Posted on 04/07/2008 9:33:15 AM PDT by Terriergal
Speaker wants to rebuild wall separating church and state in military
By Karen Nolan
Article Launched: 04/05/2008 07:33:35 AM PDT
What do the U.S. military and Christianity have in common? Nothing, if Mikey Weinstein has his way.
Weinstein is the founder of Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit organization that seeks to resurrect what he believes is the crumbling wall between church and state in the military.
Specifically, Weinstein believes that a minority Christian viewpoint - one that seeks to turn the military into a Christian force - is infiltrating the ranks at all levels. If they succeed, he says, their beliefs could be forced onto people around the world and here at home.
As Weinstein says it: "We're a Tiger Woods' putt away from becoming the United Fundamentalist Christian States of America, brought to you by the faith-based Department of Defense and its Pentacostalagon."
Weinstein has a way with sound bytes, as did two of his former bosses: Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot and President Ronald Reagan. That has helped propel his message into hundreds of newspapers and magazines, and on TV, radio and the Internet. He'll be speaking in Sacramento this Sunday, a free appearance that is open to the public.
He's also written a book about his cause, "With God on Our Side: One Man's War Against an Evangelical Coup in America's Military." It's a cause that came to him four years ago, in the form of a conversation with his younger son, who at the time was a sophomore at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. His son complained about being unduly pressured by other cadets and academy leaders to give up his Jewish faith and become a Christian.
Weinstein, a 1977 Air Force academy graduate who served in Judge Advocate General Corps for 10 years and also did a stint in the Reagan White House, said he'd look into it. He thought it could be resolved with a few phone calls.
But as he probed, he began to see evidence of what seemed to be U.S.-sanctioned proseltyzation not only at the academy, but throughout the Air Force and in all branches of the military. Locally, he said he's event received complaints from Travis Air Force Base, though he would not detail them.
Now the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been in contact with more than 7,500 active-duty military members with similar complaints. Weinstein estimates that "96 percent" of those complaints come from other Christians.
"We're at war, with the fundamentalist Christians pitted against the nonfundamentalist Christian brothers and sisters," he says. "This is a national security threat internally every bit as much as that which is now challenging our country externally by a resurgent Taliban and al Qaida."
The threat isn't just to individual service members' ability to practice their chosen faith - or nonfaith, as in the case of an avowed atheist whose opportunity for a promotional interview was rescinded, allegedly because he declined to participate in Christian prayers, according to a lawsuit recently filed by the foundation.
And it's not just that "combat troops refusing to accept their commanders' biblical world view are sent on more dangerous assignments," or that "commanders are censoring movies," so that troops are having trouble obtaining "Lord of the Rings" or Harry Potter DVDs, as Weinstein has been told by service members.
The threat to national security comes when American Humvees are "driven through Iraqi cities playing, in Arabic, Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life," or when company commanders are allowed to hand out tracts in Iraq depicting Christians going to heaven and Muslims going to hell, as alleged by a soldier who contacted Weinstein. Such actions serve to fuel the belief in Muslim countries that they are engaged in another holy war, and that this time, the Christian crusade is being led by the U.S. military.
When he returns to Sacramento this weekend - Weinstein is a graduate of McGeorge School of Law - the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation will bring a simple message: "Join us."
"Our constitution doesn't separate drinking and driving or matches and kids playing with them. But it does separate church and state," he says. "That's our fight. The people I'm fighting view the separation of church and state as a myth."
Weinstein will speak from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday in Room 4203 at the State Capitol, in a free public forum sponsored by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. It will be followed by a reception and book sighing at Congregation B'nai Israel in Sacramento.
Get Real!!
Yeah, the United States should let loose on the world the biggest most efficient GODLESS military ever to exist.
After all, this has worked so well with the public school system.
Liar and fraud. Unfortunately, a good third of the country is stupid enough to believe this.
Specifically, Weinstein believes that a minority Christian viewpoint - one that seeks to turn the military into a Christian force - is infiltrating the ranks at all levels. If they succeed, he says, their beliefs could be forced onto people around the world and here at home.
What a jackass.
Why am I not surprised, this guy's another looney tune.
Any obnoxious behavior concerning either politics or religion (or lack thereof) in the military represents a failure of the chain of command.
There is little gray area in either case. This is because it either interferes with good military order and discipline, or it doesn’t.
If a chaplain is of a monotheistic religion, they are expected to provide non-denominational services for all Judeo-Christian and even Muslims with a “bow your head” prayer to God. As “God”, not “Allah” or “Jesus”. Personnel who do not belong to a monotheistic religion are excused, unless they wish to avail themselves of “a moment of silence.”
And when they are providing services specific to their denomination, they are free to use its specific usages, *as long* as they do not confuse the doctrines of their church with military policy.
If not of a monotheistic religion, chaplains are restricted to providing “a moment of silent prayer or meditation” when in a mixed group.
Non-chaplains in the military may suggest their belief (or non-belief) to each other, but are only free to follow up if their overtures are accepted. It is regarded as polite if they then “privatize” their discussions. This insulates them from objections or interjections by others not a party to their conversation.
Finally, all such activities are permissible only if they do not interfere with the carrying out of assigned duties.
