Tag Archives: Constitution

Better Late than Never: Peterson AFB Learns the Mikey Weinstein Lesson

It was with some disappointment that supporters of military religious freedom watched Michael “Mikey” Weinstein claim, yet again, that a military commander had granted him special access and attention. Referring to his complaint about the Bible displayed by USAF Major Steve Lewis, Weinstein said:

[Colonel Feltman] and I had a very productive, nearly 12 minute telephone conversation regarding MRFF’s demands…on this unconstitutional matter of Major Steve Lewis’ open bible…

[Colonel Feltman] personally assured me several times that [he] had initiated an “investigation” and that it would be “fair, open and transparent”…

As anyone who has dealt with Mikey Weinstein in the past knows, such treatment is blood in the water to Weinstein. In fact, the US Air Force already knows this — which is why Read more

Air Force Major Steve Lewis Can Keep His Bible on His Desk

Peterson AFB has ruled that Major Steve Lewis was within the rules when he kept his Bible on his desk:

We have concluded that no abuse of liberties has occurred, and Maj Lewis’s behavior and the workplace environment at the RNSSI are well within the provisions of Air Force Instruction 1-1, Air Force Standards, paragraphs 2.11 and 2.12, “Free Exercise of Religion and Religious Accommodation” and “Balance of Free Exercise of Religion and Establishment Clause.”

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein was livid, naturally, as he doesn’t like it when Christians have the same religious liberty protections as everyone else. Therefore, he filed an immediate and aggressive…FOIA request. Actually, he didn’t even file it. Weinstein — who pays himself nearly $1,000 a day, every day, for his “work” in his charity — instead had a volunteer log onto the Air Force eFOIA site and submit the request for him.

Todd Starnes commended the Air Force for the right call, Major Lewis for his conduct, and then laid a gauntlet at Weinstein’s feet:  Read more

Military Christians Aren’t the Only Ones Exercising Their Faith

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…they’re just the only ones criticized for doing so.

Given the way the American culture has drifted over the past few years and the impact that drift has had on religion, religious freedom, and the military, it might be forgivable that people would assume conservative Christians are the only ones publicizing their beliefs from within the military.

That’s an easy framing, but it is not an accurate one.

It turns out that other “liberal” religious beliefs — and even non-beliefs — have been just Read more

MRFF Focuses Bible Attack on Display, Accommodation

Former Assembly of God pastor Joan Slish, an advisory board member of Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s MRFF, is a constant source of delightful insight into the MRFF’s sometimes opaque logic. Most recently, she responded to an MRFF detractor, as she often does, with a 1,000-word post that was nearly identical to every other post she makes. There were a couple of notable deviations, however.

Referencing the recent accusation by Mikey Weinstein that USAF Major Steve Lewis should be punished for having a Bible on his desk, Slish said [emphasis added]

To place the opened, highlighted, underlined Christian Bible on a military desk 24/7 for other service members to see elevates the Christian God above all others and is in violation of the Constitution, Separation of Church and State under the Establishment Clause, Reynolds v. U.S., Lemon v. Kurtzman, the Lemon Test, Parker v. Levy and AFI 1-1, Section 2.12.

Yes, the MRFF appears to believe that a Bible on a military member’s desk is the state establishing religion. Apparently ISIS is doing it wrong. Put a Koran on a desk and the caliphate is won, according to Mikey Weinstein.

We’ll ignore Slish’s ignorance regarding a citizen being in “violation” of court cases. (That’s not the branch of government that makes or enforces laws, Joan.)

The relevant issue is her contention that the Bible was, in Read more

To Major Steve Lewis & Peterson Air Force Base: Ignore Mikey, and He will Flee. Guaranteed.

by Sonny Hernandez

It is always demoralizing to hear perplexing tales of snowflake liberals in the Armed Forces who become incensed over the mere presence of a Bible. As a result of just such an offense, an Air Force officer is now under investigation after years of keeping an open, highlighted Bible on his desk, leading to another of Mikey Weinstein’s inconsequential tirades.

