Tag Archives: Military

USAFA Inspires Religious Respect, MRFF Inspires Cadet Disrespect

The US Air Force Academy is holding a Religious Respect Conference this week, inviting “religious and First Amendment advocacy groups” to meet with cadets and chaplains on the topics of religious tolerance and dignity.

On the topic of training in religious respect, the Academy had a noble goal for its future officers:

“The…goal is teaching an ethic of respect regardless of who people are, whether they follow one faith or another faith or no faith at all,” said Chaplain (Col.) Robert Bruno…”What we are trying to teach is a fundamental ethic of respect. We recognize the inherent dignity of every human being…”
 
“We agree to disagree agreeably, civilly, respectfully, professionally,” he said.

On accommodation, Jewish Chaplain (Maj) Joshua Narrowe made an Read more

Michael Weinstein Backs Down on Years of JAG Service

Michael Weinstein, frequent critic of religious freedom in the US military, has often tried to lend weight to his vitriolic attacks by saying he served “10 years as an Air Force JAG.”  (In fact, his website still carries the assertion.)  As has been noted here before, given the dates he entered and left the Air Force, that claim takes a bit of creative math.  Weinstein finally felt the heat and recently began qualifying Read more

Guard Wounded in Terrorist Attack, Soldiers in Workplace Violence

Floyd Corkins is the man who allegedly tried to enter the Family Research Council’s building in Washington, DC, with 15 Chick-FIL-A sandwiches, a gun, and 50 rounds of ammunition.  He wounded a guard before he was wrestled to the ground.  He claimed he didn’t like the FRC’s politics.

He has been charged with domestic terrorism.

Corkins, of Herndon, Virginia, pleaded not guilty in a brief hearing before U.S. District Judge Richard Roberts. The charges include committing an act of terrorism Read more

Doctoral Survey on God, Coping and Combat

A Regent University doctoral student is studying the psychology of religious coping of military personnel following exposure to combat, and he’s collecting data using an online survey.  While the survey may cause some to remember their combat experiences, the questions themselves are otherwise benign, if a bit fuzzy at times.

If you’re a combat-experienced believer in God, you can contribute to the data through the survey here.

Wounded Warriors Journey with Israeli Peers

Jews in Green reports on an interesting program that teams US military veterans with their peers in the Israeli Defense Forces to “heal” during a 10-day visit to the Holy Land.  The program is known as “Heroes to Heroes.”

Heroes To Heroes Journeys to Israel gives American disabled veterans the experience of a lifetime and is designed to educate, motivate, stimulate discussion and bonding with peers, and be a springboard for emotional and spiritual healing both during and after the experience.

The trips are free.

It appears to be a unique and fascinating experience available to wounded “veterans from all services and all backgrounds.”

Seabees Help Chaplain Support Religious Freedom

Chaplain (LtCmdr) Neal Kreisler traveled with some unique kit to support the spiritual fitness of the troops he served, but not all the pieces made the transit.  So he got a little help.  Kreisler

brought a kosher Sukkah, or a small dwelling used outside the home during the holiday, that those practicing Judaism believe represents the Clouds of Glory by which the Israelites were protected after their exodus from Egypt…

While in transit, a piece of the Sukkah was lost and Rabbi Read more

California Passes Unnecessary Law with No Fanfare

The state of California recently passed a law — SB1140 — that explicitly states clergy are not required to perform homosexual ceremonies.  The law is naturally intended to protect those who might have faced attacks — potentially through equal opportunity or even IRS channels — against religious leaders who act on their faith in opposition to homosexuality:

A person…shall not be required to solemnize a marriage that is contrary to the tenets of his or her faith. Any refusal to solemnize a marriage…shall not affect the tax-exempt status of any entity.

Notably, no law required clergy to act against their faith.  The law was a preemptive Read more

Chaplain Promotes Comprehensive Fitness in Afghanistan

US Army Chaplain (Capt) Randy Loux is a Fort Bragg-based Soldier currently deployed to Afghanistan to exercise his specialty in “spiritual strength.”

“Whether back in garrison at Fort Bragg, N.C., or in a combat zone in Afghanistan, spiritual fitness should be the no. 1 priority because when a soldier is first and foremost ‘spiritually fit,’ then all the others will naturally fall in place,” said Loux.

He accurately notes something that escapes some who oppose religious freedom in the military:  Read more

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