Lt. Col. John Painter is the wing chaplain at Charleston Air Force Base and the staff chaplain at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston. He has served servicemembers in war as well as their families back home.
Regardless of the religious denomination, Painter serves as an everyday spiritual needs adviser, providing religious consulting and Read more
Love how they burn your synagogues…
– Lyrics by Aiden, Rock Beyond Belief lead-in act
The band Aiden has announced it will be playing the atheist festival “Rock Beyond Belief” at Fort Bragg in March 2012, as the lead-in act to Richard Dawkins, the main attraction at the “concert.”
Never heard of them? You’re not the only one. But first, take a look at what the band said in their announcement [emphasis added]:
Justin Griffith, the soldier in charge of setting this up has a very interesting story to tell. The United States military had no problems funding a christian based musical event, but when it was suggested that the large number of atheists and secular humanists who are enlisted, would like to have a function of their own choosing, the top leaders at Fort Bragg decided to pull the plug on the entire thing. Cutting the funding without any reason at all, that I can see, except that maybe christians in the Army are the only ones allowed to have fun…
They fought the law and THEY WON.
Given that they attribute their information to the soldier hosting Rock Beyond Belief, Justin Griffith, its unlikely a call to correct their misinformation would go far.
For the record (again, and again), the US military did not fund a “Christian Read more
Last week’s speculation that the atheist Rock Beyond Belief would likely face more struggles against US Army restrictions inspired an amazing onslaught of vitriol from the MRFF and its supporters. That the publicity-hungry event scheduled for the end of March might have another brouhaha in its future seemed to strike a chord.
The MRFF’s Chris Rodda didn’t mince words [formatting original]:
THIS IS COMPLETE BULLSH–…
Strong words for something she supposedly considered so trivial.
It is possible Rodda really is as ignorant as she’s implying, despite the fact her role as Michael Weinstein’s research assistant should have informed her of what problems may yet be experienced by Rock Beyond Belief.
Last year Rock Beyond Belief organizers obtained copies of documents from Rock the Fort through the Freedom of Information Act. Though the information has always been in public view, ChristianFighterPilot.com is currently the only site to highlight this fact from the Rock the Fort After Action Report:
“The bands and speakers stayed within the parameters Read more
While some military atheists contend differently, a Mental Floss writer has started to compile short stories of heroic US military chaplains, well back into US history. The author notes
Military chaplains are classified as non-combatants, but they still put their lives on the line to serve their country and its military members—and often civilians and enemy soldiers, too. Many went above and beyond the call of duty, and their stories should be remembered.
Worth a read, in Parts One and Two.
Via ArmyChaplaincy.com (2).
In a move that will likely cause Michael Weinstein, Richard Baker, Leah Burton and other conspiracy theorists to have heart palpitations, author Mark Andrews has released an eBook entitled Sword of the Covenant.
The premise: The US “lacks the political will” to help prevent the annihilation of Israel by Iran, so two top Pentagon officials try to convince USAF fighter pilots in Turkey and US Navy fighter pilots on a gulf-based aircraft carrier — all evangelical Christians — to launch Read more
Navy Chaplain (Lt) Eric Hammen has been FOB-hopping from outpost to outpost in Afghanistan, as many chaplains have — serving US servicemembers even in their very foxholes.
To have the opportunity to go out and minister, that’s really special to me.
Jeff Yang of the Wall Street Journal, writing in the “Arts and Entertainment” section, notes “unsettling parallels” between recent implications of hazing and the 1992 Tom Cruise/Jack Nicholson A Few Good Men.
The wandering article touches on religion, race, discipline, and the recent suicides of servicemembers thought to be related to hazing, as with PVT Danny Chen in Afghanistan.
The article closes in citing the ironic participation in hazing by members of military academies — while simultaneously demanding their subordinates recite “Schofield’s Quote,” which denounces Read more
A group of Army chaplains sat down with a local reporter and helped explain their role in the US military — a role that goes well beyond leading Sunday services. Chaplain (LtCol) Paul Hurley was joined by five chaplains:
Major Moon Kim, a Presbyterian minister who serves as Deputy Division Chaplain; Maj. Clayton Gregory, a Church of God minister and Family Life Chaplain; Capt. Jared Vineyard, 4th Brigade Combat Team; Capt. Erik Alfsen, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, and Capt. William “Jeff” Sheets, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion…
They talked about their service to the wounded and dying in Afghanistan and Iraq, some they knew personally. In fact, the personal relationship with the troops was a focal point of their ministry: Read more