Category Archives: Government and Religion

Fired Air Force Commander Cited for Morale, Religion Issues

Col Daniel Murray was fired from his job as the 62nd Medical Squadron Commander at Joint Base Lewis McChord last September. As usual, the Air Force had said he was terminated for the non-descript and meaningless “loss of confidence in his ability to lead and command.”

Never to be denied a story that might sell newspapers, the Air Force Times filed a FOIA request for the details [emphasis added]:

Before he was removed from command…Col. Daniel Murray’s leadership was marked by concerns about his fairness, rock-bottom morale in the squadron, and his tendency to discuss religion in ways that made his airmen feel uncomfortable.

The report seems to indicate there wasn’t one individual thing that led to his removal, but rather a combination of complaints (official and unofficial gripes) that inspired the Air Force to fire him. It might be a rare instance of the vague “loss of confidence” actually being an apt excuse.

As the Air Force Times cleverly included in their headline, however, there Read more

“Religious Exemptions Aren’t Special Privileges”

Some astute writing from Stephanie Barclay of the Becket Fund, as published at The Witherspoon Institute [emphasis added]:

The Supreme Court has consistently held that a government’s desire to protect people from emotional harm…does not constitute a compelling government interest…The Court has protected speech deeply hurtful to the dignity of others, including protesters at the funeral of a Marine killed in action with signs that say things like “God Hates Fags”…

The Court has correctly explained that any other result would “effectively empower a majority to silence dissidents simply as a matter of personal predilections.”…

These are not simply hypothetical thought experiments. After Read more

Integrity and the “High Ranking Gay Jewish Chaplain”

The Times of Israel recently covered the retirement (last April) of US Navy Chaplain (CAPT) Jon Cutler — who was notable, apparently, because he was both Jewish and homosexual.

The article is rich in unintended irony, including celebrating the free exercise of the Jewish faith by US service members in the Middle East — in an era when some are advocating the free exercise of Christian troops be restricted, even within the borders of the United States.

Further, the theme of integrity returns to the issue of homosexuality in the military: With regard to serving as a homosexual before the repeal of DADT: Read more

Satanic Temple Admits Monument is Useless, Demands Compensation

The Satanic Temple built a counter-monument to place next to a war memorial in Belle Plaine, Minnesota. The problem, as the Satanists apparently saw it, was the silhouette of a soldier kneeling at a cross-shaped headstone elevated Christianity.

In response to protests, the town created a “free speech zone” — which only created further protests. Ultimately the town decided the warring religious monuments weren’t good for the town and cancelled the entire idea, including the original kneeling soldier.

Not only was the two-foot tall steel silhouette “banned,” but so was the one created by The Satanic Temple.

The silhouette runs less than $100.

The Satanic Temple forked out $35,000 for Read more

Military Atheist Documents Counseling with Navy Chaplain

Petty Officer 3rd Class Eduardo Otero is a US Navy Sailor and an atheist, as he describes in a uniquely toned article entitled “Not Applicable: The Story of an Atheist, a Navy Chaplain and a Search for Hope.” Otero, a Navy “mass communication specialist” (essentially a public affairs officer), wrote the article in a staccato future perfect tense — making it seem at times like an odd trip down a future memory lane that is unsure of its own footing.

Ultimately, it boils down to PO3 Otero desiring counseling from a chaplain, and he met with a Catholic priest, Chaplain (LTjg) Jason Burchell.

And that’s really about it. The article eventually becomes a “chaplain 101” story in which Otero seems to have transitioned his counseling into interviews with his chaplain, both personally and professionally.

Some of what Otero cites might seem like fodder for Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s crusade against Read more

Mikey Weinstein: Southern Baptists are Terrifying, Existential Danger

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s MRFF recently had a case of the vapors when they read the Southern Baptist Convention’s chaplaincy website, which includes the 1941 quote from Alfred Carpenter that

Every chaplain is a missionary in uniform, and an evangelist at large…

Weinstein’s group let loose the vitriol:

MRFF’s Constitutional [sic] civil-rights [sic] battle for separation of church and state in the U.S [sic] military faces vicious opposition from fundamentalist evangelical Christian dominionists hell-bent on ensuring military chaplains function as “government paid missionaries”…

As previously discussed, every Christian Read more

Fired Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran Wins Lawsuit Against Atlanta

Just before Christmas, a Federal district court ruled in the case of Cochran v City of Atlanta, in which Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran had claimed he was fired because he did nothing more than write a book — one that included a page with his Christian beliefs about homosexuality.

You’d be forgiven for not realizing that, given that the ruling on the three-year-old case seems to have garnered little to no press attention, despite its potentially significant impact on religious liberty.

Part of the reason for the seeming indifference may be the ruling itself. The court denied most of Cochran’s constitutional claims but found in his favor on the unconstitutionality of the City’s policies requiring “pre-clearance” before writing a book. (That apparent ambiguity may be why some outlets appear to have said the Court “sided with Atlanta,” which belies the fact Atlanta was defending and did not prevail in its defense — meaning the Court actually sided with Cochran.)

In its legal filings, the City claimed it fired Cochran Read more

Top Ten Military Christian Stories for 2017

The year 2017 was, once again, much lower on the scale with regard to headlining issues of religious liberty and the US military — to a degree.

Over at the left-leaning Baptist Joint Committee, the only military related story listed by Don Byrd was the Bladensburg cross.  However, several others deal with religious freedom that does still affect the military, like Masterpiece Cakeshop, and Senators “cross[ing] the line” in questioning political nominees about their religious beliefs.

Howard Friedman of the objective Religion Clause listed transgenders in the military as one of the top stories of the year, which many would (incorrectly) argue isn’t actually a “religious” issue. He also listed Masterpiece Cakeshop as a lead story.

As for ChristianFighterPilot.com, the following Read more

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