Michael Weinstein and his Military Religious Freedom Foundation have routinely called for court martial, punishment, and have even implied harm against military members publicly associated with expressions of religious thought.  Weinstein has reserved particular vitriol for senior officers, including the Chief Chaplains of both the Army and Air Force, the Secretary of the Army, the members (and Chairman) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, military academy leadership, and others.  His intent appears to be to silence or exclude Christians by changing military policy and public opinion where he can, and intimidation using public excoriation where he cannot.

It is likely that the MRFF’s criticisms of military leadership will continue.  They have already leveled criticism at the Obama administration’s selection for the new Secretary of the Army, New York Republican Congressman John McHugh.

Michael Weinstein called McHugh “suboptimal” and said his nomination furthers the “national security threat” of “far right Christian fundamentalism” because McHugh is a “Christian supremacist.”

President Obama’s nomination…is yet another glaring warning that [he] will NOT engage the chronically serious national security threat…from far right Christian fundamentalism run amuck. McHugh’s atrocious Congressional voting record on church-state matters…brands him as just another Christian supremacist tarantula on the American Constitutional wedding cake.

Weinstein’s rapid descent into disdainful namecalling and gross mischaracterizations is almost comical in its ignorance and inaccuracy.  Apparently, Roman Catholicism, which is McHugh’s stated religion, is now a fundamentalist denomination under Weinstein’s ever-changing definition of Christian threats.  Also, “Christian supremacist” McHugh appears to support overturning the current policy on homosexuals in the military.  Weinstein’s asinine statements reinforce the prior evidence that the MRFF prejudicially categorizes the religious beliefs of its chosen adversaries in any manner it sees fit.

[The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers joined the assault, with leader Jason Torpy saying

John McHugh almost ensures a continuation of the stranglehold of dominionist Evangelical Christians on our military…]

Another person likely to gain Weinstein’s ire as a Christian threat is Lt Gen Mike Gould, slated to become the superintendent of the USAF Academy this week.  Gould has previously said that his mantra for success is simple: “faith, family, and fitness.”  (See the related article for an interesting comparison on priorities.)  He noted that the importance is perspective–knowing that “the job” isn’t everything:

It’s important [for Airmen] to maintain perspective across their lives, which goes well beyond the actual workplace.

First, they must maintain a strong faith and make time to worship.

Airmen must also realize that taking care of families takes a conscious effort.

Finally, they need to take care of themselves.

If Airmen maintain that perspective of faith, family and personal fitness, it only follows that they’ll be happy in what they’re doing, they’re going to have fun on the job and they’ll find satisfaction in their contribution to their country. If you keep that type of outlook in your time in the Air Force you’ll be productive and live a good, happy life.

For his remarks, warnings of the imminent threat created by Gould have already been raised by MRFF proxy Jeff Sharlet.  In a recent joint interview with Weinstein, Sharlet said Gould “forced” Rick Warren on his subordinates, as discussed in his Harpers article that cites the MRFF.  Gould was “impressed” with a presentation given by Warren and allegedly sent an email to his subordinates recommending they read Warren’s book.

Weinstein often says that by attacking these leaders he is attempting to reverse a “religious test” in place within the military (Constitution Article VI: “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States”). At every opportunity he has ridiculed expressions of Christian faith and claimed that they violated the Constitution, even though they have passed legal and Constitutional muster.

But as time has gone on, the reason has become more clear.  While once Weinstein said his “war” was against “pre-millennial, reconstructionist, dominionist, evangelical Christians,” he has gradually dropped the adjectives until finally resorting to the more common attacks against “fundamentalists” or “evangelicals”:

This is not a case of Jew versus Christian, or right versus left. It is a case of fundamentalist Christians versus the Constitution. [Fundamentalists are] homophobic, misogenistic, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic [and have] a virulent desire to subordinate the Constitution … to…the weaponized gospel of Jesus Christ.

Recently, an MRFF spokesman even said that some basic Christian tenets are inconsistent with the Constitution–and thus Christians who hold those beliefs are incapable of military service.

Weinstein’s attacks against Christianity have been visceral and personal, but his intentions are political and judicial.

It is almost as if Weinstein would have the United States put in place his own “religious test” that would violate the Constitution: prohibiting Christians from serving in the military.