Tag Archives: religious freedom

Christian Fighter Pilot Top 10 Stories for 2016

Just as in the past couple of years, issues of military religious freedom have generally been incorporated in larger societal issues in most groups’ “top ten” civil/religious liberty issues for the year.

For example, Howard Friedman at the Religion Clause noted the “transgender rights” stories at #3 without specifically mentioning the (substantial) military side to that story.  That said, at #6 he included the “battle over religious displays” and specifically included “Latin crosses as part of veterans’ memorials”.

The Baptist Joint Committee, a politically left-leaning group, included the controversy over the Russell Amendment to the 2017 NDAA at #6.  (The BJC opposed the proposed legislation.)

Some other notable but unmentioned events from the year include lawsuits filed and exemptions granted for Sikhs in the military, the national discussion over Bible verses posted by court-martialed Marine LCpl Monifa Sterling, or the Air Force reconsidering its policies after retired Air Force SMSgt Oscar Rodriguez was thrown out of a ceremony while reciting a religiously-tinged flag-folding script.

With that in mind, the most read articles from 2016 on ChristianFighterPilot.com Read more

Teller: Jewish Practice in the US Military, Part VIII

Rabbi Hanoch Teller has continued his now long-running series on Jews in the US military whose religious exercise, and their interaction with the military leadership, ultimately set the stage for military religious freedom today.

In Part VIII, Teller expounds on some of the backstory to Rabbi Goldman’s attempt to wear a yarmulke in uniform, highlighting the military’s need to have a “compelling interest” and Read more

Christian Sailor Objects to Navy Sexual Diversity Training

It seems Canada often bears the brunt of American drama. It’s the example (or counterexample) for everything from medicine to the military, and it’s where everyone claims they want to move every four years.

As sexual progressives tried to use the US military as a wedge to normalize the LGBT movement in America, they frequently pointed to foreign militaries — including Canada — and basically said “they can do it, so why can’t we?”

Of course, not everything is sugar and spice in Canada, either.

At LifeSiteNews, a Canadian sailor leaked the Navy’s official “diversity” training that used a “genderbread” figure to try to explain how Read more

LGBT Advocate Aaron Belkin Misrepresents Military RAND Study

Aaron Belkin is the director of the Palm Center, an LGBT “research” institute that has long advocated and funded studies to promote neosexuality. (In fact, it was founded by Belkin specifically to produce ‘research’ to support the repeal of DADT.) Last week, Belkin wrote an op-ed at The Hill claiming “LGBT inclusion holds all US military to same high standard.” His piece was in response to one by Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council published on the same site on December 8th entitled “A transgender military is a weaker, compromised military.”

Belkin begins his argument by engaging in a bit of revisionist history, claiming those who choose to participate in the LGBT lifestyle were historically prevented from serving in the military only because no one could figure out how to make it work [emphasis added]: Read more

General David Haight Demoted, Retired for Swinging Lifestyle

US Army Major General David Haight was demoted to Lieutenant Colonel and retired after an investigation into his decade-long swinging sexual lifestyle:

An Army spokesman says Maj. Gen. David Haight was demoted by three steps to the rank of lieutenant colonel, a steep and rare downgrade for a senior officer.

The official cause, as summarized by the Associated Press:

An Army inspector general investigation concluded that Haight had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a woman who was not his wife, and that he misused government resources, including a department cell phone and computer, for a “high volume” of personal calls and emails.

Given that “misuse” of a government cell phone and computer — as determined Read more

Bible-Quoting Court-Martialed Marine Goes to the Supreme Court

The case of former US Marine LCpl Monifa Sterling, who made national news when her court-martial included charges related to posting a Bible verse on her desk, has been appealed to the US Supreme Court.

Sterling was a substandard Marine, but the straw that broke the camel’s back to get her court-martialed was posting, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper,” a paraphrase of Isaiah 54:17…

Religious liberty lawyers at First Liberty Institute agreed that Sterling’s posting Bible verses is protected by law…[and] recruit[ed] one of the greatest Supreme Court litigators in recent decades, former Solicitor General Paul Clement, to lead their team…

Sterling’s case has become a fascinating discriminator for Read more

US Military Helps Troops Exercise Faith in Afghanistan

December 24th was Christmas Eve, but it also marked the first day of Hanukkah — a day celebrated even by the US troops stationed in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan:

At sundown on Saturday, Navy Lt. Lauren Sucher of Annapolis, Md., and Navy Chief Petty Officer Kent Frosch of Washington, D.C., stepped outside at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.

The short Stars and Stripes article is a reminder that regardless where the US military sends its troops, it generally supports their ability to practice their religion — even if some people might find it uncomfortable.

In this case, these Jewish US troops are surrounded by an Islamic nation and Read more

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