Air Force Caves to Atheists, Creates Hostile Religious Environment
From Fox News:
From the American Family Association:
“The Air Force and its Secretary, Michael B. Donley, have created the most hostile “anti-religious” environment in the history of the United States military.”
The Air Force’s decision to remove the Bible from the standard checklist for its military lodging facilities continues to get press (much to the chagrin of Michael Weinstein, who wasn’t involved in this story but has been trying to sensationalize another one).
A group of chaplains and chaplain endorsers, the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, has expressed its “concern,” saying that the decision has already been misinterpreted to a negative end:
“The people on the ground, like at Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, were interpreting this new policy as Take the Bibles out of the rooms. If they’re not on the checklist, that means they’re not supposed to be there,” [Chaplain Ron] Crews reports. “So, we’re still trying to get clarity from the Air Force as to what exactly they mean by this action.”
Other than a local paper’s story, there isn’t a citation to support the characterization of the lodging facility at Warner-Robins. Still, the outcome is not unforeseeable, as previously noted. It is entirely consistent with the culture of operations in the Air Force. (Worse, at least one atheist supporter indicated she made a point of tossing hotel Bibles in the trash. In Air Force lodging, those Bibles would now not be replaced, even if they weren’t “officially removed.”)
Chaplain Crews also highlighted that taken in context, this decision represents a data point on a continuing trend of the Air Force “bowing” to pressure to create a “religion free zone.”
“We are concerned that it appears this is just one more incident where the Department of Defense is caving in to remove any semblance of spiritual support for our soldiers, airmen, [and] sailors in the military,” the Chaplain Alliance spokesman notes.
This is the same thing former Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt noted on FoxNews in the video above.
Congressmen have previously taken Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz to task, with US Representative Randy Forbes (R-Va) saying General Schwartz is “as bad as I’ve seen…in defending religious liberty.” The American Family Association went a step higher, laying it at the feet of Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley:
Under Donley, Air Force leaders have repeatedly caved to the demands of a small band of rebels who call themselves the Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers (MAAF).
When MAAF speaks, the Air Force can’t rid itself of anything religious fast enough…The Air Force has caved to every whim of anti-Christian zealots and Secretary Donley is content to allow every vestige of religious faith to be silenced.
(The “small band” is actually just atheist and former US Army Captain Jason Torpy.) In its trend, the AFA notes the prior story of “God’s work” at the RCO, USAFA’s participation in Operation Christmas Child, and an ethics class in an ICBM course — all of which the Air Force rapidly reacted to in deference to the critics. They left out the attack on Travis AFB’s Nativity and Menorah last December, where the Air Force let the Christian, Jewish, and secular displays stand but allowed the addition of one mocking religion.
CARL is the same group that called on Congress to investigate the unusually free access to Air Force leadership given to critic Michael Weinstein — which appears to have included the Air Force’s top lawyer.
The US military generally does an admirable job of defending the religious liberties of it troops. These organizations note, however, that the appearance of rapidly “caving” with such ease to critics, without regard to the virtue of the subject policies, may create the perception of an environment hostile to religion — which is just as contrary to religious liberty.
Also at Fox News and Commentary.
Fox says “The US military generally does an admirable job of defending the religious liberties of it troops.”
Frankly, that should read: “The US Military generally does a good job of defending the religious liberties of Christian troops”
Christians in the Military have for so long been in the front row they have forgotten who is sitting in the pews behind them. They believe that America is a Christian nation, founded on Christian principals and that the US Armed Forces are, in fact, a Christian fighting force to defend America against the evils of Islam and other false religions.
This has been hammered into the skulls of our youth for centuries and made a part of Military training. One has only to examine the new “Spiritual Fitness Prgrams” currently being touted to understand the movement toward a Dominionist Christian Armed Forces.
In a case where Christian Bibles have been made unconditonally available to troops it has not occured to the purveyors of Militant Christianity that there are a number of religions practiced in our Military and it is a slap in the face to those who have been marginalized by Christian Supremacists in command centered and coercive Christian proselytizing.
What spiritual fitness programs? I haven’t seen any being touted at USAFA.
Hi Nate. Here’s a bunch of information from Google. The SF Test I believe may be restricted to the Army for testing prior to general military distribution and has caused quite a stir as many senior officers assume that it is a Christian effort. GO Here:
[Link deleted by Admin]
Cheers, Rick
Well, if the American Family Association said it, it must be true. After all, they NEVER lie about anything. When you want to know anything, the best group to ask is a HATE group.
Ha! Deleting links isn’t going to keep people from searching for truth.
As for the American Family Association, like many other Dominionist Christian groups, they will use whatever subterfuge necessary to advance Christian supremacy.
Christianity has regeressed to a dark time in history when it dominated world societies. We are once again headed fro Crusades, decimations, pogroms, genocide and mind control.
Already we are seeing the effects of mass discrimination against Gay Americans and attacks on differing religious practice by Christian denominations. Christianity is becoming the enemy of America and not its salvation.
Countries don’t win wars. The victory is decided by God and God alone. As a retired Air Force member I would not go into battle without a Bible. If the Air Force would have condoned the gay life style when I was in I would have left the service as I will not support what God has condemed.
