Despite a complaint by the perpetually-offended anti-Christian Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, the US Army has said there was nothing wrong with a Bible being displayed on a POW/MIA table during an Army ball, because it was a private event:

“The individuals that participated in the ball have the right to express themselves as U.S. citizens under the First Amendment,” Lt. Col. Catina Barnes-Ricks, an 8th Army spokesman, said Monday in an email.

The statement went on to say they reminded Soldiers not to endorse religion: 

As the result of the inquiry, 8th Army has disseminated guidance…that an improper official endorsement of any religion during an official military function is unacceptable.

Weinstein had “won” similar complaints in the previous few months — leading an Air Force chaplain to participate in a Bible distribution at his base in response to the Bible’s removal.

While technically a “win” for religious liberty, the Army is only a half step away from saying the only reason for the win was they didn’t have jurisdiction over the event, anyway. The Army makes a dire insinuation about “official endorsement” — which is a simple restatement of the obvious. In this context, however, it may have a chilling effect on future official events, because it seems to imply that were a POW/MIA table to be at an official event, it would be “improper official endoresment of [a] religion” — which is ludicrous.

That would be an end sought by Mikey Weinstein, who believes flat out

…having a POW/MIA table with a Bible on it is wrong.

Will the Army target religious texts in the future, simply because they are religious texts? We shall see.

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