Mikey Weinstein Misses Another Military Prayer Luncheon
Michael “Mikey” Weinstein tried to stop Kenneth Copeland from speaking at Fort Jackson’s Prayer Breakfast in February, apparently believing he needed to protect US troops from Copeland’s religious beliefs regarding faith, healing, and PTSD. While Weinstein’s pleas were loud and desperate, the event went on regardless.
Not much later, David Barton — seemingly Chris Rodda’s sworn enemy — spoke at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, but the MRFF was apparently unaware. Since no one complained, Weinstein and Rodda were unable to protect the troops from Barton’s — presumably offensive — Christian beliefs and presentation on the history of prayer in America.
At about the same time, another prayer luncheon occurred at Fort Hunter Liggett, where a keynote speaker held politically sensitive views and religious beliefs opposed by a substantial percentage of American citizens — and, yet again, Mikey Weinstein was silent.
This time, the speaker was Chaplain (LtCol) Khallid Shabazz. Of course, if the MRFF knew about the Fort Hunter Liggett event, Mikey Weinstein still wouldn’t have complained.
Because Chaplain Shabazz is a Muslim.
Weinstein and many of his acolytes portray the national prayer events as Christianity run amok, and Weinstein has railed against Christian speakers — at one point, his MRFF even claimed a speaker should be banned because he wasn’t a “true Christian,” whatever that means in Weinstein-speak.
If there’s one thing more sensitive than military-Christianity in America, it’s military-Islam. And given how few Muslims there even are in the US military, Chaplain Shabazz — once called Michael Barnes — is notable.
After all, Mikey Weinstein’s frequent refrain is there would be “blood in the streets” if a military Muslim did what Christians in the military do.
Yet there were no public complaints — from Christians or anyone else — over Chaplain Shabazz’s planned speaking engagement. There was no hue and cry over the tenets of his Islamic faith. And there was no blood in the streets.
It’s America. Americans enjoy religious liberty — even within the US military. That means someday a chaplain or speaker is going to stand in front of you and hold or express religious beliefs with which you disagree.
And that’s ok.
It doesn’t make them right, by any stretch. But in America, people have the right to be wrong.
Judging by the reaction to Chaplain Shabazz — as opposed to the reactions to Christian speakers and chaplains — it seems pretty much everybody gets that.
Except Mikey Weinstein.