Tag Archives: Bible

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

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

Walter Reed Issues Statement on Bible Ban

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center issued the following statement in response to the outcry over its explicit ban on Bibles in the facility, saying it was “incorrect” as written and “has been rescinded.”

We are in the process of rewriting our policy and would like to offer the following statement:

Bibles and other religious materials have always been and will remain available for patient use at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The visitation policy as written was incorrect and should Read more

Walter Reed Rescinds Ban on Bible

Update: More than 20,000 people signed a petition in less than 24 hours to “help end the ban” on Bibles at Walter Reed.

A US Army officer “in disbelief” forwarded a Walter Reed National Military Medical Center memorandum regarding patient visitation to the Family Research Council.  The memorandum said:

f. No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit.

The ban was so broadly written it would prevent even families from providing Bibles to their wounded family members, and it banned priests from bringing the eucharist or providing last rites.  Notably, while the policy banned all religious items, the Bible was the only religious text specifically mentioned.

The FRC circulated the memorandum at Capitol Hill, and Rep Steve King (R-Iowa) took to the House floor and “blasted” the policy:

Mr. Speaker, these military men and women who are recovering at Walter Reed and Bethesda have given their all for America…They’ve Read more

Michael Weinstein Goes Fishing for Military Bibles and Your Emails

The last “scandal” at the US Air Force Academy, regarding Operation Christmas Child, was reportedly initiated by a USAFA cadet forwarding an email to Michael Weinstein.  Prior to that, the scandal-circuit had been pretty quiet — but not for lack of trying on Weinstein’s part.  When there isn’t something to complain about, Weinstein has gone looking.

The law firm of Jones Day — which has assisted Weinstein in other cases — has been looking for information on “The Airman’s Bible and the Airman’s New Testament.”  The Airman’s Bible was previously discussed; the “Airman’s New Testament” is similar.  It seems the target is some indication, somewhere, that the Air Force was directly or indirectly involved in the production of the Air Force-themed Bibles.

The acknowledgements in the Bible do mention military members, and the Bible carries Air Force symbols, so the target is probably something, somewhere, that will incriminate someone…about something.  Naturally, this hunt for an as-yet unknown smoking gun about an unknown problem will prove the obvious fact Christianity is preferred in the US military.  Somehow.

In another case, Pam Zubeck of the CSIndy recently publicized a portion of a Weinstein fishing expedition:  Weinstein is asking for names and processes surrounding the “Falcon Clips” published last year.  Previously, the ominous observation was made that Weinstein seemed to be headhunting for people corresponding with this site.

That has now been confirmed by Read more

MRFF Belittles Senator Cornyn’s Defense of Constitution

As predicted, it wasn’t long before Chris Rodda came out in defense of Michael Weinstein’s “big victory” for his self-founded Military Religious Freedom Foundation that Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) recently seemed to undermine.  From the Huffington Post:

This summer, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) scored a big victory…

Senator John Cornyn…doesn’t like the Air Force’s decision…

Rodda’s article is essentially a rehash of the prior writeups, with the addition of Cornyn’s letter.  One “new” piece of information is Rodda’s claim that Read more

Senator Tells Air Force to Explain Response to MRFF Complaint

A few other media sources are catching up to Senator John Cornyn’s (R-TX) letter to the Secretary of the Air Force released on Monday.

Suspending a course like this because of references to religious texts misinterprets the First Amendment. [The Constitution] does not, as some have argued, protect them from exposure to religious references.

(Some continue to use the word “misrepresents,” though the published letter says “misinterprets.”)

Michael Weinstein’s MRFF — which claims a Constitutional Read more

First Bible on the Moon to be Auctioned

What is reportedly NASA’s first “lunar Bible” is being auctioned in a “Space and Aviation Artifacts” event this month.

The tiny object, an intact microfilm of the King James Bible containing all 1,245 pages and measuring 1.5 x 1.5 inches, will be included in the auction by PR Auction on the company’s website beginning Sept. 15.

The miniscule Bible was reportedly a product of the Apollo Prayer League — a group of NASA employees from all fields — and it was created to fulfill  Read more

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