Tag Archives: Constitution

US Military Participates in Muslim Celebrations

An official Army press release notes that senior members of the American military participated in Islamic Iftars in Iraq, sharing meals that broke the Ramadan fast with Iraqi locals and military servicemembers.  Leaders described the meals as an opportunity to display unity, understanding, and respect for Islam:

LtCol Mark Olds, the planner for one of the Iftars on Basra, said the dinners were an opportunity for US forces to show their unity with Iraq.

“We wanted to show our understanding and respect of Muslim traditions and practices by hosting an Iftar dinner for our Iraqi partners Read more

Weinstein Fights Christians in Military

Michael Weinstein recently published a letter “about the importance of supporting” a left-leaning website that is apparently suffering a financial shortfall.  The letter was used in a fundraising push for the site, for which MRFF ally Jason Leopold is a “managing editor” and Weinstein himself is a board member.  The message included an allusion to his oft-repeated conspiracy theory that Christians are trying to take over the US military (and the world):  Read more

“Freedom” Group Seeks Ban on Religious Exercise in the US Military

Despite running a self-founded “religious freedom” organization, Michael Weinstein is apparently calling for the US military to restrict religious free exercise within its ranks.  His reason?  The Constitutionally-protected liberty offends al Qaeda.

Unlike most mainstream organizations, Weinstein’s Military Religious Freedom Foundation still revels in publicizing his organization’s communications, wearing both the hate mail and the kudos as badges of honor.  (They even republish comments from their website, because apparently being posted once isn’t good enough…)  Recently, MRFF board member Richard Baker responded to a contact with a lengthy message in which he included many standard MRFF talking points, like this one: Read more

Christian Military Perspective: Pagans, Religious Freedom, and Officership

Recent articles have highlighted the moral struggle faced by Christian men and women in the US military.  When the US Air Force Academy established an official area for pagan congregation, it aroused a wide variety of emotions, from those who found the pagan belief system repulsive to those who felt anyone should be free to do as they please.  Military Christians, too, experienced tension between the tenets of their faith and the dictates of their profession.

Following an article documenting the creation of the Academy pagan area, a commenter highlighted this very conflict (as she intended) when she asked:

That’s great news…It shows a willingness to be accepting of “other” faiths. Don’t you think it’s great news?

Is the creation of a pagan circle at the US Air Force Academy “great news?”  There are two distinct perspectives at issue, that of a Christian and that of a member of the military.  Ultimately, they form the perspective of a military Christian.  Read more

Chaplain’s Website Needs Disclaimer, Critic Seeks Board Position

A few months ago the Chaplain for the Spring Hill Fire Department came under fire for having a webpage, on the department’s website, with religious-specific content.  Ken Fagan, a local citizen, complained that Chaplain Jack Martin broke rules with his page:

The matter was brought to the attention of the Florida Department of Community Affairs in January after resident Ken Fagan complained Martin broke “ethics rules” with his website and that he has “crossed the line regarding the separation of church and state.”

Now, the assistant attorney general for Florida has said the website (here) must have a disclaimer, and that it may have “information that arguably Read more

Independence Day 2010: Remember

As the United States of America celebrates 234 years since it declared its independence, let us not forget the sacrifices made by hundreds of thousands of US military servicemembers in the name of the freedoms of their fellow countrymen.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions…

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence…

The Declaration of Independence, as well as the Constitution of the United States and other relevant documents, can be found at the ChristianFighterPilot.com Religion and the Military page of this site.

Military Paper: Religious Free Zone vs Religious Education

Previous discussions have highlighted research papers from Professional Military Education (PME) courses that have addressed topics of religion in the military.  Again, as noted at the time, these papers are the result of an academic course of study and do not reflect official positions or policies.  The fact that religion in the military is coming up so frequently as a topic, however, does say something about the current culture.

Yet another example of this trend is the paper “Constructing Religious Empathy in the US Military” (pdf) by USAF Major Jess Drab; the paper was written for the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College in 2008.

In the paper, Drab argues that while some believe religion in the military should Read more

Christian Officer Encourages Political Action

At a Memorial Day event in “Nashville’s most patriotic church” attended by thousands, including Mike Huckabee, LtCol (ret) Courtney Rodgers gave a stirring motivation to those in the congregation about how they can honor the sacrifice of the men and women in the military who serve them: 

We take an oath that binds us to the ideological foundation of this nation – to the ideals of freedom within our constitution.  We leave our families for months, maybe even years, so that you may never have to bow before any earthly king or dictator.  We fight to protect your God-given rights…  Read more

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