoted chief is entitled to his opinion, but he appears to be factually challenged.  The creation verbiage is shared by all three Abrahamic religions; it is not a “Christian overtone.”  Even so, the riff on the 1978 Paul Harvey speech neither endorses nor favors a particular religion or belief, nor does it disrespect others.  The text itself isn’t even religious, beyond the repetition of the phrase “God created…”

The Air Force’s official statement said it was pulled to review whether it was religiously neutral.

“The Air Force removed the ‘God Created a First Sergeant’ video from the official Joint Base McGuire Dix YouTube site to evaluate whether it is consistent with official Air Force guidance, to include whether it meets official guidance governing religious neutrality in the Air Force as prescribed in Air Force Instruction 1-1, Air Force Culture,” spokesperson Ann Stefanek said in a statement.

This is not the first time AFI 1-1 has been cited to restrict something that might be perceived as remotely religious.  Interestingly, some have forgotten that AFI 1-1 also says Airmen should “confidently practice [their] beliefs.”

The poem in the video was a positive, uplifting encouragement and endorsement of US Air Force First Sergeants, written by a chaplain.  Can there really be something wrong with that?

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