Tag Archives: Religion

US House Again Adopts Bill to Ban Atheist Chaplains

Update: Jason Torpy, UCC endorser Stephen Boyd, and US Army Major Ryan Jean have announced their intentions to provide a briefing to Congress on the need for a humanist/atheist chaplain.  Their announcement repeats the misleading fact that many in the military declare “no religious preference.”

US Rep John Fleming (R-La) again added an amendment to the annual Defense Appropriations bill that would prevent chaplains from being commissioned in the US military if they don’t have a proper endorsing agency. Because non-theists don’t have a religious endorsing agency required by military regulations, his bill has the effect of preventing atheists or humanists from becoming chaplains;  Read more

DoD Endorses Homosexual Advocacy Group

Senior defense leader says the US military leads in social change…

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy Rosemary Freitas Williams was the keynote speaker for the American Military Partner Association’s “inaugural gala.” The AMPA is a homosexual advocacy that has lobbied for “homosexual rights” — and, more recently, those of “transgenders.”

Williams wholeheartedly endorsed the AMPA’s advocacy for homosexuality in the US military [emphasis added]:  Read more

LGBT Airman Describes Negative Impact to Morale

An official Air Force article entitled “Monster in the closet: An Airman fights prejudice” contradicts its own title as it describes a homosexual Airman who does not experience (or fight) prejudice in the Air Force.

Interestingly, though, she relates a story that counters the mainstream idea that the open service by homosexuals in the US military was a “non-event” [emphasis added]:

“I knew an LGBT Airman who deployed after the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and made a friend of the same sex. After the Airman came out to his good friend, who he was not sexually interested in, his friend ostracized him. It made the deployment harder for both men…”

So a homosexual “coming out” to a military peer negatively impacted morale in the deployed combat environment.  Anecdote, yes.  However, it may indicate a crack Read more

Mikey Weinstein Scrambles to Defend Huge Paycheck

As previously noted, last week the Air Force Times highlighted the fact Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s self-founded “charity” pays its sole employee — Mikey Weinstein — nearly half of the money it brings in. This has been noted here every year, though it picked up significant steam in the past few months.

The original story spread quickly, getting picked up by the Stars and Stripes, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, NonProfit Quarterly, and even Foreign Policy.  Charity rating organization Charity Navigator, which participated in the original article, tweeted their disbelief about Weinstein’s pay scheme, in which he is part of the “board” that approves his own salary:

Weinstein scrambled for a response, calling the article “character assassination” — though he notably did not rebut its veracity.  If the article is factually accurate, as it appears to be, who is responsible for the impact to Weinstein’s character: the person who reported the conduct, or the person doing it?  Weinstein’s acolytes, teaming up to comment on some of the articles, derided the revelation as an “attack,” part of a Christian conspiracy, Read more

Afghan Christian Hides in Fear of Life

From the New York Times:

KABUL, Afghanistan — In a dank basement on the outskirts of Kabul, Josef read his worn blue Bible by the light of a propane lantern, as he had done for weeks since he fled from his family in Pakistan…

He keeps a wooden cross with a passage from the Sermon on the Mount written on it, a carton of Esse cigarettes, and a thin plastic folder containing records of his conversion to Christianity.

The documents are the reason he is hiding for his life. On paper, Afghan law protects freedom of religion, but the reality here and in some other Muslim countries is that renouncing Islam is a capital offense…

In official eyes here, there are no Afghan Christians. The Read more

The Need for Christian Military Leadership

Dr. David Gushee is a professor at Mercer University and recently spoke on his contributions to a report entitled “Coming to Terms with Torture: Truth, Accountability, and Renunciation.” His emphasis was the treatment of detainees, and his call for an American apology headlined the article.

However, Dr. Gushee’s statement about how he became involved in the issue should be enlightening for those who hold a Christian faith and commitment to the US military:

The Abu Ghraib photos came out in 2004, and a lot of evangelical Christians are in the military, and Christianity Today was receiving requests Read more

Push for Transgender Acceptance in US Military Continues

Every few months a media outlet will quietly float the topic of the prohibition on “transgender” individuals (the “T” in the traditional LGBT) in military service to see what traction the subject brings. To date each article has faded as quietly as it arose, due largely to other world events distracting the news. Given reality, however, it is likely only a matter of time before it becomes a serious contender for everyday conversation.  For example, it took a just a few words from the Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, saying the ban on transgender service should be “continually reviewed” for the media to declare the issue was “gaining momentum” in the run up to the military’s newly recognized sexual pride month in June.

For the uninitiated, a person who describes themselves as “transgendered” is biologically one gender but mentally or emotionally claims the opposite. In writing, the media often uses terms like “transgender male,” which means a person who is biologically female (she has XX chromosomes) but describes herself as male.

The military has long banned Read more

The Becket Fund on True Religious Liberty in America

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is a group that advocates for religious freedom in public society. Recently, the organization was accused of becoming politicized and leaning “conservative.” In a rebuttal posted on their website, Deputy General Counsel Luke Goodrich debunked the accusation while simultaneously providing an outstanding explanation of what “religious liberty” really is:

Citing cases involving the HHS mandate and gay rights, the article suggests that there has been “a shift in the fund’s strategy.” According to unnamed “critics,” the Becket Fund “has become ideological” and is “tacking right.” It is drifting away from nonpartisan defense of religious liberty for all, and is instead becoming conservative…

But this is hardly a complete picture of the Becket Fund’s cases…The article also omits many other Becket Fund actions, including current cases, that don’t fit its narrative…

Goodrich then cited Becket cases involving Read more

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