Tag Archives: Church and State

Franklin Graham and Military Religious Freedom, Continued

It is now common knowledge that Franklin Graham’s invitation to speak at the prayer day hosted by the Pentagon Chaplaincy was “rescinded.”

Army spokesman Col. Tom Collins confirmed today, that at the Army’s request, the Pentagon Chaplain’s Office had contacted Graham to withdraw the invitation extended to him to be the main speaker at the Pentagon’s observance of the National Day of Prayer.

As a result, the National Day of Prayer Task Force is also not participating in the Pentagon event.  Graham responded:

I regret that the Army felt it was necessary to rescind their invitation to the National Day of Prayer Task Force to participate in the Pentagon’s special prayer service. I want to express my strong support for the United States military and all our troops. I will continue to pray that God will give them guidance, wisdom and protection as they serve this great country.

(Some have claimed the NDoP itself is unConstitutional, consistent with Read more

Franklin Graham and Military Religious Freedom

A FoxNews article highlights the criticism of the US military for an invitation to Franklin Graham for a May 6 day of prayer.

A military spokesman had an interesting statement:

“We are an all-inclusive military. We hold observances throughout the year. This one happens to be a Christian-themed event,” [Army Col. Tom] Collins said.

This is a somewhat unique statement, because many people seem to be assuming a military chapel event has to be “inclusive.”  However, the Colonel Read more

Congressional Research Service Report on Religion in the Military

The Congressional Research Service is a statutory office that provides research services at the request of members of Congress.  The CRS says its work is “authoritative,” “accurate,” “objective and nonpartisan.”

The CRS recently published a report entitled “Military Personnel and Freedom of Religious Expression: Selected Legal Issues,” by attorneys R. Chuck Mason and Cynthia Brougher.

The 20-page report  Read more

MRFF Seeks Cause to Litigate, Agitate…and Ice Cream

Since the demise of its last lawsuit seeking an end to public religious expression in the military, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been searching for a cause.  (Michael Weinstein promised to file an appeal, though it appears he has not done so.)  After the Trijicon scandal was quickly defused, Weinstein made a furtive effort to revive it a few months later–with little public reaction.  He also tried to attach his organization to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” media frenzy without much success.  Weinstein is struggling for relevancy even among his own supporters; a recent fundraiser garnered few contributors.

In his latest bid for publicity, Weinstein demanded Read more

Military Paper Derides Christian Belief

The past week or so has seen the renewal in notice of a 2008 paper written by Army Maj Brian L. Stuckert. (The paper was criticized in December 2009 by the WorldNetDaily, and defended by MediaMatters in the same period.)  Entitled “Strategic Implications of American Millennialism,” (pdf) the Major’s paper is largely critical of some aspects of Christian belief.

First, points of clarification:  The paper was written as an academic product while Stuckert was a student at the School of Advanced Military Studies, which is an official professional military education course.  Such military courses often permit a wide variety of topics for their students’ papers.  The topic of religion is not off limits in this environment.  In addition, Read more

Military Religion Question Answered: Beliefs, Part 2

The last Military Religion Question of the Day asked if a military Chaplain’s article about God’s provision was correctly characterized by a critic:

The…Chaplain writes about why women were created (as an afterthought to keep men from being lonely), marriage as a Christian institution, and segues to a blatant Jesus salvation pitch.

The critic did not directly accuse the Chaplain of wrongdoing.  Instead, he appears to be holding the Chaplain’s beliefs up for ridicule.  Is the mockery justified?

The critic’s interpretation of the Chaplain’s description of “why women were created” Read more

Chaplain’s “Changing of the Stole” in Iraq

A “change of command” is a process in which a military unit publicly sees its leadership change from one person to another.  The 1st Infantry Division, or “Big Red One,” recently saw a “time honored tradition” in a similar ceremony when a new division Chaplain assumed his duties.

Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Timothy Mallard, division chaplain for the 1st Inf. Div., donned the stole, which bears the names of the head chaplains for the division since the Balkans.

The changing of the stole ceremony is based on the Old Testament Read more

Commander Helps Troops’ Religious Celebration

The recent religious “high holidays” highlighted US military efforts to accommodate the faiths of those within its ranks.

Two important perspectives were recently expressed in reaction to the celebration of Passover in Iraq by US servicemembers.  First, from a young celebrant:

“It’s a big deal for morale, especially for Jewish Soldiers,” said Jason Kocsis [of the] Louisiana National Guard. “To be able to get together with other Soldiers of the Jewish faith and share what you normally share back at home with family, it gives you more of a taste of home and what we have to look forward to.” (emphasis added)

Second, from a senior officer who is not only a celebrant, but also a commander:

“The Army and these Soldiers are a part of our extended family during war-time,” said Lt. Col. Mednick, who is in charge of all aviation operations in the [northern] area of operations…”It’s very important to not spend this holiday alone and I’m proud to provide that culture for these Soldiers.” (emphasis added)

Finally, it is also important to note the military supports the religious exercise Read more

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