Tag Archives: Military

Navy School Changes Command Under Divine Authority

As reported by the Navy, aptly named US Navy CAPT Steve Moses took over the Naval Chaplaincy School and Center at the end of March.  (Last year, it was CAPT Moses who said requiring US Sailors and their families to mirror Islamic customs during Ramadan “support[s] religious freedom.”)

The Navy Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain (RAdm) Margaret Kibben, was the guest speaker, and she had the notable quote for the day [emphasis added]:

She challenged Capt. Moses to, “Wear the mantle, and do so with authority, with the responsibility that has been granted to you by the One who is the author of all these things.”

Had Chaplain Kibben been a white male Southern Baptist (as Read more

Col Kristin Goodwin Issues Second Statement Through MRFF

A couple of weeks ago, US Air Force BGen(S) Kristin Goodwin, the soon-to-be Commandant of Cadets at the US Air Force Academy, apparently issued a public statement through Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s “charity,” the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

More recently, Col Goodwin sent a message to the Department of Defense Inspector General — not through internal DoD channels, but through Weinstein’s MRFF. Regarding complaints filed by the MRFF against US troops, the MRFF’s civilian lawyers spoke again for Col Goodwin when they told the IG [italics original]

Brig Gen (Sel) Goodwin is not a client of MRFF… She, however, has relayed to the MRFF that she remains amenable to being interviewed by your investigators.

Interesting dynamics at play.

A few years ago, Mikey Weinstein claimed Read more

Mikey Weinstein’s MRFF “Charity” Reported to IRS for Potential Impropriety

A few years ago, Chris Rodda, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s research assistant, made the somewhat comical claim that the outcome of an investigation was irrelevant; rather, the fact an investigation occurred was all that mattered [capitalization original]:

The OUTCOME of the investigation…is irrelevant. It’s the fact that…he CALLED FOR the investigation…

It’s a moronic assertion on its face, but its something upon which the MRFF has relied. If an investigation happened, then they act as though their claims were vindicated — outcome notwithstanding.

Mikey Weinstein, though, very recently took it one step further and is now citing as “evidence” an accusation being reported — not even an investigation, not a resolution, just him reporting something.

Referring to ChristianFighterPilot.com, Weinstein said this site [emphasis added] Read more

Chris Rodda: That Word Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means

Chris Rodda, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s research assistant, recently took to the internet to make the calm, reasoned statement that Chaplain (Capt) Sonny Hernandez hates women.

She began by claiming ChristianFighterPilot.com has posted a “steady stream of misogynistic” articles for years — which should have made it easy to provide a clear example. Rodda attempted to do so, saying that an article on this site

expressed [the] opinion that female chaplains are not acceptable…

and then quoting this article, which says  Read more

Military Chaplains Exist to Protect Religious Rights

In a fairly bluntly worded official Air Force article, SSgt Shelton Sherrill provided a decent explanation for the sometimes misunderstood role of a military chaplain:

According to the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. For military members, chaplains are one of main advocates to help them protect this right.

Chaplains…provide religious accommodations to ensure everyone is free to exercise their beliefs, provide ethical advice to leadership, unit visitations and confidential counseling.

Edit: Actually, commanders are the ones who provide religious accommodations, not chaplains, as chaplains have no authority to authorize anything. (Chaplains famously have “rank without command.”) However, Read more

Alex McFarland: Mikey Weinstein Debate to Create a Friendship

As previously noted, Dr. Alex McFarland recently participated in a four-person debate with Michael “Mikey” Weinstein. Within the debate, it was refreshing to hear Dr. McFarland articulate a defense of the virtue of religious freedom, including military religious freedom.

Mikey Weinstein didn’t say anything he hasn’t already said a dozen times over the past decade — except to directly contradict Dr. McFarland’s assertion that a Christian who witnesses to another doesn’t do so because they consider them less of a person or otherwise devalue Read more

Congress Lauds Air Force over Military Religious Freedom

Many have grown accustomed to Congress taking the military to task for what it considers breaches of the religious freedom of US troops. Sometimes those congressional reprimands seem to have “fixed” issues. Other times they haven’t — and Congress has decided to pass a law to fix it instead.

It was an interesting turn, then, to see Congress go out of its way not to chide once more, but to laud the Air Force for defending religious liberty:

Congressman Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) led a bicameral letter of support to Pease Air National Guard Base (ANGB) in response to a complaint that the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) lodged against the base…

As you’ll recall, the FFRF lodged vague, vicarious complaints about chaplains’ prayers during official events. Pease AFB was so unmoved it didn’t even bother to respond to the FFRF.

Congressman Collins, who is also an Air Force Reserve Chaplain, led Read more

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