This year issues of military religious freedom have boiled to the surface in two primary ways: free exercise and public expression.

For example, in its “top ten” list for 2018, The Baptist Joint Committee, a left-leaning group on religious liberty issues, highlighted the Masterpiece Cakeshop at #8 and the Bladensburg Peace Cross at #7. Similarly, Howard Friedman at the Religion Clause put Masterpiece Cakeshop at #1. The resolution of the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, which is arguably still ongoing, is directly related to the military: The case will ultimately influence whether the government can require a US servicemember to act in contravention of his religious beliefs in the name of sexual liberty.

The Bladensburg Peace Cross is yet the latest in a decades-long string of attacks by anti-religious groups who have fought the display of religion in the public square. Whether the peace cross — which is a war memorial — can continue to stand will ultimately determine the fate of every other military memorial — including those that stand at Arlington and other national cemeteries.

Religion and the military — and its potential conflict with changing standards on sexuality — will continue to be an issue in 2019.  Incoming House Democrats have already announced their plans to push the transgender issue forward once again.

Similarly, issues free exercise and public expression were evident within the military this year, as well.  Here at ChristianFighterPilot.com, the most popular stories were generally those involving attacks on the religious freedom of US troops, with a few other notables. Michael “Mikey” Weinstein makes an appearance, for obvious reasons, as does Ashley Broadway, who claimed in April that simply knowing a military commander was a Christian was a “failure of leadership.”

In order:

1. Mikey Weinstein Targets AF Gen John Teichert over Christianity
2. Fired Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran Wins Lawsuit Against Atlanta
3. Military Atheist Documents Counseling with Navy Chaplain
4. Fired Air Force Commander Cited for Morale, Religion Issues
5. Army Grants Religious Accommodation for Pagan Beard
6. Air Force Football Player Lauded for Sexual Preference
7. Air Force Exonerates Col Leland Bohannon over Faith, Homosexuality
8. Mikey Weinstein: Southern Baptists are Terrifying, Existential Danger
9. Mikey Weinstein Says Chaplain Scott Squires is “Intolerant Filth”
10. Ashley Broadway: Knowing Commanders are Christians is Failure of Leadership

The noteworthy thing about all the Christians in the stories above is they “won” — even if the hard-fought victory was simply the right to exercise the constitutional rights they already had.  To wit, General Teichert, Col Bohannon, and Chaplain Squires were all found “innocent” of charges leveled by Mikey Weinstein.  In fact, it seems not one of Mikey Weinstein’s demands for the punishment of Christians in the military this year came to fruition.

That trend should tell you something.

Yet, Mikey Weinstein will still make accusations against military Christians in 2019.  Maybe this will be the year the US government treats Weinstein’s vitriol and hatred as the bigotry it so evidently is.  If Grand Forks is any indication, it’s going to be a good year for military religious freedom.

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