Michigan legislative action thread
Posted on 06/02/2014 1:19:40 PM PDT by PoloSec
In the wake of the ever-growing VA scandal, actions at the Iron Mountain VA Hospital in Michigan may not have gotten quite as much press as many feel they should.
Patsy Norton, when walking into Iron Mountain’s VA chapel, was appalled to find every sign of Christianity hidden from sight. She detailed her shock in this letter, published by Joe For America:
May 30, 2014 The Daily News
EDITOR:
I went to the VA Hospital in Iron Mountain today on business. While there I stopped at the Chapel and found pinky-purple curtains with mesh at the top, covering the altar. (You know the type. They use them between sick patients in the hospital).
I stopped in my tracks, shocked at what I saw. I peeked behind the curtain, and found what used to be the welcoming part of the chapel, the Cross, a picture of Jesus, and other Christian icons familiar to the majority of Americans.
I found Chaplain Bob Mueller, to ask what the meaning was of this change. This is what he told me. “A couple of months ago, an order came down from Washington DC to cover all things associated with Christianity in the VA. Their solution is to cover everything in all the VA Chapels across the country.”
Patsy Norton Kingsford
Norton also said that the chaplain was told to “stop talking about Jesus, and to stop reading Scripture out loud.”
The repression of Christianity isn’t limited to Iron Mountain, but has been reported in VA facilities all over the country:
Last Christmas a group of Georgia high school students were given a list of government-approved carols to sing at a VA hospital in Augusta and a VA hospital in Texas refused to accept holiday cards that included the phrase, “Merry Christmas.”
Not only are these actions a symbol of religious intolerance, but they are another nail in the coffin, so to speak, of the state of the Veterans Administration.
Taking care of our veterans is one of our government’s utmost responsibilities. Limiting their religious freedoms and blocking them from medical care should not be tolerated.
Revolting: Norton also said that the chaplain was told to “stop talking about Jesus, and to stop reading Scripture out loud.”
The idea of a chaplain is to provide Christian pastoral care to Christians. So, it’s absurd they can’t read aloud from the Bible or mention Jesus. This sounds like the Soviet Union.
Sure does.
freedom of religionis dead in America?
It’s not dead until those of us who will continue to insist on our exercising our liberties... DIE
Maybe I should stop saying that the persecution of Christians and Catholics is coming. It appears it is already here.
Religious rights ping
Actually, many people receiving welfare checks are actually sincere Christians and very traditional. These are attributes that would be difficult or impossible to find in those working for the federal government in D.C., or at any high brass level in the Pentagon.
Someone should sue the administration for unconstitutional denial of religious freedom. Perhaps the Rutherford Institute or the American Center for Law and Justice.
As a veteran, I had open heart survey at the VA center here in Gainesville, Florida back in 2012. I quit breathing and my heart stopped in intensive care, 2 days after surgery. I was clinically dead but the head cardiac surgeon happened to be on the floor and cut my chest open again and took ten minutes to hand-massage my heart to beating again. My wife was present when this happen and she was ushered into the chapel, along with all the other visitors in the ICU. The chapel was definitely Christian and looked like what it is supposed to be, a small church for families to pray for the loved ones in. My wife found great comfort in being there, even knowing I could die in my ICU bed just down the hallway. I obviously did survive but it took a much longer time than normal to fully recover.
One of the hospital chaplains came by to see me shortly after the surgery. We discussed real-life miracles and he assured me that what the doctor and my medical team did for me to bring me back from the brink of certain death, was a truly a miracle. We prayed together and he gave me great comfort in my time of dire need. He came to see me many times in the five weeks before I was released to my home and I went out of my way to see him when I went back to the VA for my followup appointments.
I don’t know how I would have gotten through this very difficult time in my life without the presence of a loving, dedicated, religious praying chaplain to help me. I cannot understand the order to cover any symbols of Christianity and to stop praying and using the bibles in the VA facilities. My guess, is that the liberals in power are against religion and secularist in their beliefs. Whatever happen to freedom of religion?
Powerful testimony - Thanks for posting.
>> Powerful testimony - Thanks for posting.
Ditto.
I both wholeheartedly agree with you and slightly disagree with you.
The sheer joy of sharing fellowship in the Lord is amazing and ultra important. I’m a Catholic. Sometimes the chaplain isn’t a Catholic, so can’t take confession, but you could still talk to him in confidence, you know? Not quite the same, but close enough. You take what comfort you can get.
At the same time, you get a team rotating back to base - most of the time you don’t have psychologists or therapists to handle the crap people need to spill to stay sane. The chaplain is the nearest thing you got and, unlike the head peekers, there is no stigma about talking to them.
WOW! Thanks for the post; ping; thread; comments.
United Socialists of America (USA) are very busy.
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