Tag Archives: Religion

Priest to be First Bishop in Combat

Army Chaplain (LtCol) F. Richard Spencer is a former combat Army officer who has continued to experience combat as a Chaplain, having deployed to Iraq with the US Army.

Spencer has now been appointed a bishop of the Archdiocese for US Military Services, the Catholic oversight body for all Catholic Chaplains in the US military.  He is transitioning to the Army reserves, but still expects to be the first bishop to enter a warzone when he returns to combat areas during the high-demand holidays.  Read more

Weinstein Calls on Military to Ban Christian Group

The Colorado Springs Independent, which previously reported on both Michael Weinstein’s declaration of “war” on the Air Force Academy and his letter to the Secretary of Defense, apparently obtained access to three cadets to discuss the religious climate at USAFA.

The members of the Cadet Interfaith Council had little negative to say: speaking of religious mistreatment, a Jewish cadet says “not much of that goes on these days;” a Buddhist has “not experienced any discrimination due to his faith.”  The Protestant of the three agrees.

All agree with a cadet’s statement that

Right now, I think it might be getting blown out of proportion.

(It is worth noting these cadets were likely provided by the Academy for the purpose of the interview.  Given the opportunity, Weinstein could likely produce cadets supporting his point of view.)

Superintendent LtGen Michael Gould is also quoted, and the article offers an intriguing look at religious “complaints” over the past two years.  Ironically, there Read more

The US Military and Religious Rights in WWII

An article from the Murray Ledger & Times, a local Kentucky paper, has an interesting perspective on the rise of the importance of religion in the military in the 1940s.  Dr. G. Kurt Piehler from the University of Tennessee spoke at Murray State University’s scholarship banquet:

Piehler spoke concerning “The Religious Life of the G.I. during World War II.” Primarily focusing on the introduction of an expanded chaplain service to meet the religious needs of American military service men and women…

“We never followed religion as seriously as we did in World War II,” Piehler said, pointing out the increase in religious focus Read more

President Obama, Christianity and Pluralism

President Obama’s religious faith continues to be a topic of discussion in the mainstream press.  A recent article discussed an interview in which he said he is a “Christian by choice.”

Interestingly, at the end of the article, Obama said this:

“This is a country that is still predominantly Christian. But we have Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, agnostics, Buddhists and that their own path to grace is one that we have to revere and respect as much as our own.”

The perspective is interesting; Americans United for the Separation of Church and State made a point of saying that Obama “got it:”  Read more

Military Physicians Voice Opposition to Abortion Mandate

According to the Catholic Register, the Christian Medical and Dental Association is publicizing active duty US military opposition to the Burris amendment, which would allow privately funded abortions in military medical facilities.

Like the “don’t ask, don’t tell” that has largely overshadowed it, the proposed change in abortion law is attached to the 2011 Defense Authorization Act.  Both continue to raise moral questions for the military members they will impact.

Among their chief concerns is the fact that the abortion provision, which would roll back a 1996 law that banned the use of military facilities and personnel for elective abortions, is that it lacks conscience protections for physicians who morally object to abortion…

More than 250 active-duty physician members of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations wrote to senators in August stating that the elective-abortion provision would endanger their ability to follow Read more

Atheists to Take up Ft. Bragg General’s Offer

A small but building group of atheists has decided to take LtGen Frank Helmick at his word, when in his defense of Rock the Fort at Fort Bragg he said he would

provide similar support to comparable events sponsored by similar non-Federal entities that address the needs of Soldiers on this Installation.

The group, apparently led by US Army Specialist Justin Griffith, are beginning coordination to hold an atheist “Freedom Festival” next year at Fort Bragg (complete with website):

Our goal is to organize and promote an event to be held at Ft. Bragg with the support of MWR, just like the “Rock the Fort” evangelical Christian event held on 9/25/10.

…Please join this group and help us plan an event for Skeptics, Free-Thinkers, Agnostics, Atheists, and those who just want to enjoy a day FREE from religion.

Good on’em.  While the group may be ideologically at odds with most Read more

Warning: “Freedom” Group Says This Site Contains “Outright Lies”

Michael Weinstein, head of his own non-profit Military Religious Freedom Foundation, says ChristianFighterPilot.com is a “Christian supremacist” site containing “outright lies” and “falsehoods.”

This most recent attack finds its source in a letter written by Weinstein and addressed to the Secretary of Defense — and copied to everyone from the Joint Chiefs to President Obama.  In it, Weinstein says a “catalyst” to a complaint from an Air Force Academy cadet was:

The inclusion by the Air Force Academy Public Affairs Office in the daily Academy-wide “Falcon Clips” email of a sectarian Christian-themed blog post…

The “Falcon Clips” are a compilation of public references to goings-on at the Air Force Academy.  They are emailed out daily, and, according to these reports, included a reference to “Bat Signal Busted, Weinstein Declares War Back On.”  It would appear Weinstein Read more

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