Tag Archives: atheism

From Artillery to the Chaplaincy

David Severson will soon be a Catholic chaplain with the Montana Army National Guard, and he brings an interesting history with him.  He was a 19-year-old artillery man with the US Army when he deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm.

He’s since attended seminary and obtained a degree uniquely suited to his desired end goal as a chaplain: 

a master’s degree in divinity with particular study of post-traumatic stress disorder…

Severson was recently ordained Read more

Top 2011 Articles: Happy New Year from ChristianFighterPilot.com

Have a productive and joyful 2012.

The Top 10 articles from God and Country in 2011:

  1. Fort Carson Supports Native American Spiritualism
  2. “Terror Plot” Soldier Naser Abdo Defiant, Weinstein Equivocates
  3. MRFF Petition Garners Signatures for White House
  4. US Army Private Naser Abdo Arrested in Terror Plot
  5. DADT: House Defense Bill, Colonels Punished, Lawsuit and More
  6. Finding a Church, Part 1: The Military Chapel
  7. Atheists Stretch for Something to be Offended By
  8. Navy Blue Angels Commander Resigns over Incident
  9. Women in the Military: Statistics, and the First Female JFACC
  10. Defense Department Highlights Member-Designated Benefits

While those were the top 10 current events articles in 2011, they were not the top-visited pages on the site.  As noted Read more

Undercurrent of Atheist Mockery at Travis AFB Christmas Display

A variety of sites have noted the decision by Travis AFB to defend its nativity and Menorah.  A few have noted the Travis AFB chaplains helped local atheist Airman SSgt Dan Rawlings erect an atheist display.

As more find out about it, more commenters are also questioning the Air Force’s decision to allow the atheist sign — not because of the sign itself, but the “flying spaghetti monster” on it [ellipses original]:

the flying spaghetti monster display is now up…mocking every belief out there. They had a great opportunity to be recognized and they turned it into a mockery. Sad, really. Great job staff sergeant…17 years without a complaint, you come along…complain, then mock everyone with your display. Isn’t that against military policies…to mock others?

As noted previously, even local non-religious people have said the atheists appear to be mocking their fellow Airmen Read more

Pentagon to Rule on Camp Pendleton Cross

The issue of the legality of the Camp Pendleton cross was elevated to higher headquarters, according to a local article.

A group of reporters was allowed to make the trek to see the memorial upon which the controversy was based.  To his credit, Mark Walker of the North County Times accurately gave some depth to the content of the memorial:

The site is home to numerous mementos, as well as the crosses, neither of which is visible from nearby Interstate 5.

Each is surrounded by thousands of rocks carried up by Marines from sea level at Camp Horno as a homage to troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Many of those rocks have hand-scrawled messages of love and remembrance.

There are dozens of bottles of booze, Read more

Perkins, King Sound Warning on Hostility Toward Christianity

Joining the theme of Rick Perry’s statements that President Obama had a “war on religion,” Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council called the Obama administration “hostile to Christianity.”

“You can’t judge what’s in somebody’s heart or their administration, but you can judge them by the fruits of their labors,” Perkins said. “The fruit of this administration shows it is hostile to Christianity.”

He was referring to the Walter Reed policy banning religious items (specifically, Bibles) within the US military medical facility.  By contrast, the Washington Times noted the government goes the extra mile to make sure detainees at Guantanamo have access to the Koran.

We shouldn’t really be surprised when a bureaucrat tries to bar Bibles in a U.S. military stateside hospital while other bureaucrats make sure terrorists in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, get copies of the Koran.

You almost have to feel sorry Read more

Chaplains Applaud Travis AFB Nativity, Menorah Defense

The Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, led by Chaplain (Col, USA, Ret) Ron Crews, “commended” the Air Force for its decision to allow the nativity and Menorah to stand, despite complaints and threats from Michael Weinstein.

“Our military personnel should not be coerced to abandon their religious heritage simply to appease someone’s political agenda,” said CH (COL) Ron Crews…

Chaplain Crews noted that Weinstein seems to have an unusual access to military leadership for a one-man ‘non-profit’ and called for a Congressional Read more

Military Atheists Now Target Fort Campbell Nativity, Menorah

Though they failed to get Travis AFB to remove its nativity and what they called a “token” Jewish Menorah, military atheists led by Justin Griffith have now set their sights on Fort Campbell, one of the largest US Army bases in the United States.  Fort Campbell has a Menorah and nativity at the sign near one of its entry gates.  (Don’t tell anyone, but there’s also a prominent star at the top of the post Christmas tree…)

It reads like “Welcome to Fort Campbell, where you better love Jesus…”

[Fort Campbell] need[s] to either remove the display, or at the very least let all the other points of view have an equal level of support.

How a Menorah says “you better love Jesus” is unclear, though the atheists’ (repeat) belittling of the Jewish display of faith is eclipsed only by their obsessive need to attach themselves to Christianity.

The situation is not the same as Travis AFB, though.  For one thing, Read more

Flying Spaghetti Monster Joins Jesus Christ at Travis AFB

The US Air Force has decided to let the nativity and Menorah at Travis AFB stand, despite the prior complaint from Michael Weinstein and his erstwhile atheist ally:

While we appreciate the concerns raised by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the Office of the Air Force Judge Advocate General, upon review, concluded the inclusion of a Wing Chaplain sponsored Nativity Scene and Menorah as part of a broader, secular holiday seasonal display does not violate the establishment clause of the United States Constitution.

Weinstein complained about the timing of the press release, as his most pressing concern is publicity.  (He probably thinks the death of Kim Jong Il was part of the timing plan.)  He then said

We believe they have come to the wrong conclusion based on constitutional law. Rather than telling media through a press release we rather suggest five words: tell it to the judge.

The Air Force has little reason to be concerned.  The last time Weinstein said that he did…nothing.  Weinstein is “the boy who cried wolf” with respect to threats of filing lawsuits.

According to American Atheists’ “military director” Justin Griffith, Travis Read more

1 … 47 48 49 50 51 … 67