Tag Archives: Jewish

Vermont ANG Chaplain Serves All Beliefs, No Beliefs

An Air Force article highlights US Air Force Chaplain (Maj) Michael Medas, a Roman Catholic Priest who has joined the Vermont Air National Guard.

The article notes that Medas, like all chaplains, serve the entire military community, regardless of the beliefs any individual may hold:

As a military chaplain Medas provides religious services to all Air Force personnel. He has worked with faiths including Catholicism, Judaism and non-faith beliefs such as Atheism. The primary goal of an Air Force Chaplain is to support all members of the Air Force not only in their Read more

Moore, Mohler on Prayer and the Constitution

Dr. Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Dr. Russell Moore, president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, both recently wrote fascinating pieces on the recent Supreme Court decision permitting “sectarian” prayer before legislative bodies. While he makes many good points, Mohler astutely highlights, and Moore focused entirely upon, one point that affects even the US military: calls from some that public prayers — for example, those in front of a military formation — must be “generic.”

The second very important argument made by Justice Kennedy is even more perceptive and, in the long run, more important. He asserted that the government has no competence under the Constitution to evaluate prayers in terms of content. Specifically, he said that the Establishment Clause actually would prevent the government from determining the content of any prayer — especially in terms of some supposed standard of nonsectarianism.

Put bluntly, government has no right to declare that the only God welcome in public is a “generic God.” That is a profoundly important constitutional argument…

The US government can no more create Read more

President Obama Intros Official Military Prayer Book

The Jewish Welfare Board has released an updated siddur, a Jewish prayer book that is the “first of its kind since World War II:”

The impetus to create the siddur dates to 2006, when the Jewish Chaplains Council advisory board realized that its chaplains were using a variety of siddurim depending on what the rabbi or trained lay person leading services chose to use. This was often the prayer book with which he or she was most comfortable, or simply what was available at the base.

The format Read more

Nidal Hasan Denied Grooming Waiver

Much has been made of the January changes to the US military religious accommodation policy — changes presumably made in light of the 2013 and 2014 NDAAs passed by Congress that required the US military to promulgate policies protecting religious expression.

The changes have been criticized by almost everyone, including Congress, religious liberty advocates, and even religious groups who might benefit from grooming or uniform wear waivers. The policies do not expressly address religious expression, and the waivers they allow are temporary and subject to the whim of local commanders, according to some sources.

The US military recently revealed that two applicants have been denied waivers under the new policy.

In addition, it said since 2012 it has approved six and denied Read more

Chaplains Serve in Afghanistan during Holy Days

The Stars and Stripes recently covered a few chaplains who were busy during the recent holy day celebrations for US troops in Afghanistan:

US Army Chaplain (Col) Mike Charles serves in Kabul, Afghanistan, has deployed four times, and notes the week celebrating Christ’s resurrection is one of the busiest of the year:

Charles must ensure that religious leaders are available for the week’s numerous religious events – from Passover to Easter Sunday – and that troops across all corners of Afghanistan are able to worship appropriately.

That protection of religious exercise involves both going Read more

US Chaplain Serves from Faith in Afghanistan

US military personnel celebrate Purim in Afghanistan (US Army photo).

A religious studies student inspired by the role of the military in Israeli culture would eventually become a rabbi in the US military. US Army Chaplain (Capt) Heather Borshof appreciates the fact she can bring her faith to her profession, and to her interactions with others:

“One of the things I love about the military is that it’s not your typical congregation where you mostly work with people of your same faith,” Read more

Weinstein uses Atheist Complaint as Proof of Equality

Update: Todd Starnes at FoxNews covers ‘the rest of the story‘ (via the PatriotPost) left unsaid — or unknown — by Mikey Weinstein.  He notes, for example, both the staff tower announcement at Mitch’s and the wing-wide email, which the Academy defended — though it didn’t defend those same actions by Christians against Weinstein’s attacks in 2011. Also, [formatting original]

The Cadets who contacted me about the atheist event indicated that they were not objecting to the promotion of that event, but to the hypocrisy of that promotion, versus a fellow Cadet being asked to remove a Bible verse from his door. Obviously, only the Christian expression of faith is the target of AFA discrimination, and it is Johnson’s “religious impartiality” which should be in contention.

Jason Torpy and the MAAF — Weinstein’s erstwhile ally — took issue with his characterizations of their activities (though they supported removing the Bible verse).

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s MRFF has said he filed a “complaint” about atheists at the US Air Force Academy — and this is proof that he’s an equal opportunity critic:

Weinstein said an atheist cadet announced at the academy’s chow hall on Wednesday, while everyone was at attention, that Wednesday and Thursday would be “Ask an Atheist” days.” Weinstein said a group of the cadets set up a display on the third floor of Fairchild Hall, which includes classrooms, lab and research facilities and faculty offices.

“Replace ‘Ask an Atheist’ with ‘Ask a Christian,’ ‘Ask a Jew,” or “Ask a Muslim,'” said Weinstein, and the problem is obvious. “This is unlawful.”

The first question: Is Weinstein’s accusation accurate?

Simply, no. Weinstein appears to take issue with both the announcement and the actual “event.” The former is an announcement, nothing more. The US Air Force Academy is Read more

“Offended” Cadets Need Correction before Commissioning

LtGen Michelle Johnson, Superintendent of the US Air Force Academy, gave some insight into her reaction to cadets who “protested” the removal of a Bible verse by posting verses and quotes of their own:

Since Monday, there’s been a wave of freedom, religious and otherwise, on the 2,000 whiteboards outside cadet dorm rooms.

In response to the online flap that developed over Monday’s posting and erasure, hundreds of cadets took up their pens and posted quotes from the Bible, Talmud, Qu’ran and non-religious sources.

“It seems 20-year-olds have a sense of humor,” Johnson said.

The academy has told cadets to use taste and caution in what they post. The goal, Johnson said, is to have a climate of respect.

Of course, there’s no evidence the first cadet to put up a verse violated standards of “taste and caution,” so its unclear if that will remain a consistent standard.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council praised the cadets who bravely exercised their faith and their freedom. (Notably, some cadets who joined the protest weren’t even religious — they just Read more

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