I have written several times before about the growing problem in the U.S. military about the efforts of Christianists to use coersion to force military personnel to embrace their sick version of Christianity. The Air Force and Army seem to be having particular problems, with the Navy seemingly being less infiltrated by Christianists. Now, a member of the Army who was raised Baptist but moved away from being a believer has brought a lawsuit against the Army for the discrimination he has experienced both while serving in Iraq and in terms of lost promotions. He is seeking no money damages - merely an enforcement of freedom of religion rights for ALL military personnel. Like in so many other instances, the Christianists think only they have religious freedom rights and run rough shod over the rights of all others. Personally, I see the efforts of these lunatic Christianists to be a clear threat to religious freedom and, in my view, officers who cannot leave their evangelical Christianity at the door need to be shown the door by the military. Here are some highlights from CNN:*
Army Spc. Jeremy Hall was raised Baptist. . . He served two tours of duty in Iraq and has a near perfect record. But somewhere between the tours, something changed. Hall, now 23, said he no longer believes in God, fate, luck or anything supernatural.
*
His sudden lack of faith, he said, cost him his military career and put his life at risk. Hall said his life was threatened by other troops and the military assigned a full-time bodyguard to protect him out of fear for his safety.
*
Hall filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, among others. In the suit, Hall claims his rights to religious freedom under the First Amendment were violated and suggests that the United States military has become a Christian organization. "I think it's utterly and totally wrong. Unconstitutional," Hall said. Hall said there is a pattern of discrimination against non-Christians in the military.
*
Michael Weinstein, a retired senior Air Force officer and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, is suing along with Hall. Weinstein said he's been contacted by more than 8,000 members of the military, almost all of them complaining of pressure to embrace evangelical Christianity. "Our Pentagon, our Pentacostalgon, is refusing to realize that when you put the uniform on, there's only one religious faith: patriotism," Weinstein said.
*
Religious discrimination is a violation of the First Amendment and is also against military policy. The Pentagon refused to discuss specifics of Hall's case -- citing the litigation. But Deputy Undersecretary Bill Carr said complaints of evangelizing are "relatively rare." He also said the Pentagon is not pushing one faith among troops.
*
Weinstein said he doesn't buy it and points to a promotional video by a group called Christian Embassy. The video, which shows U.S. generals in uniform, was shot inside the Pentagon. The generals were subsequently reprimanded. Another group, the Officers' Christian Fellowship, has representatives on nearly all military bases worldwide. Its vision, which is spelled out on the organization's Web site, reads, "A spiritually transformed military, with ambassadors for Christ in uniform empowered by the Holy Spirit."
No comments:
Post a Comment