Military chaplains are usually very aware of their “turf”, and part of their duties is to keep their superior commander aware of both the religious needs and any problems in their command.
I'm a retired Army chaplain, but a person doesn't need military experience to realize that the above line is pure bull pucky. There's no way in the world that handing out a tract is the equivalent of blowing up a marketplace full of women and children. Anyone blind enough to draw such a parallel should be expected to have other skewed ideas, also.
If a company commander expresses his faith in Jesus, then that is perfectly allowable. Just because a person is in the military, that does not mean that they lose their religious rights. One right is free expression of faith coupled with basic freedom of speech. That applies to our troops.
The only restraint on the company commander is that he not discriminate against his troops based on their religion, and that he not take advantage of required assemblies to promulgate his faith. Other than that, he's as free to speak of Jesus as he is of increased food prices due to the push for ethanol.
No it doesn't!
The US military a “Christian Force”?
Maybe so.
Has there been another military throughout history that could rain relentless hell upon an enemy yet shower the innocent with compassion at the same time?
There's a good portion of people on Free Republic who are idiot enough to believe this....
It does? Where?
"That's our fight. The people I'm fighting view the separation of church and state as a myth."
That's because it IS a myth, Mr. Whinestein.
::::rolls eyes:::: What an idiot.
AMEN, AMEN, AMEN. If we only had a Christian army, nobody could defeat us. Hallelujah.
I’d love to ask him to show us where the constitution speaks ANYTHING about the separation of church and state. As we know, it doesn’t. cheez. Biggest lie perpetuation ever.
This idiot can try to drive out religion from the military all he wants, but he can’t change an old truism: there are no atheists in foxholes.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 25, 1941
To The Armed Forces:
As Commander-in-Chief I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the Armed Forces of the United States.
Throughout the centuries men of many diverse faiths and origins have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration.
It is a fountain of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.
Very Sincerely Yours,
Franklin D. Roosevelt
I don't know if anyone protested at the time.
I would say this is a nonstarter.
Chapels are far from full on Sunday mornings.
yeah I am not surprised. BUT — his assertion like Rick Warren that fundamentalist Christians are one of the big enemies of the 21st century — along with fundamentalist Islam and others... whether it has any effect on the military isn’t my beef, it’s the anti-Christian propaganda that will be swallowed by the general public. He’s just using the military as a springboard because he thinks even those who support the military will then pay attention and he’ll be able to hoodwink them too.
probably not! People had more sense then.
I agree. Glad you showed up, I was gonna ping you if you didn’t. :-)
I’m not sure his atheism is what he is worried about. He pits the liberal Christians (e.g. Rick Warren, and people like Jim Wallis and Brian Mclaren, who would lie down and let commies walk all over them and everyone else, so not like he’s really concerned about the military maintaining their ‘edge’!)
... against the more fundamentalist/conservative Christians. He is right that there is a divide but I’m not sure what that has to do with the military. It’s the liberals (which he seems to like) who are undermining the military, not the fundamentalists! (well, unless you consider Shirley Phelps Roper and her daddy ‘fundamentalist’ but I don’t. They’re just plain sick.)
I hear ya. There is a faction of dominionism that wants to ‘conquer the world for Christ’ but that goes against Scripture. Christ will do his own conquering. We are just to be his witnesses.
Good answer.
You’ve got a point. He must want to change that.
As a Christian I would have a hard time with that. :-\
Chaplains do not provide services for others than of their own broad faith group. For example, a Methodist Chaplain will not provide services for a Catholic or an Orthodox. They will provide a “general” Protestant service or a specific “their own denomination” service.
They will coordinate services for others outside their faith group. This would be everyone from Catholic to Orthodox. This falls under the headings of direct and general support. A chaplain provides “direct” support to those of his group and “general” support to those not of his group.
Interestingly, Free Republic has a freeper who wrote the Army book on this subject....litekeeper, also a retired chaplain.
Although I would be restricted in “when” I choose to try to assemble people together, We are not restricted in how we pray. I can pray in Jesus’ name, for example, any time I choose. That might limit the invitations I get from those who misunderstand pluralism in America, but it is in keeping with the free exercise clause of the constitution.
I am not restricted to moments of silence.
Members of the military are free to discuss their faith with whomever they wish. They can discuss them whenever the mission allows. One cannot require units of soldiers to be at religious events. Only the rules of polite conversation and human interaction dictate how long and how often a religious discussion between soldiers can take place.
I agree that chaplains have considerable latitude, but also suggest that some of this latitude is situational. That is, a chaplain will generally have no problem ministering to just about anyone, when they are on their own in combat or other disaster situation.
And as circumstances dictate, I have seen them act as pretty ferocious officers when they see a major religious or morale problem developing. One did a passably good impression of an irate CSM, and barked orders like the best of them.
However, in a peacetime situation I have seen chaplains chastised for in-your-face sectarianism as well as confusing sectarian doctrine with military doctrine. Most are appropriately sensitive to what you mentioned, and do go out of their way to be tactful in inherently stressful circumstances, which they often have to face in abundance.
I have considerable regard for military chaplains, and was saddened to see several just beaten down by their job, the weight of the world piled on their shoulders. Life in the military would be much, much harder without them to ease the burden.
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