Air Force May Remove Bibles from Military Hotel Rooms
When the Air Force directs its members to travel on official business, it attempts to provide them lodging facilities “similar to US mid-level, limited service commercial hotels” even on Air Force bases spread around the globe. As of October 1, 2012, those attempts will no longer include the traditional Bible in the nightstand.
According to atheist Jason Torpy, his demands have resulted in the Air Force changing its policies on the placement of Bibles in Air Force billeting facilities around the world.
After inquiries from the Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers and a legal review, Air Force Services Operations [sic] has promised to end their Bible requirement…
Air Force counsel has recognized that…Air Force lodging managers are Constitutionally-bound to avoid entanglement with religion. Including a Bible in every room is a privilege for Christianity.
That isn’t exactly what the Air Force Services Agency said:
The Air Force Services Agency concluded there is no requirement to have ‘Is a Bible provided?’ in the lodging checklist. The checklist will be changed during the annual checklist update in September 2012 and will be in effect for FY13…
However,
The Air Force has not directed the removal of bibles from Air Force Inns’ lodging rooms at this time. We continue to review the situation and weigh our multiple First Amendment responsibilities and obligations.
From Torpy’s perspective, removing the Bible from the checklist will have the effect of removing the Bible from the rooms, and he may be correct, despite the Air Force’s self-described cogitation on the issue. The Bibles may be removed because they are not on the checklist, or they may simply fail to be replaced as they are lost by attrition. Since the policy change does not prohibit the presence of Bibles, perhaps the chaplaincy can step in and make amends.
Still, Torpy may be right — there may be a Constitutional issue. After all, the presence of Bibles in Air Force billeting rooms explicitly supports the stated, non-religious intent of providing traveling Airmen an experience similar to commercial hotels. To reverse that decision in response to an external atheist’s complaint — thereby changing policy based solely on religion — may engender just such a Constitutional issue.
In addition, this marks at least the fourth time in just the last few months the Air Force has asked “how high?” when political activists have demanded it “jump!” with regard to its treatment of the Christian faith. A decision — or series of decisions — that explicitly and negatively target religious faith, brought about by the complaints of offended observers, may be just such a Constitutional issue.
In the end, this isn’t about Christianity or even the Bible. The cause of Christ does not depend upon the presence of Bibles in military nightstands, nor is it hampered by the lack of them. There is no Constitutional requirement for the US military to provide Bibles in lodging facilities, nor is there such a requirement they remove them.
What it is about is how external third parties, and the Air Force, react.
To his credit, Jason Torpy didn’t write a scathing letter to the Secretary of the Air Force, demanding immediate action while making legal threats and cc’ing the President of the United States. He also didn’t go straight to MSNBC or creative alliterative appellations or pithy insults to characterize men and women of faith in the US military. He eschewed the style of Michael Weinstein, then, but his aim seems to be largely the same.
Torpy and his one-man-band MAAF have managed to become vicariously offended over anything remotely related to religion in the US military — from crosses he cannot see except on the internet, to the Latin word for “god” — demonstrating his shrinking violet sensibilities and the disdain with which he holds the constitutional protection of religious freedom.
“…What it is about is how external third parties, and the Air Force, react….”
Aren’t you doing the same thing you’re accusing Torpy doing? You imply that he’s got a chip on his shoulder about things that don’t directly affect him. You also acknowledge that evangelism will continue in the military even without thousands more government-purchased Bibles, but then you have a problem with the fact that the Air Force chose not to make a big deal out of changing the practice.
I respect you for your service, and for your concerns about ethics. I also respect nonChristians who serve and are equally concerned. I don’t think those things have to be mutually exclusive.
@MESkeptic
You are misunderstanding the situation.
Hypothetically speaking, if the US government is faced with 10 complaints by atheists in which it is not Constitutionally required to take any action, and yet it takes action favorable toward the atheists in all or nearly all cases, it risks choosing to create the perception of an environment hostile toward religion or faith.
Lots of people complain about lots of things attributed to the military, from the sound of jet noise to traffic congestion to accusations of imperialism. 99% of the time the US military acknowledges the complaint, thanks the citizen for their interest in national defense, and bids them good day. Nothing about Torpy should grant him any greater deference.
The nightstand Bible is a perfect example. The Air Force could just as easily have said
This is known as defending the virtues rather than simply acceding to the critics. While the military is free to take either action, the standard for changing current policy in response to an external critic’s complaint should be high to prevent the perception of a (non-military) heckler’s veto.
Regardless of the demographics cited, a vast majority of the US military is religious. How do you think it makes military members of faith feel when someone criticizes the military about something related to religion and, rather than defending the virtues of the policy, the military simply bends to the will of the critic?
“Regardless of the demographics cited, a vast majority of the US military is religious. How do you think it makes military members of faith feel when someone criticizes the military about something related to religion and, rather than defending the virtues of the policy, the military simply bends to the will of the critic?”
Speaking candidly, I don’t think this specific policy is a matter of virtue, for those on either side of the debate. What I hear you saying, though, is that you consider this part of a larger pattern of disrespect for faith-oriented servicemen and women. Since you don’t seem like a raving lunatic, I have to assume you have good reason to think so. You say the vast majority of the military is religious, but is your approach to faith shown less respect than the less-focused faith of the majority?
@MESkeptic
No one’s specific approach to any faith is at issue. In fact, the root of the issue isn’t faith at all. At its core, it’s simply the way the US government reacts to its critics.
In this case, the policy change may have, in effect, violated the Air Force Inn’s own stated goals of support to servicemembers to placate the criticism of a civilian third party. That the policy may have had a second order effect on the government’s relationship with faith only complicates the issue.
Your “there may be a constitutional issue” paragraph is a hum-dinger. You *are* being sarcastic, right?
Oh Boo Hoo!!! Christianity loses a little bit more of the preferential treatment it’s always been shown. The horror!?
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This great country is blessed by God, but it won’t continue to be if we keep pushing God to the background. Bibles in the rooms are not offensive. If atheists don’t wish to read them, no one is forcing them to read them. It’s time America, the Armed Forces and Christians alike stand up to non-believers. I’m complaining. They can complain, I can complain. We are a country whose foundation is based on Christianity…and not the warped, untrue history that progressives have put in our textbooks in schools through the country…the REAL TRUTH! I don’t care what atheists say about “their rights”, their right is not to read the Bible, not to demand it be removed. Mark my words, where God is pushed out, the Bible is pushed out, so will our country. Stand up, Air Force…do the right thing!
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