Category Archives: Government and Religion

President Ponders God’s Judgment for the Nation’s Immorality

Over the past few months a significant number of Christian leaders have cautioned that God may judge the United States of America for its flaunting of sin, including the open support for and advocacy of the homosexual lifestyle and the epidemic of abortion.

Scoffers have roundly criticized and dismissed such statements, with one going so far as to ask why God would destroy America for homosexuality but not slavery:

If God were going to destroy America why didn’t he do it when we enslaved, brutalized, and murdered thousands of his children shipped over from Africa?

To be accurate, most mainstream faith leaders have said God will judge America, not (necessarily) destroy it. Is such a pronouncement really that fringe?

Ask President Abraham Lincoln.

Though less so today, years ago, many Read more

National Organization for Marriage Calls for Defense of Military Chaplains

The National Organization for Marriage, one of the primary groups that tried to defend traditional marriage in the United States, has become the latest non-military group to recognize the attacks on Christians in the military occurring because of the rise of socially endorsed ‘sexual freedom.’ Importantly, they noted these attacks are coming despite constant reassurances that acceptance of homosexuality would have no impact on those who didn’t agree:

Some radical activists who champion support for gay ‘marriage’ in the military have demanded that military chaplains who stand up for traditional marriage be dismissed from military service, told by the government to “get the hell out of the military chaplaincy” and calling Read more

Another Military Memorial Under Attack

Update: The creator of the monument explained the reason for his design here:

Al Larsen intended the small Latin cross in each silhouette to mark a grave — like the rows of white crosses at the Normandy American Cemetery in France, where more than 9,000 American World War II troops are buried.

“This is what it means to me,” Larsen said in an interview Wednesday. “It don’t mean no church thing.”

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State claims otherwise.

Todd Starnes at FoxNews highlights an effort by the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State to have a war memorial removed from a park in Knoxville, Iowa:

“It was clear to us it was a memorial to fallen veterans,” Mayor Brian Hatch told me. But it wasn’t clear to everyone.

About a month ago a citizen filed an anonymous complaint — arguing that the memorial was promoting Christianity and therefore violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Mayor Hatch told me the city council ignored the complaint.

“We didn’t take any action because it (the memorial) did not have any religious ties to us at all,” he said. “I only see it as a memorial to the veterans and it shocked me that someone could see it otherwise.”

The offended party apparently called the AU, and the fight was on.

Americans United has since published a snarky reply, noting Read more

Gettysburg Re-enactment Includes Chapel Services

An interesting article from the local Hanover newspaper covers the present-day re-enactment of Civil War military church services:

When a Civil War regiment marched into battle, it usually had more chaplains than surgeons backing it up.

Battlefield medicine may have been in its infancy, but religion was central to most of the men, and soldiers relied on faith to heal the spirit from the horrors of war.

“If you were in a potential battle area, you definitely wanted to make sure you went to church and didn’t want to go in there without that blessing,” said Kirk Davis, history director at Gettysburg Anniversary Committee.

In an interesting note:  Read more

Coast Guardsman Receives Pastafarian Gift at Retirement

Master Chief Petty Officer Bob Sebaste of the US Coast Guard had a retirement ceremony in June in which he was presented with an interesting gift [emphasis added]:

I retired recently after 29 years of service in the US Navy and US Coast Guard. The guys I work with know that I am an ordained minister in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. For our holiday party, for example, I ensured that His Noodly Goodness was properly represented, as well as the Festivus pole and other more mainstream (mundane) religious symbols.

In any case, at my retirement ceremony, they presented me with this most excellent headgear, appropriately decorated with my CG rank insignia.

The concept of the “flying spaghetti monster” is Read more

Gen Dempsey: Moral Courage Important to Leadership

A senior military leader has again listed “moral courage” as an attribute of a good leader. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Marty Dempsey said

While physical courage is important, just as important is moral courage, he said. “Do the right thing when nobody’s looking,” he said.

In some cases, that could be written “Do the right thing when people are looking.” Taking the harder right over the easier wrong Read more

Retired General tells Military Chaplains to be Inclusive or “Get Out”

David Wells, pastor of Pleasant View Baptist Church in McQuady, Kentucky, was recently barred from ministering to residents of a juvenile detention facility because he refused to sign a policy that said he could not refer to homosexuality as sinful. The Liberty Counsel is now assisting Wells as he sues for reinstatement:

“They have not accommodated him and they’re clearly trying to restrict a particular viewpoint,” said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel…

Staver also said he  Read more

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