Category Archives: Government and Religion

ACLU, Christian Navy Ensign Sue for CO Status

The ACLU has sued the US Navy on behalf of Ensign Michael Izbicki, a 2008 US Naval Academy graduate, who has been denied status as a conscientious objector.

Izbicki has reportedly been developing beliefs in line with the Quakers, a pacifist theology.  The Navy has reportedly denied his claim because it questioned the sincerity of his beliefs.

According to the lawsuit, the Navy’s investigations of the legitimacy of Izbicki’s beliefs were deeply flawed and, in one case, “showed extreme religious bias” against his Christian beliefs, especially when it came to his increasing interest in Quakerism…  Read more

USAFA Should Rescind Atheist’s Religious Respect Training Invite

A recent article on the US Air Force Academy Cadet Interfaith Council made a passing reference to an upcoming USAFA “religious respect conference” in November.  The purpose of the conference is reportedly to work on the cadet “religious respect” training program.  It seems this is the “next step,” following the respect training given to all basic trainees this past summer that was designed and developed by the Jewish Anti-Defamation League.

Jason Torpy, a former Army Captain and current president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, recently announced on his website that he had been invited to the religious respect conference.

Broadly speaking, it is not at all unreasonable that an atheist would be invited to such a conference, as the military environment is one that favors no particular faith, or lack thereof.

Jason Torpy is an abysmal choice, however, and the Academy should rescind his invitation.

Torpy has actively worked against religious freedom in the military; he has Read more

Pop Quiz: USAFA Religious Training Befuddles Atheist

The inappropriate invitation of MAAF president Jason Torpy to a USAFA “religious respect” conference was the topic of a separate article.  One indicator (among others) of the improper invite was Torpy’s comments on one of the proposed training scenarios.  Torpy, a West Point graduate and former Army Captain, presents himself as an expert in matters of military regulations and religion…and, yet, he entirely missed the point.

To recap, the scenario was as follows:

Lisa wears a cross under her uniform. On the obstacle course one day the cross slips outside her uniform and a commander (or teacher) says, “What’s that? That’s not regulation.” Lisa apologizes and says she’ll tuck it back into her shirt. The commander (or teacher) says, “No, you need to take it off; you can’t wear it.”

Torpy’s discombobulated critique:  Read more

DADT Case Goes to Supreme Court

The Log Cabin Republicans have asked the US Supreme Court to reinstate Judge Virginia Phillips’ injunction prohibiting the US military from enforcing its ban on open homosexual service.  The military has said DADT will continue to be enforced during appeal.

In perhaps the supremest of ironies, the request lands on the desk of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.  Some have speculated that DADT would be 4-4 at the court, with Kennedy being the deciding vote.

The filing demonstrates a self-righteous and self-centered Read more

Marine General Opposes DADT Repeal

Update: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen expressed “surprise” that General Amos aired his views opposing the administration’s push to end DADT, rather than keeping those comments private.

The Associated Press reports General James Amos, newly installed Commandant of the Marine Corps, has continued his predecessor’s opposition to a repeal of the policy known as “Don’t ask, Don’t tell.”  (Nearly simultaneously, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called for repeal “quickly.”)

The article notes one unique aspect of the Marines:  Read more

USAFA Cadets Discuss Faith, Freedom, Proselytizing

One of the results of the religious “scandals” that have plagued the US Air Force Academy over the past few years was the creation of the Cadet Interfaith Council.  The CIC was the subject of the latest USAFA news article on religious expression and diversity at the Academy.

The 20-member cadet group serves as a focal point for religious issues in the cadet wing.  Current president Cadet 2nd Class Philicia Fahrenbruch notes the Council helped ‘protect’ the time set aside for SPIRE on Monday evenings last year, and has helped deal with other issues since then.

Some of the topics noted in the article highlight the continued sensitivity of religion at the Air Force Academy:  Read more

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: The Military Christian’s Perspective

The ongoing public debate over homosexuality and the US military (most often referred to as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”) presents a unique conflict for Christians in the military.  There are those who believe homosexuality is morally wrong and must be prohibited at every possibility, and there are those who believe people have the freedom to do as they please in their private lives.  This situation has implications from both the Christian perspective and the military perspective (in isolation), though they must be integrated to form the military Christian’s perspective.  Each of these three is addressed individually below.

The Christian Perspective

The Christian faith considers homosexuality a sin, just as theft, adultery, murder, and lust are sins.  Still, Christianity does not condemn the person who expresses a homosexual preference.  In addition, while many people in this world are tempted to sin (as was Jesus during his incarnation), the temptation to participate in sinful conduct is not itself wrong.  Finally, man is a fallen creation and has a sinful nature; thus, succumbing to temptation and sinning are a common experience of many on this earth — even the stereotypically staunchest Christians.

For a Christian, it is disheartening to see the culture, government, and now military move to end opposition to immoral behavior.  This is a dramatic indicator of the direction of cultural morality in the United States:  Few other issues have so rapidly moved from Read more

General Mixon Revisits DADT Comments

According to the Stars and Stripes, LtGen Benjamin Mixon has “regrets” over the controversy caused by his remarks earlier this year on the policy known as “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”  At the time, he wrote a letter to Stars and Stripes encouraging members of the military who opposed the repeal of DADT to “speak up.”  Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, subsequently implied Mixon should resign if he disagreed with the military’s policy direction.

“I do regret having put Army senior leadership on the spot with my response in the Stars and Stripes,” said Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon…

General Mixon reportedly said he planned to work “within the system” on this issue.

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