Tag Archives: religious freedom

Critics Falsify Congressman’s “So Help Me God” Bill

Several critics — primarily on the liberal-leaning, anti-religious freedom side — have laid into US Congressman Sam Johnson (R-Tx) for his “Preserve and Protect God in Military Oaths Act of 2015” — and it is abundantly clear that none of them actually read the proposed bill.

Most of the critics portrayed the act as some version of requiring enlisting military members to “pledge to God” during their military oaths — something that recalls issues with the US Air Force and Air Force Academy in 2013. One employee of the Air Force Academy summed up much of the criticism when he tweeted to the Congressman (thick with irony):

What part of “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” did you miss, sir?

You are in Congress. You are sponsoring a bill to establish Christianity as a state religion. Have you READ the Constitution?

— Phoenix Blue (@Phoenix_Blue) March 23, 2015

Similarly, an astonishingly ignorant Michael “Mikey” Weinstein claimed Read more

US Naval Academy Midshipman Laments Mealtime Prayers

A US Naval Academy midshipman (cadet) recently took to the internet to complain about Annapolis’ tradition of noon mealtime prayers. (This daily tradition has been under routine attack almost annually, often from the ACLU.)  With emphasis added:

Every day the entire brigade of midshipmen congregates in our massive dining hall for lunch, and every day one of the chaplains gets up in front of everyone and says a prayer before the meal. Most of the time it’s a Christian chaplain from some denomination or another, but usually once a week there’s a Jewish chaplain.

I guess there’s really nothing wrong with it, since I don’t have to pray if I don’t want to, but it is incredibly annoying when you just want to eat your lunch and get on with the day. It doesn’t help that some of the chaplains (especially the Jewish ones, for whatever reason) are incredibly long-winded.

Something occurred to me the other day during prayer. As usual, I wasn’t bowing my head, but was instead looking around at the rest of the midshipmen, the majority of whom are religious. It occurred to me that there’s just something incredibly servile about seeing 4000-odd otherwise intelligent people all bowing their heads in unison. To me, the act of bowing your head is saying in body language that you’re not good enough on your own and you can’t do anything without the help of whatever higher power you happen to believe in. I’m generally not an angry atheist; I like to live and let live, but every time I see that, I become an incredibly angry atheist for a brief moment.

Every cadet is allowed to grouse, of course. It’s practically required to survive four years at any of the US military’s service academies.

The disturbing thing Read more

The 70th Anniversary of Iwo Jima, Chaplain Gittelsohn, and the Purest Democracy

Seventy years ago this month, US Marines slogged onto Iwo Jima, an island some 600-miles from the Japanese mainland. Nearly 6,000 Americans died and more than 17,000 were wounded in the month-long battle. As was the practice at the time, the dead were buried on the island in cemeteries designated for each Marine Division.

The Division chaplain reportedly asked US Navy Reserve Chaplain (Lt) Roland Gittelsohn to speak at the memorial dedicating the Fifth Marine Division cemetery on Iwo Jima. Chaplain Gittelsohn was the first Jewish chaplain to serve US Marines.

There was apparently resistance among the Christian chaplains to a Jewish chaplain presiding over the graves of Christians. Gittelsohn reportedly bowed out, instead delivering a eulogy to a smaller, 70-person Jewish ceremony — a ceremony attended by at least three Christian chaplains incensed by the intolerance of their fellow chaplains.

The chaplain’s eulogy was apparently Read more

Confused Atheist Criticizes, Compliments Military Chaplains

An atheist recently sought the help of his fellow non-believers in trying to overcome a problem with chaplains at his deployed US military location in the Middle East:

Every week the chaplain posts a new message, it has a short story, a bible verse to relate, and times they run service…

Doesn’t seem like a big deal, and at first, he doesn’t think so either, then reconsiders:

What’s wrong with this? Well nothing, depending on where you are. The issue is they’re everywhere, most annoyingly in the bathrooms. Whether you’re sitting or standing they’re right in front of your face!

Then again, he goes back go saying they’re a good thing:

I like that they’re intended to be inspiring and uplifting. In a stressful environment it’s absolutely necessary…

And then reverses himself yet again:  Read more

US Troops Participate in Japanese Hinamatsuri Festival

US service members from Misawa Air Base recently participated in a local Japanese Hinamatsuri festival hosted by the local town:

Capt. Keith Henry, commanding officer of Naval Air Facility Misawa, gave opening remarks that highlighted the importance of sharing Japan and American cultures at events.

“It was a great event because it not only taught base families about Japanese culture but we had Japanese students and parents working side by side with American students and parents which allows them a deeper understanding across both cultures,” said Henry.

The students and parents were working on hina dolls:

We display a set of dolls and pray for Read more

Commander Denies Chaplain’s Religious Accommodation

Chaplain (LtCmdr) Wes Modder was relieved of his duties for expressing, during private counseling sessions, beliefs consistent with his endorsing agency. He appealed the dismissal, and he also filed a formal request for religious accommodation, seeking the freedom to

discuss matters of faith, marriage, family, and human sexuality from a Biblical perspective when the issue is relevant to pastoral counseling.

Shockingly, his request was denied — sort of.  Navy CAPT J.R. Fahs wrote a rambling response (PDF) that addressed the reasoning behind firing Chaplain Modder but never actually said whether the Request for Religious Accommodation was approved or denied.  Rather, CAPT Fahs implied the request was unnecessary:  Read more

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