Category Archives: Government and Religion

Navy Chaplain Reverses Course on Gay Marriage

Head Navy Chaplain (Rear Adm) Mark Tidd has reportedly issued a “one-line” statement suspending his prior decision allowing US Navy Chaplains to perform homosexual marriages in military chapels.

As previously noted, members of Congress had objected to the announcement, saying it was in conflict with the Defense of Marriage Act.

If nothing else, the controversy stands in contrast to those who have had a dismissive attitude toward repeal, claiming it would be a non-event and transparent in its removal.  As demonstrated by the concerns raised during training and the sensitivity of this announcement, it very evidently isn’t.

Pagan Leader Resigned over USAFA Treatment

The name of the US Air Force Academy’s “Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle” was noted yesterday in the discussion of its dedication.  In a response to a Washington Times editorial that accused the Academy of “pandering” to fringe ideas, Michael Weinstein now claims USAFA was “insensitive” in the naming of the area, which led to the “resignation” of the pagan lay leader at USAFA.  If you can get past Weinstein’s gratuitously florid language, he says:

The Times article showed a picture [captioned] as “the Pagan lay leader at the Academy.”  Wrong again, Times editorial buffoons.  [The pagan lay leader], a courageous MRFF client, resigned that titular post a fair number of weeks ago in direct protest over the blatant, strong-arming insensitivity, which the Academy was using in the administration of the naming of that stone circle…

Always quick to resort to the grade school antic of name-calling, Weinstein apparently failed to realize the Times didn’t Read more

DADT Update: Marine Training, June Target, and Military Weddings

Below:

  • Camp Pendleton Marines ask the same DADT questions
  • Obama said to be aiming for repeal in June
  • Navy head of Chaplains says gay marriages permissible in military Chapels

Camp Pendleton Marines recently went through the required DADT training for the upcoming repeal of the policy most often known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  Despite some people dismissing the concerns of servicemembers Read more

USAF Academy Chapel Dedicates “Falcon Circle” for Pagans?

The creation of a “pagan area” under the auspices of the US Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel was highly controversial more than a year ago.  Originally, a “dedication” was scheduled in March 2010.  It seems the ceremony was delayed more than a year.

USAFA announced it had dedicated the “Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle” last week on May 3rd.  As previously discussed, the US military does not make a site “sacred,” so the “dedication” seems to have been more ceremonial or functional in nature.

Interestingly, the article seems to indicate a slight tweak on the original purpose of the outdoor chapel.  Originally, USAFA was said to be adding “a worship area for followers of Earth-centered religions.”  The new wording was somewhat more careful this year:  Read more

Chris Rodda Highlights MRFF Hypocrisy. Again.

The MRFF’s researcher Chris Rodda recently took to the Huffington Post to make hay out of Vice President Joe Biden having rosary beads in the White House situation room during the bin Laden raid, and for the SEAL Team leader saying “For God and Country” in front of the code word “Geronimo” after the successful strike.

The critical tone inspired a slew of comments.  The overwhelming majority — even from self-described “liberals” — were highly critical of Rodda’s article, claiming it was an exercise in finding offense, political correctness, and a suggestion America should surrender its freedoms for appearances.

After a biting critique from a fellow Huffington Post blogger, Rodda tried to explain the logic behind her position, but she actually made it worse:  Read more

Atheist Chaplains, Support, and Actual Atheist Goals

The Catholic archbishop for the military Chaplaincy, Timothy Broglio, responded to the recent NYT article about “atheist Chaplains” by wondering aloud if such a position would be an oxymoron.  Importantly, since atheists can already meet as any other secular group does (like any sports, academic, or other social group), he questioned whether atheists might actually be after a “counter-Chaplaincy” within the Chaplaincy, rather than a positive representation:

“The idea of a ‘chaplaincy’ for atheists seems contradictory,” U.S. Military Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio told CNA. Under present conditions, he said, “it would seem that they could meet and sponsor activities just as many other groups do on installations. Or is the issue here the desire to set up a structure in direct opposition to the chaplaincy?”

He brings up an interesting point.  As noted elsewhere, for atheists to meet the intent of the concept of the Chaplaincy, they would essentially need to acknowledge Read more

Obama Issues National Day of Prayer Proclamation

President Barack Obama issued the annual National Day of Prayer proclamation, marking 5 May 2011 as a National Day of Prayer.

It is thus fitting that, from the earliest years of our country’s history, Congress and Presidents have set aside days to recognize the role prayer has played in so many definitive moments in our history…Let us be thankful for the liberty that allows people of all faiths to worship or not worship according to the dictates of their conscience, and let us be thankful for the many other freedoms and blessings that we often take for granted.

Let us pray for the men and women of our Armed Forces Read more

Georgian Military, US Marines Blessed before Afghan Deployment

The Republic of Georgia recently prepared to deploy a Light Infantry Battalion to Afghanistan in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The fairly standard article on the deployment ceremony was accompanied by two interesting photos:

A chaplain from the Republic of Georgia’s 33rd Light Infantry Battalion anointed more than 800 Georgian soldiers at the conclusion Read more

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