As previously noted, two Sikh medical professionals are appealing the US Army policy that prevents them from keeping their religious accoutrements in uniform. (The AP now covers the story.)
In April, the Army office of the Chief of Staff, on behalf of the Secretary of Defense, responded to the Sikh Coalition’s complaint, informing them that they were investigating the matter.
Michael Weinstein and his Military Religious Freedom Foundation have routinely called for court martial, punishment, and have even implied harm against military members publicly associated with expressions of religious thought. Weinstein has reserved particular vitriol for senior officers, including the Chief Chaplains of both the Army and Air Force, the Secretary of the Army, the members (and Chairman) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, military academy leadership, and others. His intent appears to be to silence or exclude Christians by changing military policy and public opinion where he can, and intimidation using public excoriation where he cannot.
It is likely that the MRFF’s criticisms of military leadership will continue. They have already leveled criticism at the Obama administration’s selection for the new Secretary of the Army, New York Republican Congressman John McHugh.
Michael Weinstein called McHugh “suboptimal” Read more
US military Chaplains serve all. They serve regardless of faith or lack thereof. They provide counsel and reassurance independent of affiliation. While staying true to their own religious tenets, they aggressively support all personnel with whatever they require to meet their spiritual and religious needs.
That’s why it is not surprising that a US military Chaplain recently handed out religious texts to local Iraqis. Read more
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then, I said, Here am I; Send me.” – Isaiah 6:8
From a recent article by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation’s researcher:
[This] Bible verse…was the theme of Secretary of the Army Pete Geren’s commencement address at West Point last year. Geren opened and closed his speech by quoting the verse, and, throughout his speech, painted the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as a religious struggle.
The entire text of Geren’s commencement speech, given to the US Military Academy in 2008, is available online. He mentions a religious topic four times, none as conspiratorial as the MRFF asserts. Each citation follows: Read more
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State filed a complaint with the IRS claiming that Liberty University was violating the federal tax code (as a tax-exempt entity) by “banning” a Democratic group while allowing a Republican one.
Liberty Counsel, the legal arm of the Falwell associated group that includes Liberty University, has responded by filing its own complaint to the IRS, claiming that AU uses IRS complaints as a means to “intimidate, silence, and harm” those with whom it disagrees. Read more
President Barack Obama signed a proclamation (pdf) for Memorial Day calling on Americans to remember the sacrifices of their servicmen and women, and to unite in prayer. US law calls on the President to declare each Memorial Day as a “day of prayer for permanent peace” and designate a time for the country to unite in prayer. A separate law designates 1500 local time as the “National Moment of Remembrance.”
From the proclamation Read more
An interesting article at Army.mil notes the stories of Army Chaplains who serve everyone in their units, not just those who might share the tenets of their faith:
Army Chaplain (Maj.) Chuck B. Rizer, 172nd Infantry Brigade chaplain, believes all faiths — and even agnostics or atheists — can receive help from a chaplain… Read more
Much ado has been made of the GQ article which includes a slide show of government Top Secret briefing coversheets. The pages contain pictures of the military and Biblical quotes. (Ironically, the topic was a short lead-in to a completely different subject, which has been largely ignored.)
While interesting, the issue is a non-story. Read more