Category Archives: Government and Religion

MRFF: Air Force Created New Regulation Because of Christians

As previously noted, Michael Weinstein boasts about his hate mail like some people do pictures of their grandkids.  The MRFF publishes some of those emails, and, more often than not, a “volunteer” staff member posts an online rebuttal.  The replies are often critical and sarcastic, meaning they’re mostly red meat for MRFF acolytes.  Occasionally, though, one reveals the underbelly of the MRFF opposition to religious liberty.

Such was the case with Joan Slish, an MRFF “advisory board” member who has two claims to fame: First, according to the MRFF website, she left the Assembly of God because they were the wrong kind of Christian (though she oddly still claims an AoG Pastorate).  Second, she inadvertently revealed in 2011 that the MRFF was the arbiter of “true” Christianity — telling the world the MRFF would vitriolically attack the religious liberty of the wrong kind of Christian.  (Weinstein was already doing that; Slish was simply the first ‘staff member’ to admit it.)

Now she can add a third trophy:  An official MRFF email reply riddled with statements at times false, at others ridiculous, and almost always comical — but one that also has another peek behind the MRFF curtain.

She falters right out of the gate in following the MRFF tradition of Read more

Military to Pull Playboy, Penthouse from Store Shelves

Do you believe in coincidence?

Just one day after Morality in Media released the DoD’s letter saying pornographic magazines were “not sexually explicit” — and were therefore permissible for sale in military stores — the DoD has decided to pull the magazines from Army and Air Force shelves:

AAFES officials said they want to reduce space for the magazine product category in exchange stores by 33 percent beginning tomorrow…

Among the 891 magazines that AAFES exchanges no longer will sell are some adult titles, including Playboy, Penthouse, Read more

Group Calls for AF to Republish Censored Chaplain Article

The Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty has called on Col Brian Duffy to formally apologize to Chaplain (LtCol) Kenney Reyes — and then re-publish the banned article to

resolve this unfortunate injustice without taking recourse to legal measures.

Col Duffy had indicated the article was pulled because people were offended.  The stern admonition from the Chaplain-endorsing group appears to be the first engagement of the recently announced Military Religious Freedom coalition.  The letter from retired Chaplain (Col) Ron Crews notes that the MRFF misrepresented the article in the most demeaning way — and Col Duffy appears to have either bought their line or simply failed Read more

DoD: Playboy, Penthouse Acceptable, not Indecent

Given the scandal over sexual assault in the US military right now, it may surprise some to learn that the DoD is defending its continued sale of pornography on military facilities.

Last month, Morality in Media wrote a letter to the Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel appealing to him to enforce the 1996 Military Honor and Decency Act, which prohibits the sale of sexually explicit material at DoD facilities.

As reported by MiM, the Assistant Secretary of Defense replied, saying the DoD had “previously reviewed” the magazines — and he then Read more

Media Paints Distorted Picture on Military Religious Freedom

Recently, the Catholic church came out in support of a coalition of chaplain endorsers advocating for religious freedom protections in the US military.  Combined, the groups represent the overwhelming majority of faiths of US military servicemembers (and, in fact, the United States).

In apparent response to that broad unity, a US News and World Report article tried to paint a picture of a divided front:

Some evangelical groups are gearing up for a fight on military chaplains and same-sex marriage while others say they’ll seek Read more

Commander Who Pulled Chaplain Post Issues Statement

Update:  An Army Chaplain weighed in with a response to Col Duffy’s decision to pull Chaplain Reyes’ article, and a comment on the Commander’s statement from a recently retired Air Force Colonel takes Col Duffy to task:

Sir…Can you understand how your actions in kowtowing to [MRFF] threats now opens you and your fellow Blue Suiters up to even more insidious actions? Do you think this group will just roll over after having demanded that you take administrative actions against Lt Col Reyes for having had the audacity to write and publish this article? After they labeled his use of “no atheists in foxholes,” as a “… bigoted, religious supremacist” phrase? I believe we both know the answer to that question.

Sir, you hit the nail right on the head when you stated that you must protect the constitutional right of free speech and the free practice of religion…Where you go wrong is when you decide that this article, regarding faith and one’s perception of it in their own life, somehow is “governmental establishment of religion.”

The Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Facebook page was inundated with criticisms of Col Brian Duffy’s decision to pull Chaplain (LtCol) Kenneth Reyes’ column and issue an apology to Michael Weinstein. Those criticisms appear to have been completely deleted and replaced with a statement from the Colonel.

In short, the Colonel admits the article was removed out of concern for “those who may have been offended,” and called his decision a

“balance…between constitutional protections for free exercise of religion and the constitutional prohibition against governmental establishment of religion.”

A few commenters called that out, given that not even the MRFF claimed the Air Force was violating the First Amendment with the article.  Besides, the Constitution says nothing about “offense,” which is the stated reason the article was pulled (which caused a spate of responses claiming various things were offensive, and demanding Col Duffy remove more content from his website).  Several atheists chimed in and criticized the censorship as well — noting it wasn’t an “atheist vs Christian thing” — but a Weinstein vs Christian thing.

Then, though, the Colonel turned stern and took the unusual step of commenting on potential punishment — something normally rebutted with a “we make no comment on personnel matters.”  In short, this time Col Duffy flatly refused Michael Weinstein’s demands and says he has “not and will not reprimand anyone.”  The entire statement follows:  Read more

Rep Keith Ellison Keynote Speaker at Pentagon Iftar

US Representative Keith Ellison (D-Minn) was this year’s keynote speaker at the Pentagon’s annual Islamic iftar, which it celebrates during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Given the state of world affairs, it is notable that the headquarters for the entire US military participates in such a celebration, but it means something even to the troops:

The significance of celebrating Iftar at the Pentagon is two-fold, said Air Force Col. Shakir Kahn. First, it informs Muslim Pentagon employees that the Department of Defense supports them. Second, Read more

Non-Theists Argue Titles, Chaplain Amendment

In a revealing outcry, many “non-religious” persons have criticized the vote by the US House to prevent non-religious personnel from becoming chaplains.

In that vein, atheist Jason Torpy has tried to promote the premise that the Defense Appropriations amendment proposed by US Rep John Fleming (R-La) didn’t actually do anything, demonstrating the “ignorance” of the Congressman.

“The [amendment] only requires adherence to the applicable instruction, which in no way restricts chaplains to only those who believe in some higher power,” he said. “Their amendment does nothing…It just shows their ignorance about atheists, humanists, and military regulations.”

Actually, Torpy’s statement demonstrates his ignorance.  The clear language of the amendment indicates it wasn’t written to restrict chaplains to “those who believe in a higher power.”  Torpy simply erected a straw man.  What it was intended to do was prevent non-religious personnel from entering the religious field of the chaplaincy — and that it clearly does.  The amendment simply requires the DoD to continue Read more

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