Happy Easter, and Remember our Military
Have a joyous celebration of the resurrection of Christ, and take time to remember our troops deployed around the world.
Sailors worship at Easter. (DoD Photo)
Category Archives: Government and Religion
MRFF Opposes Troops’ Religious Freedom at Easter
Last September, Chris Rodda, a researcher for Michael Weinstein and his Military Religious Freedom Foundation, wrote an article enumerating her “Top Ten” list of Christian travesties in the US military, emphasizing acts which “convince the Muslims we’re on a crusade.” A less combative version of this same list was re-published in the US Air Force’s Attitudes Aren’t Free just a few weeks ago.
At number 8, Rodda lists this rather interesting way in which the US military is showing the Muslim world America is on a crusade: Read more
Military Religious Freedom at Work
It is not uncommon for people of a religious faith–Christian or not–to occasionally speak of the difficulty of celebrating their faith while in the military. This is particularly true in intense training environments, as well as the obvious restricted areas of combat. The military culture is sometimes hostile (even unintentionally) to the spirit of a religious faith, and the logistical environment sometimes restricts the ability to fully exercise one’s faith.
Despite the challenges encountered, it is important to highlight the fact that the US military has a responsive environment of both commanders and Chaplains to see to the religious needs of all of its servicemembers. Though there are obvious logistical hurdles in some cases, there is no institutional support for or bias against any particular faith. In fact, the opposite is true.
For example, the Aleph Institute, a DoD Chaplain endorsing organization and valuable support agency for Jews in the US military, recently said they had to come to the rescue of a Soldier seeking spiritual resources, and because of “red tape” a Jewish Soldier has “almost no chance” of getting spiritual resources like prayer books and kosher field rations.
History, however, demonstrates the opposite. In fact, Jewish military Read more
Soldier Jailed for AWOL is Released
Sgt David Travis Bishop was court-martialed in August 2009 for being AWOL and disobeying orders when he missed his unit’s deployment to Afghanistan. Bishop had said he began to read his Bible in Iraq and came to believe that war was wrong, but did not realize he could apply for conscientious objector status.
According to news reports, Bishop has now been released from custody, in part due to clemency.
Chairman: Officers Who Support DADT Can Resign
Update: The Army announced that General Mixon will not be reprimanded.
LtGen Benjamin R. Mixon, commanding general of US Army Pacific, previously wrote a letter to the editor encouraging servicemembers to “speak up” about their views on the potential repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” His letter was used as the second example of an active duty officer publicly disagreeing with the proposed change, when he said
If those of us who are in favor of retaining the current policy do not speak up, there is no chance to retain the current policy.
This was particularly salient, because, as the General pointed out, there has been little public opposition from those in the military on the topic. (By contrast, present and former members of the military who oppose the ban have been a common item in the media, some in clear violation of military regulations.) The supposition was that military members did disagree, but feared the reaction of the military if they expressed disagreement with their Commander in Chief and senior officers.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, who have expressed support for President Obama’s proposal to lift the ban, called General Mixon’s letter “inappropriate“: Read more
Muslim Soldier Complains of Mistreatment
The Washington Post has an interesting article on a Muslim American Soldier who is engaged in “battles on friendly ground.” The article is essentially a superficial re-telling of US Army Spc Zachari Klawonn’s story, even to the point of being dismissive toward two other Muslim Soldiers (Capt. Rhana Kurdi and Sgt. Fahad Kamal) who gave statements supportive of the Army with regard to their faith.
According to the article, Klawonn has filed “complaint after complaint with his commanders.” (It is unclear if this is inclusive of the “20 complaints” he has filed with the equal opportunity office.) He believes he has mild depression and has seen a psychologist a half dozen times since joining the Army. When he enlisted, he was “grilled” by those at his mosque who wanted to know how he could kill Muslims, which was “forbidden.”
Klawonn was allegedly told by superiors that he needed to be careful, because he fit the same profile as Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan–a Muslim soldier disgruntled with the Army, complete with a psychological history and close associates who seem to believe his military service is incompatible with Islam. While Klawonn may have been understandably Read more
Sikh Officer Begins Service in US Army
Updated with NPR story.
Capt Tejdeep Singh Rattan recently completed US Army officer basic training. He and Dr. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi are Sikhs who have been granted waivers to Army uniform standards allowing them to keep their beard, hair, and turbans, as required by their religious faith.
Two of the more interesting parts of the story are Rattan’s perspective on others’ perceptions, as well as the steps his trainers took to prevent misconceptions about who Rattan was. Rattan said: Read more
Complaint Against Chaplain’s Website
The presence of a link on a Fire Department Chaplain’s web page caused a local citizen, Ken Fagan, to complain that a “taxpayer supported website should not have links to religious groups.” The website is the page of Pastor Jack Martin, and is part of the Spring Hill Fire Department’s official site.
While Fagan is entitled to his opinion, it is unsupported by fact. The complaint reportedly caused the temporary removal of the link. It was said to be restored, though the site in its current form appears to be virtually devoid of external links. The site also now has numerous statements about how it is intended to be for “all citizens” and not in support of any particular faith tradition. Even the Chaplain’s biography, which naturally describes his theological background, is qualified with a statement saying it is not intended to promote a specific faith.
The concept of religious freedom, as protected by the US Constitution, was never intended to proscribe all persons in public service from ever mentioning religion or Read more