Tag Archives: christian

US Military Articles Highlight Only Minority Faiths

While the majority of US troops reportedly ascribe to some form of Christianity, Department of Defense press releases on the faiths of US troops might make some people think otherwise.

The vast majority of official US military press releases dealing with religion focus on one of two things: military chaplains or a religious holiday.  It is not unusual for a DoD article to highlight a Chaplain’s support of Christmas or Ramadan, for instance, as the DoD did with US Army Chaplain (Maj) Dawud Agbere, who celebrated the Muslim holy month in Afghanistan with American and allied troops, as well as local nationals.

In general, though, there are very few articles that focus on an individual line soldier — and that individual person’s religious faith.  When those articles do come out, they are almost exclusively about non-traditional minority faiths.

For example, the Army once wrote about SSgt Muna Nur, specifically focusing on her status as a “Muslim medic.”

The military has routinely highlighted Read more

Christianity and the Just War Tradition

Though the US Air Force once withdrew a short lesson on Just War theory under criticism, the concept itself remains both valid and required knowledge for members of the modern military.

As an ROTC instructor at Loyola Marymount University, US Air Force Major Patrick Reimnitz wrote a paper entitled “The Call to Arms: Christianity and the Just War Tradition,” to

help his students reconcile their moral beliefs with military service.

The topic was covered decades ago by LtGen William Harrison (and updated here), but Reimnitz’s piece goes into great detail with regard to Read more

ACLJ: AF Commander Unwitting Pawn in MRFF Strategy

Skip Ash, the senior litigation counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, has stated that in its effort to appease Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, the Air Force actually committed the very violation it thought it was trying to avoid:

Despite the MRFF rantings, the chaplain committed no violation of the U.S. Constitution, federal law or military regulations by what he did. It was the commander at the base and his staff who actually wronged the chaplain by buying into the MRFF’s skewed view of what the Constitution and military regulations require. The commander was wrong.

The ACLJ also sent a letter (PDF) to Col Brian Duffy, the base commander who ordered Chaplain Kenneth Reyes’ article removed because of someone’s claimed “offense.”  The letter rightly notes Blake Page, Michael Weinstein’s “special assistant,” didn’t even get the basic facts of the situation correct, nevermind accurately apply the law [emphasis added]:  Read more

Atheist Misrepresents Facts in Crusade for Atheist Chaplains

Jason Torpy, a former Army Captain and atheist leading a one-man crusade to install a humanist chaplain in the US military, has stooped to misrepresentation to support his cause.  Again.

After years of misrepresenting military demographics to claim non-theists are a substantial portion of the US military, Torpy has recently started distancing himself from his own claims — not long after a member of Congress pointed out that certain people demanding atheist chaplains

make vastly exaggerated claims about the religious demographics of the military.

Torpy’s modus operandi, however, appears to continue in his other battles.

First, Jason Torpy — who says he is the endorsing agent for Jason Heap, the man attempting to be a humanist chaplain in the US Navy — has repeatedly used selective quotations from Department of Defense regulations to claim the military is required to allow humanist chaplains.  Most recently he said [formatting original]:  Read more

Humanists Denied Wedding in Naval Academy Chapel

Former Army Captain and current atheist Jason Torpy is keeping busy.  While currently claiming to act as the endorsing agent for a proposed humanist chaplain, he’s also trying to act as an officiant for a humanist wedding at the US Naval Academy.  The only problem for the “Reverend” Torpy: Annapolis reserves its Christian chapel for Christian ceremonies.

Jennifer Erickson, an academy spokeswoman, said in an email that the Naval Academy Chapel is a religious venue that has been used for Protestant and Catholic services since its dedication in 1908.

“The chapel contains permanent Christian architectural features that make it inappropriate for non-Christian or non-religious wedding ceremonies,” Erickson wrote in response to questions about the request. “For requests involving non-Christian and non-religious wedding ceremonies, the Naval Academy offers alternative venues, such as the non-denominational chapel and the Naval Academy Club.”

Because the Christian chapel has unmatched “grandeur” — including the crypt of famed seaman John Paul Jones — the humanists complain that nothing else will do.  The non-theists apparently admire theistic architecture.

To be clear, there are several chapels at Annapolis, including a Jewish Read more

The Legacy of Col Bud Day

US Air Force Chief of Staff, General Mark Welsh, wrote “A Tribute to a Hero” on the passing of Col George “Bud” Day last weekend.  The General indicated he had a somewhat personal history with the legend of Col Day:

My dad was a hero. As a young man, I asked him who his combat heroes were; he gave me only two names. One was Major General Frederick “Boots” Blesse and the other was Colonel George E. “Bud” Day. My dad was not easily impressed, so I knew that if they were his heroes, they were very, very special men. I was right.

What is most interesting, though, is what General Welsh highlights as Col Day’s legacy:

Future Airmen will honor his name and treasure his story, not because of the awards and buildings named in his honor, but for the legendary character, the unbreakable spirit and the values he demonstrated each and every day.

In an essay reminiscent of General Welsh’s past inspirational speeches, the Chief praised Col Day’s “character,” “spirit,” and “values.”  These are truly what a man is remembered for, and what determines whether history remembers him as “great.”

Sadly, society Read more

MRFF: Air Force Created New Regulation Because of Christians

As previously noted, Michael Weinstein boasts about his hate mail like some people do pictures of their grandkids.  The MRFF publishes some of those emails, and, more often than not, a “volunteer” staff member posts an online rebuttal.  The replies are often critical and sarcastic, meaning they’re mostly red meat for MRFF acolytes.  Occasionally, though, one reveals the underbelly of the MRFF opposition to religious liberty.

Such was the case with Joan Slish, an MRFF “advisory board” member who has two claims to fame: First, according to the MRFF website, she left the Assembly of God because they were the wrong kind of Christian (though she oddly still claims an AoG Pastorate).  Second, she inadvertently revealed in 2011 that the MRFF was the arbiter of “true” Christianity — telling the world the MRFF would vitriolically attack the religious liberty of the wrong kind of Christian.  (Weinstein was already doing that; Slish was simply the first ‘staff member’ to admit it.)

Now she can add a third trophy:  An official MRFF email reply riddled with statements at times false, at others ridiculous, and almost always comical — but one that also has another peek behind the MRFF curtain.

She falters right out of the gate in following the MRFF tradition of Read more

Air Force Chief Scrubs Unit of Religious Resources

A high ranking member of the Air Force tears down posters at his base because he disagrees with their religious viewpoint.  Think that’s actionable?

Michael Weinstein’s research assistant, Chris Rodda, once railed against a group of military Christian officers who had the gall to publicly state their Christian beliefs to an audience of fellow believers.  Weinstein himself called for a General officer to be court-martialed for telling his subordinates about the ‘life rules’ he lived by — which included references to God.  In these and other cases Weinstein and his acolytes have decried as illegal and unconstitutional the words of military members expressing portions of their religious faith. To be clear, there were no actions involved — only words consistent with the protected exercise of religious liberty.

It seems for a couple of military atheists, though, there’s certainly some action — and thus far, Weinstein has yet to defend “religious freedom” from their conduct:

An enlisted Airman recently introduced himself by his name and rank to a group of like-minded military atheists:    Read more

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