Category Archives: Government and Religion

US Army to Grant Sikhs, Muslims, Jews Permanent Waivers

The US Army has changed its policies (PDF) to allow Sikhs, Muslims, and Jews to serve while wearing their religious accoutrements in uniform [emphasis added]:

Since 2009, religious accommodation requests requiring a waiver for uniform wear and grooming have largely fallen into one of three faith practices: the wear of a hijab; the wear of a beard; and the wear of a turban or under-turban/patka, with uncut beard and uncut hair. Based on the successful examples of Soldiers currently serving with these accommodations, I have determined that brigade-level commanders may approve requests for these accommodations…

Importantly, the policy specifically says the religious practice should be approved Read more

“Majority” of Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Crew Voted for Donald Trump

The Associated Press covered the recent return of the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) to Norfolk, VA. The article opened by recounting a short quote from a lesbian Sailor:

Sailing on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lara Runge placed a rare phone call to her wife Jessica…on Election Day.

The women prayed together “for the safety of our country and that equality would remain consistent.” Both supported Hillary Clinton, while the majority of the ship’s crew voted for President-elect Donald Trump, said Runge…

Statistically, Runge may be correct, as the US military stereotypically leans Republican, but Read more

US Air Force Officer Criticizes DoD Advocacy of Humanism, Sexuality

An anonymous US Air Force officer recently published an article on the Family Research Council’s blog entitled “Unmasking the DOD’s Endorsement of the Humanism Religion.”

When you hear the word “religion,” does Humanism immediately come to mind? Probably not. However, pragmatically and legally, Humanism is just as much of a religion as Christianity and Islam. This article articulates the claim that the DOD has endorsed the religion of Humanism by promoting the LGBT movement.

It’s a bold statement — and one that might make sense. In its basic form, humanism simply replaces the deity of religious mantra with humanity; that is, rather than believing God is the ultimate source of truth, humanists believe the source of truth is man. Thus, it is from man humanists derive their moral authority.

From this the author derives the position that the LGBT movement relies Read more

MASH’s Father Mulcahy Dies at 84

William Christopher, who played Catholic Priest and US Army Chaplain (Capt) Francis Mulcahy on “M.A.S.H.,” the Korean War military/medical black comedy TV show in the 1970s and early 1980s, died on New Years Eve. He was 84. While the show’s irreverence, humor, and social commentary made it a bit of a cultural icon well into the 1980s, it is less well known today. Still, “Father Mulcahy” has managed to live on in the American lexicon.

Regrettably, one place Christopher’s character has lived on is Read more

Mikey Weinstein Loses Yet Again

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein has an abysmal record as a lawyer, having participated in at least six lawsuits in the past few years and having won exactly zero.  (An MRFF FOIA lawsuit against the US Air Force Academy is scheduled for a settlement conference this month.)

In 2016, Weinstein’s impotence grew so much he lost in yet another area, his near-annual competition for the Christmas Grinch. Over the past couple of years Mikey Weinstein has been Read more

Christian Fighter Pilot Top 10 Stories for 2016

Just as in the past couple of years, issues of military religious freedom have generally been incorporated in larger societal issues in most groups’ “top ten” civil/religious liberty issues for the year.

For example, Howard Friedman at the Religion Clause noted the “transgender rights” stories at #3 without specifically mentioning the (substantial) military side to that story.  That said, at #6 he included the “battle over religious displays” and specifically included “Latin crosses as part of veterans’ memorials”.

The Baptist Joint Committee, a politically left-leaning group, included the controversy over the Russell Amendment to the 2017 NDAA at #6.  (The BJC opposed the proposed legislation.)

Some other notable but unmentioned events from the year include lawsuits filed and exemptions granted for Sikhs in the military, the national discussion over Bible verses posted by court-martialed Marine LCpl Monifa Sterling, or the Air Force reconsidering its policies after retired Air Force SMSgt Oscar Rodriguez was thrown out of a ceremony while reciting a religiously-tinged flag-folding script.

With that in mind, the most read articles from 2016 on ChristianFighterPilot.com Read more

Teller: Jewish Practice in the US Military, Part VIII

Rabbi Hanoch Teller has continued his now long-running series on Jews in the US military whose religious exercise, and their interaction with the military leadership, ultimately set the stage for military religious freedom today.

In Part VIII, Teller expounds on some of the backstory to Rabbi Goldman’s attempt to wear a yarmulke in uniform, highlighting the military’s need to have a “compelling interest” and Read more

Christian Sailor Objects to Navy Sexual Diversity Training

It seems Canada often bears the brunt of American drama. It’s the example (or counterexample) for everything from medicine to the military, and it’s where everyone claims they want to move every four years.

As sexual progressives tried to use the US military as a wedge to normalize the LGBT movement in America, they frequently pointed to foreign militaries — including Canada — and basically said “they can do it, so why can’t we?”

Of course, not everything is sugar and spice in Canada, either.

At LifeSiteNews, a Canadian sailor leaked the Navy’s official “diversity” training that used a “genderbread” figure to try to explain how Read more

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