If athiests don’t believe in God why do they spend so much time trying to get rid of Him? I would think that if something didn’t exist ……….. nope, never mind, there is no way to make sense of this logic, or lack of. However let me make a prediction. I bet my life that evey athiests will sooner or later, kneel and confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord.” I pray you do it in this life time.
@Steve
@Steve
Wow, Steve, you are the poster child for religion run amok. There is a pathology to your faith that requires absolute obedience. God has become the only thing in your life and you squander precious time sucking up to a God that may not even exist.
You may not use the terms “Sense” and “Logic” in context to religious belief since religion contains neither.
Atheists do not spend time getting rid of God. They spend time defending against his followers. And it is just as likely that believers will go to their graves without kneeling in front of Jesus either.
As for God deciding the winners of battles and wars, seems I remember the words “Gott Mit Uns” stamped on German uniforem belt buckles. In German it means “God is with us.”
They lost badly. Was God fooling them?
@Richard
Richard, have you read anything by C.S. Lewis (specifically Mere Christianity)? Or Francis Collins, who mapped the human genome? Or Lee Strobel, who, like Lewis, was an atheist until he examined the evidence and reasoned through it?
There’s a lot of sense and logic in the writing of those guys. Religion and logic are not antithetical. In fact, Jesus instructed his disciples to love God with all of their hearts, souls, and minds (Matthew 22:37). He did not want his followers to exercise blind faith.
@Nate
Hi Nate,
I certainly agree that Strobel, Francis Collins and Lewis were sensible and logical in a contextual way but still made illogical and senseless observations. A first year physics student could debunk their findings. Religion is totally subjective and logic is notably absent where empirical evidence does not exist. Now I understand the concept of algebraic formulae which can draw end conclusions from rather sketchy information but still not enough to prove the existence of God. I also think it is just fine for one to believe in God and maintain a personal belief. It is when one attempts to bring that belief to others, often in coercive ways, that I object.
If God decides who wins a war, what is the point of anyone being in the military?
@Richard
Have you actually read their writing? I’ve examined Collins and Lewis quite closely.
Religion is not totally subjective. Is there concrete proof that the God of the Bible exists? No, but there is objective evidence which points to his existence.
Have you considered the evidence and debunked their findings yourself, or are you just parroting what others have said?
Hi Nate. To be honest, I have only read Collins and scanned Lewis after you mentioned the name. I am confident in the debunking process because one does not have to address a number of separate arguments for the existence of God or have a number of arguments against His existence to draw firm conclusions.
Again, the logic of which you speak, dealing with religion, addresses only the application of such logic in religious case history. For example, a man is apparently crippled. He goes on a pilgrimage and returns cured. He says that God healed him. Neighbors and friends who did not attend find it logical that if a man went to see his God on a pilgrimage and was cured, that God did it. This is called linear or algebraic logic A+B=C.
On the other hand one who accompanied the man noticed he stumbled and hit a nerve in his lower back on a rock knocking a nerved bundle back into proper position which basically cured the problem. Seeing the man stumble and become mobile after the accident convinced him it was just an accidental cure and not a God wrought one. And this also seems logical.
So, although both scenarios could have logic applied to them, the stumble would have to prevail as all parts of the situation were in place. With the God cure, there is an invisible quotient and with the stumble a visible one.
Another example is, let’s say, the Grand Canyon. At dawn the rising sun in the East illuminates the Western face of the canyon sending rays of sunlight bouncing off mineral formations and the Colorado River resulting in magnificent rainbow-like images stretching far up into the blue shy. This phenomenon has been a staple of the Canyon for centureis. But each time it is new anmd never repeats the same way. Many religious folks see this as the hand of God and not a natural phenomenon.
These are some some of the things of wonder caused by a seemingly invisible hand. It is this invisiblity that causes the prblem for relgion. Also there are things which we cannot see that are actually there but there are equations and instrumentation that prove their existence.
With God there are no such credible equations or instrumentation.
Yet all the equations and instrumentation cannot tell us how the universe started or why we are here.
You should also take a closer look at Lewis, his logic is a lot stronger than the example you provided above.
Nate, my problem is more with the bigger basic issues. It took God 6 days to create the Earth. At that rate it would have taken an eternity to create all the planets , suns, asteroids, etc. He’d still be working on them. Another thing is that Adam and Eve had three sons. Where did the women come from who continued populating the Earth? Are we the progeny of incest? Many such questions bother me and I am not getting satisfactory answers.
Actually, the Bible says it took God six days to create the universe. Re-read Genesis 1. And besides, who said God had to work at a constant rate? I know I don’t work at a constant rate.
And if God can create the universe, he can certainly find a way to populate the earth. One possibility is that Adam and Eve had nearly all of mankind’s genetic code within them, and therefore their progeny were actually pretty genetically different.
I sound like a broken record – but read Mere Christianity, and maybe also Strobel’s A Case for Christ. I think you’ll find they do in fact answer such questions of yours – as a matter of fact, such questions bothered them, as well, and so they sought out the answers and arrived at a conclusion.
Thanks Nate. Iwill look into it. Also puzzling is that in all the paintings and art renderings of Adam and Eve they are depicted as having navels. Where did they come from? LOL
Richard,
Correct me if I am wrong, by affirming so positive that there is no God, does that not make you a god? I say this because, if there is one thing about this life or if there is life after death that you don’t know, it might be, there is a God. But since you know all things, we can rest assured that we are corresponding with god at this time.
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