There is an underlying issue of why Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation is disdainful towards an open, highlighted Bible on Major Steve Lewis’s desk. Weinstein abhors the Bible, which Christians adore! As I have stated on multiple occasions, Mikey Weinstein does not contend with anyone who distributes material that references Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, leprechauns or fairies. Why? It is because none of them exist! Weinstein always contends with references to God because he knows God exists, which is why his anti-God suppression is invariable.

There is a reason Mr. Weinstein rejects the Bible. Weinstein does not reject the truth of the Bible because it contradicts itself; instead, he rejects the Bible because Read more

US Air Force Removes Bible From Airman’s Desk

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein celebrated yesterday after his complaint resulted in a Peterson Air Force Base officer having a Bible removed from his desk. As cited by Fox News:

“[The Bible] is very obviously a statement of Christian preference, Christian primacy,” MRFF founder Mikey Weinstein told me. “Had that been the Book of Satan or the Koran there would be blood in the freaking streets.”

He accused Maj. Steve Lewis, a supervisor at the Reserve National Security Space Institute, of “harboring and encouraging a truly abhorrent example of First Amendment civil rights violations.”

To be fair, Mikey Weinstein has been after Bibles-on-desks for a long time. It’s just that for years the Air Force has been telling him to take a hike:

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., asked James if it’s acceptable for an airman to have a Bible on his desk…

James told Vitter: “Having a Bible on your desk, that doesn’t seem like it should be banned.”

Air Force spokeswoman LtCol Laura Tingley: “I can tell you that military members are allowed to have religious materials on their desks.”

(The Air Force issued some of these statements and Read more

Chris Rodda, MRFF Attack Military Chaplains — For Being Christian

Executive Summary: In their personal complaints about military chaplains, Mikey Weinstein and his MRFF clearly demonstrate their antagonism toward religious beliefs — particularly, Christian beliefs — they don’t like. This again supports the position that correspondence from the MRFF should be viewed with the skeptical eye that such complaints are motivated by an intolerant and discriminatory viewpoint inconsistent with the military’s support of diversity and religious freedom.

roddaprofChris Rodda, the research assistant for Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s MRFF, is nothing if not predictable. Yesterday she posted an extraordinarily long essay railing against US military chaplains, largely centered around Mikey Weinstein’s attack on chaplains and endorsers at the end of July, an attack that was roundly rebutted by the ACLJ.  (While it’s not worth the read, Rodda’s novella can be found here.)

However, part way through Rodda digressed from her presumed thesis, as she often does, to personally attack another Air Force officer unrelated to that event: Chaplain Sonny Hernandez.

Rodda revealed the MRFF has for months been harassing Air Force Chief of Chaplains (MajGen) Dondi Costin, complaining about Chaplain Hernandez. The MRFF has claimed [emphasis added]  Read more

The Homosexual, Anti-Christian Agenda and the Military

Hypocrisy, Immorality, & Problematic Issues

by Sonny Hernandez

The world is a dangerous place for Bible-believing Christians. In the Middle East, radical Islamists are telling Christians “accept us or die,” while in the United States, homosexuals are telling Christians “bake us a cake or we will sue.” This forceful reproach is the stipulation that is now being foisted upon the Armed Forces by homosexual activists who will relentlessly calumniate anyone who opposes their sexual lifestyle.

Bible-believing military chaplains have a constitutional right to express their faith convictions in the military, despite what some liberals seem to think. Recently, I published an article titled, “The Transgender (Homosexual) Lifestyle: A Military Chaplain’s Perspective.”  In response to this article, I was held in derision by innumerable homosexual supporters who categorically decried my article as judgmental hate speech. I was also accused of forcing my beliefs upon others and inciting fear to cause dissension between the Church and the LGBT community. Bible-believing military chaplains should expect hostility because of their faith convictions.

This is why I found many of the responses perplexing especially since Read more

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