In a case that has fallen from public view, the Thomas More Law Center has continued to defend Poway teacher Brad Johnson’s right to display banners in his classroom that contain patriotic quotes with “God” in them:
In a classic example of discrimination against anything Christian, the School District allowed religious classroom displays by other teachers, including displays included a 35 to 40-foot string of Tibetan prayer flags Read more
Head Navy Chaplain (Rear Adm) Mark Tidd has reportedly issued a “one-line” statement suspending his prior decision allowing US Navy Chaplains to perform homosexual marriages in military chapels.
As previously noted, members of Congress had objected to the announcement, saying it was in conflict with the Defense of Marriage Act.
If nothing else, the controversy stands in contrast to those who have had a dismissive attitude toward repeal, claiming it would be a non-event and transparent in its removal. As demonstrated by the concerns raised during training and the sensitivity of this announcement, it very evidently isn’t.
The name of the US Air Force Academy’s “Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle” was noted yesterday in the discussion of its dedication. In a response to a Washington Times editorial that accused the Academy of “pandering” to fringe ideas, Michael Weinstein now claims USAFA was “insensitive” in the naming of the area, which led to the “resignation” of the pagan lay leader at USAFA. If you can get past Weinstein’s gratuitously florid language, he says:
The Times article showed a picture [captioned] as “the Pagan lay leader at the Academy.” Wrong again, Times editorial buffoons. [The pagan lay leader], a courageous MRFF client, resigned that titular post a fair number of weeks ago in direct protest over the blatant, strong-arming insensitivity, which the Academy was using in the administration of the naming of that stone circle…
Always quick to resort to the grade school antic of name-calling, Weinstein apparently failed to realize the Times didn’t Read more
Below:
Camp Pendleton Marines recently went through the required DADT training for the upcoming repeal of the policy most often known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Despite some people dismissing the concerns of servicemembers Read more
The creation of a “pagan area” under the auspices of the US Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel was highly controversial more than a year ago. Originally, a “dedication” was scheduled in March 2010. It seems the ceremony was delayed more than a year.
USAFA announced it had dedicated the “Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle” last week on May 3rd. As previously discussed, the US military does not make a site “sacred,” so the “dedication” seems to have been more ceremonial or functional in nature.
Interestingly, the article seems to indicate a slight tweak on the original purpose of the outdoor chapel. Originally, USAFA was said to be adding “a worship area for followers of Earth-centered religions.” The new wording was somewhat more careful this year: Read more
US Army Chaplain (Capt) Vincent Hardy was stationed at Bagram, Afghanistan, when a suicide bomber struck a FOB of his unit in mid-April, killing 6 Soldiers. In the Army Times reprint of The Leaf-Chronicle article, Hardy remembers the fallen he knew so well:
Five of the six soldiers killed were from Hardy’s battalion, the 101st Special Troops Battalion. He knew them all and interacted with them regularly…
Two of the Soldiers obviously depended strongly on the Chaplain for their spiritual support:
Sgt. 1st Class Charles Adkins, described by Hardy as a “man of God,” stayed right next to him in the barracks at Gamberi.
He recalled Sgt. Linda Pierre as an especially devout Read more
The Catholic archbishop for the military Chaplaincy, Timothy Broglio, responded to the recent NYT article about “atheist Chaplains” by wondering aloud if such a position would be an oxymoron. Importantly, since atheists can already meet as any other secular group does (like any sports, academic, or other social group), he questioned whether atheists might actually be after a “counter-Chaplaincy” within the Chaplaincy, rather than a positive representation:
“The idea of a ‘chaplaincy’ for atheists seems contradictory,” U.S. Military Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio told CNA. Under present conditions, he said, “it would seem that they could meet and sponsor activities just as many other groups do on installations. Or is the issue here the desire to set up a structure in direct opposition to the chaplaincy?”
He brings up an interesting point. As noted elsewhere, for atheists to meet the intent of the concept of the Chaplaincy, they would essentially need to acknowledge Read more
Chaplain (Capt) Andy Shepherd and his assistant, Sgt Desmond Manning, deployed to Uganda with the Georgia National Guard in support of ATLAS DROP 11. While their primary purpose was to serve the spiritual and morale needs of the Soldiers in their unit,
Their job didn’t end at the edge of the Drop Zone, both Shepherd and Manning reached out to the surrounding communities.
The locals seemed to be keen on the American forces, and even more so on the Chaplain:
“The locals were really glad to see us, and that really just touched my heart,” said Shepherd. “That really just put a drive in me to go visit more people out in the community to let them know we’re here and that we care and as a chaplain — as a Christian — just to show the love of God and that I do care, that I am concerned.”
As a result, the Chaplain team’s ministry expanded: Read more