Tag Archives: religious freedom

Democrats Concerned Because of Nominee’s Christian Beliefs. Again.

As has now been widely reported, Brian Buescher has been nominated to the US District Court. In the course of confirmation, nominees provide written responses to written questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Two Democrat Senators, Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI), appear to raise concerns about Buescher’s religious beliefs:

Hirono asked whether his membership in the Knights of Columbus would prevent him from hearing cases “fairly and impartially” and, if confirmed, whether he would end his membership in the Roman Catholic charitable organization.

“The Knights of Columbus has taken a number of extreme positions,” Hirono said in the questionnaire. “For example, it was reportedly one of the top contributors to California’s Proposition 8 campaign to ban same-sex marriage.”

Yes, that’s a US Senator un-ironically declaring Read more

Retired Flag Officers Support Bladensburg Peace Cross

In February the US Supreme Court will hear the case of the Bladensburg Peace Cross, a near-century old war memorial in Maryland that anti-religious groups claim is an illegal endorsement of religion.

The Cross was ruled “unconstitutional” by the Fourth Circuit, and that is how the case approaches the Supreme Court.

Many have spoken out in defense of the memorial, which might explain why one group that filed a brief in support of the cross went unnoticed.

A group of retired flag officers are asking the Court (PDF) to “correct the court of appeals’ stilted view of the First Amendment” and defend the cross.  Those officers include:

Top Ten ChristianFighterPilot.com Stories, 2018

This year issues of military religious freedom have boiled to the surface in two primary ways: free exercise and public expression.

For example, in its “top ten” list for 2018, The Baptist Joint Committee, a left-leaning group on religious liberty issues, highlighted the Masterpiece Cakeshop at #8 and the Bladensburg Peace Cross at #7. Similarly, Howard Friedman at the Religion Clause put Masterpiece Cakeshop at #1. The resolution of the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, which is arguably still ongoing, is directly related to the military: The case will ultimately Read more

Encouragement for the New Year, 2019

By Sonny Hernandez

Anti-Christian groups are nothing new. In Scripture, Christians were scoffed at, reviled, perpetually beaten, stoned, and most notably, crucified. And throughout church history, Christians have had to endure dreadful hardships because of their faith.

Consequently, Christians should not allow anti-Christian groups to subdue their faith out of fear or self-preservation. If Christians allow anti-Christian groups to subjugate their faith in lieu of speaking the truth faithfully, they are sending a message to every anti-Christian critic that they can be silenced if threatened. Christians are commanded to rejoice when reviled, not be hushed.

Christians, who believe in Tota and Sola Scriptura — which fake Christians do not affirm — must stand on God’s preceptive will which commands them to preach the Gospel to every creature. This imperative is derived from Christ, not the Constitution. And the Constitution supports Read more

Column: Mikey Weinstein Demands Hostility toward Religion over Salvation Army

Mike Berry, deputy general counsel and director of military affairs for First Liberty Institute, writes at the Daily Caller in defense of the ability of members of the Air Force to volunteer with the Salvation Army. Michael “Mikey” Weinstein had previously tried to lodge a complaint about the practice at Grand Forks AFB, ND.

Berry makes the point often made here: To single out a group, organization, or opportunity because of religion is to discriminate on the basis of religion, something the military cannot do [emphasis added]:

The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause requires government neutrality towards religion. Neutrality not only means the government cannot favor a particular religion, but the government likewise may not demonstrate hostility against religion either. Read more

Christmas Around the US Military, 2018

It’s always interesting to see how the military, and even the different branches within it, navigate “the holidays” at this time of year.  Some, it seems, sincerely think mentioning the Christian celebration that occurs at this time every year is somehow forbidden.

For the record, however, Secretary of Defense James Mattis didn’t hesitate to send a message to the Armed Forces saying “Merry Christmas.”

The New York National Guard participated in an uncensored Christmas Eve Road March.

Task Force Raider in Poland “spread Christmas cheer” at a local Read more

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