Religion and Its Role Are in Dispute at the Service Academies

The New York Times ^ | June 25, 2008 | Neela Banerjee

[paterfamilias]

Three years after a scandal at the Air Force Academy over the evangelizing of cadets by Christian staff and faculty members, students and staff at West Point and the Naval Academy are complaining that their schools, too, have pushed religion on cadets and midshipmen.

[paterfamilias]

Again, the media just doesn't get it. The Naval Academy's posture has been that it is the duty of future officers to be prepared to support the religious practices of the sailors and Marines that they will lead, even if they themselves are not believers.

I have not heard of any coersion at USNA (my son, a Catholic, graduated in 2007, and a friend's son, who is Jewish, graduated a month ago, and neither reported any problems).

[wideawake]

Note Author of this article - “NEELA BANERJEE

Should Indians not be allowed to work as journalists in the US?

What exactly is the point of this comment?

[scarface367]

Note Author of this article - “NEELA BANERJEE”

Multi-cultural USA strikes again!

So having a foreign name is a bad thing? How about addressing the substance of the article instead of engaging is borderline bigotry?

[Borges]

John Smith was on assignment so they gave the job to Neela.

[MEGoody]

I have not heard of any coersion at USNA (my son, a Catholic, graduated in 2007, and a friend's son, who is Jewish, graduated a month ago, and neither reported any problems).

It's probably just a couple of loud-mouths who spend their lives looking for reasons to be offended that are causing all the hoopla.

[devistate one four]

And when it hits the fan they will remember who the almighty is.

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP

[DPMD]

The article is a lie in that it purports to describe a phenomenon that just kind of happened on its own. In fact, the ACLU has been trolling for years to find just one cadet or midshipman who will complain about separation of church and state at the academies in order to take the case to its pre-selected judge. And the NYT is putting its total support behind the effort, I’m sure.

It will eventually happen, and we’ll have yet one more nail in the coffin.

[scarface367]

The person’s name, or religion, is irrelevant. Would it have been ok if a person with a white sounding name had written this exact same article?

[scarface367]

The real point is, why wasn’t an obviously Christian American assigned to write this article?

Why does it matter? White Christians aren't the only citizens of this country. As a previous poster on this thread asked, should Indians not be allowed in journalism? Or should they be restricted from writing on any topic involving religion?