Tag Archives: Military

Senior Leader: Christianity has no Place in Army

An article at the UK Mirror quotes a strikingly strong-worded British officer claiming there is no place for Christianity in the military:

Lieutenant Colonel Laurence Quinn said commanders should no longer send priests to the front line and the forces should have non-religious advisors…

The British Army chaplaincy program is different from the US system, with all 150 or so chaplains being exclusively of the Christian faith.

Interestingly, LtCol Quinn Read more

Robins AFB Chaplains Protect Religious Freedom by Supporting It (Video)

An interesting story at the local news to Robins AFB, Georgia, notes that one of the roles of the Air Force chaplaincy is to protect troops’ right to religious freedom — but it doesn’t have to stifle religious exercise to do so [emphasis added]:

They defend the right to worship freely, even if other airmen’s views conflict with their own beliefs.

At the Robins Air Force Base tree lighting ceremony in early December, you would not have heard utterances of ‘”Seasons Greetings”, no mentions of “holiday trees” or talk about celebrations of a “winter solstice”.

That gathering of the troops, complete with hymns and prayers, was undeniably Christian.

That is protection of religious freedom. Religious freedom is not Read more

Obama’s Popularity Among Military Affected by DADT

A Military Times non-scientific survey of subscribers described how President Obama’s “popularity” within the military has “crumbled”:

According to a Military Times survey of almost 2,300 active-duty service members, Obama’s popularity — never high to begin with — has crumbled, falling from 35 percent in 2009 to just 15 percent this year, while his disapproval ratings have increased to 55 percent from 40 percent over that time.

The Military Times piece and another article at the Christian Science Monitor imply part of the reason for the decline is the “heavy-handed social engineering” of the military during the past few years, including the repeal of the ban on homosexuals serving in the US military.

The Military Times article also continued the socially acceptable schizophrenic interpretation of the post-DADT environment in the US military. It first cites sources claiming the repeal of DADT was a “non-event.” From Richard Kohn, a professor at UNC Chapel Hill:  Read more

Confusion Continues over Military Religious Freedom

An article at the Stars and Stripes, making a reference to the congressional testimony a couple of months ago, notes that “both sides agree” that there continues to be confusion over the US military’s policy on religious liberty. The article led with the story of US Army Chaplain (Capt) Joe Lawhorn — who was punished for mentioning his faith during a briefing and who was cited again recently in the Washington Times — as an example.

Nearly a year after the Department of Defense issued a heavily revised religious expression policy that advocates said would bring a new level of religious freedom, the dispute at Fort Benning, Ga., is evidence that the new wording hasn’t done away with old disputes. The fight  Read more

USAFA Interfaith Council Garners Presidential Recognition

The US Air Force Academy has been recognized on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, which is at least partly related to its role in “developing interfaith programs.”

The Academy is one of 98 higher education institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and Corporation for National Community Service for its leadership in developing interfaith programs and working to solve community challenges.

The article notes Read more

CAIR Sues Navy over Religious Accommodation

Update: To answer one of the issues below, Berts has now said

He had practiced Islam throughout his Navy career, Berts said in a Jan. 7 phone interview, but had become more observant by early 2011.

“I celebrated Islamic holidays, I fasted during holidays, I prayed,” he said. “I started to get a deeper sense of faith and started to try to live my religion a bit more.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has filed a lawsuit (PDF) against the US Navy on behalf of Jon Berts, a former Sailor who was denied a request for a beard for his religious faith. Ordinarily, this might fall under the auspices of the other religious accommodation issues that have arisen this year, but there are several aspects of Berts’ story that are slightly unusual:

Jonathan Berts of Fairfield applied to wear a beard in January 2011, but Defense Department policy did not allow religious exemptions from grooming requirements…

First, the policy citation isn’t entirely true. It is true that DoDI 1300.17 (more here) didn’t characterize grooming standards as “apparel,” but it was still possible to obtain a waiver for a beard — as other members of the military did.

Second, note the date: Berts was honorably discharged Read more

Sikhs Continue Calls for Military Service

While many continue to focus on promoting “sexual liberty” within the US military — primarily open service by homosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals, etc-sexuals — few have come to the aid of Sikhs who want to serve in the US military. (Sikhs wanting to serve in the US military have received more press in India than the US.)  Sikhs seek a waiver not for behavior, but for their religious beliefs. Kamal Singh Kalsi, a Sikh who obtained an exception to the uniform policy and was allowed to serve wearing a beard and turban, recently highlighted the inability of Sikhs to serve, as well as the increasing calls for the DoD to “fix” policies that prevent them from joining:

With the support of the advocacy group The Sikh Coalition, 105 members of the House of Representatives and 15 senators sent letters to the Department of Defense urging the U.S. armed forces to modernize appearance regulations so patriotic Sikh Americans can serve the country they love while abiding by their articles of faith.

The re-write earlier this year of religious accommodation regulations in the US military would presumably have made it easier for Sikhs to obtain an exception and join while wearing the accoutrements of their faith. However, Read more

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