Tag Archives: mikey weinstein

Article: USAFA “Dogged” by Michael Weinstein

An unusually pointed article from the Baptist Press summarizes some of the recent events at the US Air Force Academy — and minces few words on the cause of “anti-Christian pressure” at USAFA:

Recent actions by the U.S. Air Force Academy could appear as if commanders are on a mission to rid the institution of Christian influence, but a nearby pastor says the actions are the result of intense pressure from one man…

Mike Routt, pastor of Circle Drive Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., told Baptist Press the hostility toward Christianity at the Air Force Academy is not the result of the leadership there but is in response to pressure from Mikey Weinstein of Read more

Camp Marmal Marines Baptized in Afghanistan

Just one day after their cross was pulled down from their chapel, five US Marines were baptized in Camp Marmal in a public affirmation of their faith:

[A] congregation of worshipers…witnessed the five service members publicly proclaim their belief in a higher power.

At the conclusion of the service, each service member was baptized individually, taking a backward plunge into a tub of water that was placed inside the chapel.

“This [the baptism] is only the beginning of their spiritual journey,” said Maj. Xuan Tran, chaplain…

The symbolic gesture of Read more

Walter Reed Issues Statement on Bible Ban

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center issued the following statement in response to the outcry over its explicit ban on Bibles in the facility, saying it was “incorrect” as written and “has been rescinded.”

We are in the process of rewriting our policy and would like to offer the following statement:

Bibles and other religious materials have always been and will remain available for patient use at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The visitation policy as written was incorrect and should Read more

Walter Reed Rescinds Ban on Bible

Update: More than 20,000 people signed a petition in less than 24 hours to “help end the ban” on Bibles at Walter Reed.

A US Army officer “in disbelief” forwarded a Walter Reed National Military Medical Center memorandum regarding patient visitation to the Family Research Council.  The memorandum said:

f. No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit.

The ban was so broadly written it would prevent even families from providing Bibles to their wounded family members, and it banned priests from bringing the eucharist or providing last rites.  Notably, while the policy banned all religious items, the Bible was the only religious text specifically mentioned.

The FRC circulated the memorandum at Capitol Hill, and Rep Steve King (R-Iowa) took to the House floor and “blasted” the policy:

Mr. Speaker, these military men and women who are recovering at Walter Reed and Bethesda have given their all for America…They’ve Read more

ACLJ: Michael Weinstein’s MRFF is Radical, Bullying

Yesterday the American Center for Law and Justice’s David French wrote a scathing (and accurate) critique of Michael Weinstein’s Military Religious Freedom Foundation (though it never mentions Weinstein by name).  The piece is entitled “The Campaign Against the Cross is Not About “Freedom,”” and its genesis is the current controversy over the cross at a memorial on Camp Pendleton.

French minces no words:

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) is perhaps the most deceptively-named organization in the United States.  Its tone is hysterical (it actually calls those who complain about religious influence “spiritual rape victims/tormentees”) and its methods Orwellian.

French also noted an example of the MRFF’s practice of publishing letters from those who claim to be active servicemembers, with their names redacted.  Chris Rodda published a letter from a Marine senior NCO that French called “incredibly profane and unprofessional.”  The redacted writer even said would probably be “kicked out” of the Read more

In Reversal, Weinstein Defends Christian Military Service

In a stark departure from his normal incendiary vitriol, Michael Weinstein recently took the unprecedented step of defending Christians serving in the US military.

Read carefully [emphasis added, as quoted at the American Muslim]:

Muslim-American service members, as well as their comrades-in-arms of all faith groups, know full well that the sworn oaths of loyalty to the mission of serving the American people and protecting our cherished constitutional freedoms take precedence over religious identity.

This is a complete reversal of prior accusations that Christians in Read more

Military Atheists Rally Around the Crossbuster

As noted before, some atheists, like many political or social activists, can sometimes become so engrossed in their presumed persecution they see offense where none exists.

Military atheists, for example, took a General officer to task when she made the fairly benign statement that military service requires you to believe in things “bigger than yourself.”  They derided a US military Chaplain for describing his duties as required by regulation.  In both cases, statements were attributed to the officers they didn’t actually say — it was just what the atheists thought they heard — a perception apparently skewed by an assumption of persecution.  Most recently, atheists brought up an old story about a Navy atheist who was “forced to permanently cover” a tattoo.  CTR2 Michael Wheeler had the logo of the band Bad Religion, the “crossbuster,” tattooed on his arm where it was visible, even in uniform:

Naturally, there was much consternation and implication of persecution on the part of the atheists.  In the end, a few who commented did correctly note a Read more

Despite Weinstein Threats, USAFA Supports Local Food Bank

Just days after Michael Weinstein claimed the US Air Force Academy was inappropriately asking USAFA cadets to donate toys to needy children, a news article was published indicating what Weinstein describes as a “cancer” is, indeed, widespread:

The cadets are even making donations to a local food bank.

Air Force Academy chaplains and the Cadet Interfaith Council [presented] a $1,200 check along with 125 cans of food to the Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado at the food bank’s site in Colorado Springs, Colo.

By its nature the Cadet Interfaith Council obviously had a connection to the chaplains, but the food drive was a cadet-initiated, cadet-run event:  Read more

1 … 124 125 126 127 128 … 156