Month: July 2011

JFW: The Religious Rights of Those in Uniform

The Journal of Faith and War has published a lengthy set of articles on “The Religious Rights of those in Uniform.”  The series was written by Jay Sekulow and Robert Ash.  Dr. Sekulow is chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (and debated Michael Weinstein at the US Air Force Academy in 2007).  Robert Ash (USA, Retired) is a West Point graduate, served 22 years in the Army, and teaches law at Regent University.

The articles originally appeared as “Religious Rights and Military Service” in Attitudes Aren’t Free: Thinking Deeply about Attitudes in the US Armed Forces, which contained the infamous article by Chris Rodda denigrating the celebration of Easter by Christians in the military.

The publication is a refreshingly positive perspective on what men and women of faith can do while serving in the US military.  So often critics have emphasized (or created an environment focused on) impermissible conduct; as a result, some military members (or religious persons considering military service) may assume their religious exercise is restricted.

That is not the case, as the JFW articles show.

The first article covers the “General Legal Principles” Read more

Chaplains Create Portable “Sacred Shelter”

An Army article notes an innovative attempt at supporting the religious free exercise of US servicemembers in the field:

The easily deployable tent structure, also known as a “sacred shelter” by developers at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center, provides units with a small worship facility that can be set up rapidly in the field.
 
“This provides a facility for spiritual fitness, whether or not a chaplain is available, in an austere environment,” said Chaplain (Capt.) Andrew Shriver, 421st Multifunctional Medical Battalion chaplain.

The “portable chapels” were based on Chaplain Shriver’s own design from 2007 in Afghanistan for Soldiers who were constructing new FOBs.  They are designed to be cheap, easy to assemble, and even have partitions so separate faiths can be exercised simultaneously.

Interestingly, when the unit at Wiesbaden, Germany, tested out the prototype, the tent had a demo set up.  While a “stereotypical” religious demo might have included something like a cross, Chaplain Shriver showed a setup for an Islamic prayer room:  Read more

USAFA Atheists Need Freedom to “Denigrate?”

Jason Torpy of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers recently wrote an article with mixed praise and criticism for the US Air Force Academy’s religious climate.  Notably, he claimed the USAFA “freethinker” group had

been operating outside the Academy’s chaplain office due to misunderstandings of policy and intellectual freedom.

Apparently one of the problems was an explicit USAFA policy against “denigrating” other religions.  The issue?

The term “denigrating” seemed to prevent discussion of nearly anything related to atheism.

According to Torpy, Read more

Navy Removes Carrier XO for Immorality

According to the Associated Press, the US Navy removed the executive officer of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for an inappropriate relationship with a female Soldier while both were married (to other people).  Notably, they were able to produce no evidence of adultery (by military standards):

The former executive officer…had an inappropriate relationship…but Navy investigators did not find evidence of adultery…

Capt. Robert Gamberg was removed in June from his post as the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier’s second in command.

Gamberg, a Navy EA-6B Prowler pilot, was reportedly cited for Read more

MRFF Breaks Secret Christian Code

Last week, Leah Burton, one of Michael Weinstein’s two MRFF board members, launched her most recent attack on Christians in the military.  While she uses the term “dominionist,” like Michael Weinstein she assigns religious labels to people without regard to their actual beliefs.  Thus, though she accuses people of being dominionists (and thus plotting to take over the world), she never proves they actually ascribe to that theology (much like the rest of the MRFF staff, it’s easier just to call people names.)

On that topic, Burton recently wrote a blog re-hashing last fall’s infamous Weinstein meltdown, in which Weinstein wrote a letter with a complaint about ChristianFighterPilot.com which was addressed all the way up to the President.  In a comment on her own blog, Burton said this about “dominionists,” among whom she counts many “Christians:”  Read more

Inviting the Government to Direct the Church

Albert Mohler notes a USA Today opinion column recently calling on the US government to use the power of the purse to force nondiscrimination policies on houses of worship:

Asra Q. Nomani, a former reporter for The Wall Street Journal, argues that the Internal Revenue Service should move to deny tax-exempt status to any place of worship that holds to different roles for men and women. In “End Gender Apartheid in U.S. Mosques,” Nomani writes, “I’ve come to the difficult decision that women must use the legal system to restore rights in places of worship..”

As Mohler notes, Asra Nomani isn’t advocating for those in her Islamic faith to alter their practices; she’s calling for action by the US government.  He also highlighted a glaring absence in Nomani’s treatise:  Read more

Female Afghan Student Pilots Begin US Training

The Associated Press notes the beginning of training for four Afghan women who will ultimately be pilots in the Afghan Air Force.  They are undergoing language training this year and will begin their pilot training next year.

The ladies brought attention to the fact Afghanistan isn’t like it used to be:

For women in Afghanistan, said Afghan Air Force 2nd Lt. Masooma Hussaini, it’s not like “it was in Taliban times.” Her sisters are in school, women work in offices and, by next year, Hussaini and three other young women could be among their country’s first females piloting military helicopters.

The article notes some men in Afghanistan may not be ready for the change.  As the US begins its withdrawal, it will be interesting to see what becomes of the fledgling Afghan Air Force.

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