Posted on 08/03/2005 7:26:35 AM PDT by Cecily
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - The U.S. Senate has shelved plans to promote the No. 2 officer at the Air Force Academy, a Christian who has been criticized as proselytizing in memorandums and speeches.
The name of the officer, Brig. Gen. Johnny A. Weida, commandant of cadets, was pulled from a promotions list before a Senate vote to award 21 Air Force generals a second star. Weida, a 1978 academy graduate, was nominated in May for promotion to major general.
An Air Force spokeswoman, Jennifer Stephens, said the Senate had pulled Weida's name off the list.
(Excerpt) Read more at ynetnews.com ...
Bump for later
It's hard for me to see how any senior officer serving there should be promoted to anything, or for that matter, why the country shouldn't establish a new Air Force Academy and abandon this one as corrupt in it's essense.
So9
''I believe that Johnny Weida lost his constitutional compass, which resulted in him violating the oath he took to preserve, support and defend the U.S. Constitution - as opposed to preserving and supporting the New Testament," he said.
Ridiculous. Being a general is not being an exercise in political correctness. Generals must remain humans first and politicians second.
If I'm a Christian and I routinely allude to my faith in my daily life because that is what's on my mind and part of my lifestyle, then why should my speech be censored when everyone else is allowed speech based on what's in their minds as part of their lifestyle?
This is discrimination against a Christian because his speech reflects his Christian worldview.
The problem went, as I understand it, far above that. There was overt discrimination occurring at the Air Force Academy, and he supervised it. He is not being punished even for being a vocal Christian; rather, he is being reprimanded for allowing vocal Christians (one of which he is) to discriminate against other types of Christians, and non-Christians.
He is no martyr to the cause of Christ. He is, rather, the victim of his own mistakes - fostering an environment which encouraged Evangelical Christians, but not other faith groups.
Being a chaplain, I followed this fairly closely. It was a problem because Christians were vocal. That is the bottom line.
You must realize that Christians do not give up their rights when they enter the military. In fact, Chaplains are required by public law (US CODE) to preach their faith so that those in the military CAN fully practice their faith.
The idea is that if we ask someone to die for us, we should at least insure that they have food and that they have bullets AND, at a time when their death is a real possibility, that they have the comforts of being able FULLY to practice their faith.
This is political correctness fun amuck, Jude.
CORRECTION:
This is political correctness RUN amuck, Jude.
I guess secularism is NOW the official religion of the United States. Christians to the back of the bus...
Of course he is a martyr to the cause of Christ. He is under no mandate to promote faiths that will lead to hell.
If he had viewed promotion ahead of his faith, I would have questioned his faith.
Go and tell making disciples of all men , does not include promoting false and deadly doctrines..
This is a clear case of bias by the US government.
But one that day he will hear "well done good and faithful servant" and that is a promotion that is the one that counts..
These are men that will be called on to lay down their lives. .God bless this man!
Now here we do agree.. see :)
Why is the word "Christian" in quotes (in the title)?
I don't know. I guess the AP writer wanted to emphasize it.
To me it's an attempt to imply Brig. Gen. Weida isn't a "true Christian". Typical AP, I think..
I'm not talking about in his private capacity; the issue here is calling Air Force athletic teams "Team Jesus," advertising for The Passion as the commandant of the Air Force, and giving Christian Christmas messages in the official base newspaper.
I have no problem with any of that - I'm not exactly silent about my Christian faith, either. But what we're talking about here is a man in a position of authority trying to use it for prosyletization. That is where my objection is.
If you recall there was a revival that broke out on the athletic teams in the AF Academy. That is the context of calling them by the nickname "Team Jesus." If they'd had an outbreak of measles would he have been taking them to task for the light-hearted nickname, "Team Splotch?"
Placing an advertisement for the very popular movie "The Passion" is surely within his right, to the extent that others are permitted to advertise. If we're talking about his recommending the movie verbally, then he has as much right to recommend that movie as anyone else does to recommend (or not) the final Star Wars episode. If, however, he requires everyone to attend the movie for religious reasons, then he is out of line.
Christian Christmas messages go from the President to every military member in the entire military. Christmas messages are in every paper at Christmas in every post I was ever at. The distinction is when one is forced to participate in a religious service. In the military, however, one can be required to attend a ceremony that might incorporate religious elements such as an invocation or benediction. With a captive audience, it is the responsibility of the commander to ensure that no one is forced to participate in religion.
(Other messages: Hannukah messages of good will, and Thanksgiving messages, and graduation messages, etc., etc.)
No member is required to leave his/her religion at the door when they enter service. They have a right fully to be American in that regard. No one is forced to participate in religion that an impartial observer would view as "establishing" a religious requirement.
This is entirely different than asking me if it's always wise to mention Jesus in each and every setting. I think it is sometimes best to keep your mouth shut.
I repeat, though....Chaplains in the military are REQUIRED by the US Code to preach.
It NOW has been effectually 'removed by the Soviet British Darwinist'.....ACLU etc.,.....to be merely....
......"The Statue of (ACLU-PC) Tolerence...."
?????....The U.N. speech....."We will 'bury' you" (WW-II vets generation),.....the 'Wall' is truely,....DOWN!
/Christian 'Liberty'.....
:-(
/Founding Fathers Dream....."Home of the Bible Free"....
/ACLU and it's,.....'network-cells'...
The Air Force officer has a far greater promotion coming to him in the future by a far greater authority.
Maybe we can get that code into the churches and get the Pastors to preach!
The problem with getting preaching into the churches is at least twofold:
1. What gets preached.
2. The quality of what gets preached.
Sooo true
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