Tag Archives: Catholic

Starnes: “Have Christians Lost the Culture War?”

FoxNews commentator Todd Starnes reports on a LifeWay survey that says 59% of Christians believe they are losing the “culture war.”

“Ten years ago we were talking about who would win the culture war and now we’re talking about how will Christian rights be protected after the culture war,” Ed Stetzer, the president of LifeWay Research told me…

Starnes lists examples of “religious persecution in the United States,” and he starts with the US military:  Read more

There are No Agnostics in Foxholes (but there are Quakers)

In an article on the recent changes in DoD policy regarding religious accommodation, USA Today made this observation:

The wide variety of worship or lack thereof is reflected in the ranks of the 1.3 million active-duty force. Troops aren’t compelled to report but many do. The most popular affiliations: Christian, no denomination chosen, 346,752; no religious preference, 277,563; Roman Catholic, 262,248.

Elsewhere in the ranks, there are 301 Quakers and 1,561 troops who practice witchcraft. But you won’t an agnostic in the Army. There are 3,126 atheists but not one agnostic.

To be fair, the same demographics note there are more than 6,000 agnostics in the other three services.  Apparently everyone in the Army is certain — one way or the other.

Repeated at the Air Force Times.

ADVERTISEMENT

Congress Asks Tough Questions of Military Chaplain Chiefs

As previously noted, the House Armed Services subcommittee on military personnel heard testimony from several witnesses on religious freedom in the military after the DoD’s recent changes to accommodation policy.

The Stars and Stripes noted that while many have focused on ‘turbans and beards,’ Congress didn’t:

Accommodation for minority religions was not the main concern of the primarily Republican House members present Wednesday, however. Many of their questions centered around allegations that free expression of faith by Christian believers was being suppressed…

Instances of Christians being told Read more

Military Chaplain Reports Retaliation over Lawsuit

Chaplain Ray Leonard, the civilian contract Catholic Priest now famous for suing the US government after he was banned from his congregation during the government shutdown, has now said he has experienced official retaliation as a result of his suit:

A Catholic priest has been the target of government retaliation…

The government’s alleged retaliation against Father Ray Leonard began with depriving the civilian priest of two months of his salary, even after the Department of Justice (DOJ) had allowed him to continue his ministry…

Chaplain Leonard’s attorney from Read more

Chaplain Ray Leonard Continues Lawsuit over Religious Freedom

Mark Mueller of the Star-Ledger has an interesting piece on the Rev Ray Leonard — the contract Catholic priest and military chaplain who sued for access to his congregation during the government “shutdown.” It turns out Chaplain Leonard served for 10 years as a priest in China:

During a decade spent teaching and helping the needy in some of China’s most impoverished and oppressed regions, the New Jersey priest learned what it was like to live in a land without religious freedom.

It kindled a greater appreciation for his liberties at home.

That may have played a role in how he reacted to the US government forbidding him from serving his parish:  Read more

Navy Chaplains Denied Preliminary Injunction

In what seems like one of the longest running military religious litigations in recent history (ongoing since 1999, or earlier), the DC Circut denied a preliminary injunction requested by chaplains who have sued over US Navy Chaplain promotion practices.

The short version is the plaintiffs allege the Navy procedures favor Catholic and liturgical chaplains. See prior discussions.

Via the Religion Clause.

ADVERTISEMENT

Words Have Meaning: Discrimination in a Post-DADT World

A writer at the Engage Family Minute blog begins his post with an appropriate question:

How exactly is discrimination defined, and what constitutes discrimination?

As has been noted here before (“Of Bullies, Bigots, Homophobes: The Changing American Vocabulary“), it is not uncommon for people or groups to appropriate terminology — or even twist semantics — to support their cause.  Prior discussions have already covered several: homophobe, bigot, bully, tolerance, and Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s use of “rape”.

“Discrimination” was also briefly mentioned, though it has again surfaced in incorrect usage (at least by its traditional definition). In short, it bears reminding that in order to discriminate, one has to act. By themselves, thoughts, beliefs, and words cannot be discriminatory — again, by definition.

An example:  The Catholic Church discriminates when Read more

US Navy Highlights Chaplains in Foxholes

On December 7th, the US Navy chaplain corps memorialized two chaplains who died in the line of duty during the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Chaplain (CAPT) Leroy Kirkpatrick, aboard the USS Arizona, became the first Navy chaplain to die in what became known as World War II. Chaplain (Lt) Aloysius Schmitt, aboard the USS Oklahoma, was the first Roman Catholic chaplain killed in the war.

Few may realize that two years later the US Navy launched the USS Schmitt (DE-676) and the USS Kirkpatrick (DE-318), two of only seven US Navy warships named after chaplains.

The Chaplain of the Marine Corps, Chaplain (RADM) Margaret Read more

1 … 11 12 13 14 15 … 25