Tag Archives: politics

Military Religion Question Answered: Brooks

Previously, a question was posed about the propriety of a photo that showed Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks and a flag with a Christian cross.  The photo and initial post can be seen here.  The accusation said that a regulation had been violated because it was

a photo of an Army officer giving a briefing while standing in front of a Christian flag.

So, did the General, as the accusers assert, violate military regulations?

The shortest, most accurate answer: Read more

Mother of Fallen Soldier at White House Iftar

President Barack Obama hosted an iftar at the White House Tuesday night, celebrating the end of Ramadan.  Among the guests were Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Navy Chaplain (Lt. Cmdr.) Abuhena Saifulislam, the second Islamic Chaplain in the US Navy, and Elsheba Khan, whose 20-year-old son, Army Spc. Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, was killed in Iraq on 6 August 2007.

Chaplain Saif, a Bangladeshi immigrant, was one of two Chaplains Read more

Scott O’Grady Potential Texas Senate Candidate

Former Air Force Captain and F-16 fighter pilot Scott O’Grady appears to have begun raising funds to run for the US Senate seat being vacated by Texas Sen Kay Bailey Hutchison.

O’Grady was made famous by his shootdown over Bosnia in 1995.  He subsequently wrote a book, Return with Honor, that described how his faith was integral to his experience.  His book was previously reviewed here.

Besides being a former fighter pilot, O’Grady is also a 2007 graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary.

Commander Relies on Daily Prayer

President Obama recently noted the importance of prayer in his life, saying that he “prays all the time now.”  He made the statement in an interview for Nightline.

President Obama says he starts his day with a devotional that the director of his Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships initiative, Pentecostal pastor Joshua DuBois, sends to his BlackBerry each day.

The Commander in Chief also said “I’ve got a lot of stuff on my plate and I need guidance all the time.”  Like his military subordinates, Obama enjoys the liberties of free exercise guaranteed by the Constitution, as well as the freedom to let his exercise be known.

To date, there have been no significant complaints that Obama’s statements about religion or prayer have unduly influenced or discriminated against his subordinates.  (By contrast, some military officers were the subjects of complaints a few years ago for merely mentioning the biographical fact that they were Christians.)

“Obama’s Church” and its Military Chaplain

A near firestorm was raised on Monday when Time‘s Amy Sullivan reported (and a variety of sources repeated) that the Obama family had decided that Camp David’s Evergreen Chapel would be its “home church.”  The White House staff contradicted the Time article, saying that the Obamas are still looking for a “church home.”  The Time contributor is “standing by” her story, saying that the fact that the Obamas are intending to attend the Chapel while at Camp David justifies her report.

More interesting, however, was the intense scrutiny given to the Chaplain currently associated with Camp David. Read more

National Day of Prayer, 7 May 09

Updated: Obama’s proclamation can be read here.  Text below the fold. 

This year’s National Day of Prayer is Thursday, 7 May 2009.  As discussed every year at about this time, the President proclaims a National Day of Prayer on the first Thursday in May in accordance with Public Law 100-307 (history).

Much ado was made of President Obama’s failure thus far to make the proclamation, in addition to questions that circulated over whether he would continue the tradition of hosting an observance at the White House.  (Former proclamations by President Bush, which normally preceded the day by several weeks, have been removed from the White House website.) It has now been reported that Obama will make the proclamation, as required by law, but not host a White House observance of the day.

Last year Michael Weinstein’s Military Religious Freedom Foundation threatened to add military associations with the National Day of Prayer task force (a private group) to his DoD lawsuit, though he never followed through on his threat. Read more

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