Tag Archives: religious freedom
President Signs 2015 NDAA: Mt Soledad Addressed, No Religious Liberty Provisions
For the first time in several years, Congress passed and the President signed a National Defense Authorization Act with no sections directing the US military on issues of religious liberty. Over the prior few years, Congress has inserted legislation requiring protection of religious expression within the military, for example, which resulted in changes to DoDI 1300.17 and Air Force Instruction 1-1.
One thing the NDAA does include, however, is authorization to transfer the Mount Soledad Memorial Cross to a private organization: Read more
Punished Chaplain Requests Accommodation, Gets Support
Below:
- Jewish Endorser Backs Punished Christian Chaplain
- Chaplain Lawhorn Requests Religious Accommodation
- Commander Denies Request to Rescind Letter of Concern
- Atheist Soldier Derides Christian Faith
Jewish Endorser Backs Punished Christian Chaplain
Yeshiva Pirchei Shoshanim, a Jewish endorsing agent for US military chaplains, has publicly backed US Army Chaplain (Capt) Joseph Lawhorn — a Christian chaplain punished for sharing his personal story of how faith enabled him to weather depression [emphasis added]:
[YPS] believe[s] the Letter of Concern is inappropriate and will have negative consequences on all military chaplains…
YPS supports the right Read more
We Believe.
We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He’s coming back again, we believe
Chris Rodda Criticizes USAF Band Because ISIS
It didn’t take too long for Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s research assistant, Chris Rodda, to pen a diatribe criticizing the US Air Force Band’s “flash mob” kick-off to the Christmas season. As is her typical style, she wrote an 800 word passive-aggressive narrative without ever really saying why she was writing it, other than a vague objection to “religiosity” on the part of the Air Force.
Near the end, though, she finally cut to the chase:
I’ll bet there are some Islamic extremists out there who are also being quite “inspired” by these viral videos of mobs of uniformed U.S. military personnel belting out lines like “Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King!,” “Joy to the world! the Savior reigns,” and “This, this is Christ the king!”
Way to go, U.S. Air Force Band!
Ah! So the MRFF thinks that if Islamic extremists will hate America Read more
Sailors in Bahrain Celebrate Christmas without Christ
While recent changes in Air Force regulations and a favorable congressional hearing have given some groups a positive perception of the direction of religious liberty in the US military, it is worth noting that even that trend isn’t universal, and it hasn’t reversed some of the damage done over the past few years.
Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain recently kicked off the holiday season with its traditional tree lighting — absent one of its longstanding traditions. In 2012, Jason Torpy — an atheist and former Army officer — single-handedly persuaded the US Navy to ban a children’s “live Nativity” from the tree lighting ceremony.
The reason? According to Torpy, the kids
threaten[ed] US security and violat[ed] the Constitution.
It was probably “easier” for the Navy to surrender to Torpy and remove the children’s event rather than try to defend it for its positive value. Thus, plastic baby Jesus Read more
Army: Chaplain’s LOC Not Punishment
Update: Chaplain Lawhorn’s attorney responds to the Army characterization here, and Chaplain Lawhorn says
As is the case with every endeavor or circumstance in my life, my ultimate intention will be to bring honor to God. To that end, I will be praying and pursuing as this case and these circumstances continue to evolve.
The Army responded to the outcry over the story of US Army Chaplain (Capt) Joe Lawhorn being punished for sharing his personal story of battling with depression by saying he wasn’t, in fact, punished:
Maj. Gen. Scott Miller, commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, [said] in a statement on Friday: “A local letter of concern is not punishment. Rather, it is an administrative counseling tool, with no long-term consequences.”
So the Army is saying that an officer was ordered to report in to his boss’s boss, was told he was violating US Army regulations, and was told his personnel record would reflect this adverse response — but he wasn’t being punished?
Whether it is “punishment” within the military lexicon is ultimately irrelevant. The Army officially responded negatively to a chaplain only because an atheist complained that the chaplain said something religious — even when there was nothing wrong with him saying something religious. The chaplain’s lawyer maintains the official negative response is inconsistent with military regulations and the US Constitution — charges to which the Army has not yet responded.
The chaplain’s ecclesiastical endorser has likewise asked the commander to rescind the letter.
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Even Atheists Find Mikey Weinstein Unreasonable
Upon hearing that Michael “Mikey” Weinstein would be testifying at a congressional hearing on religious liberty in the military, atheist activist and former Army Captain Jason Torpy had a particularly biting retort:
When will the reasonable voices get their day in Congress?
Given that Weinstein is so often accused of being an atheist, and given the core ideologies (if not the methodologies) of Torpy and Weinstein generally align, it is interesting to see Torpy’s sharp response.
On the other hand, it should not be entirely surprising. There has been bad blood between the MAAF and MRFF (particularly Chris Rodda) for some time.
It turns out Weinstein and his acolytes can be so vitriolic and derisive they alienate even those who agree with them. And if you’re an ally with the gall to criticize the MRFF’s methods, they might even turn that vitriol on you…