God in America

Published On: May 17, 2015|Categories: MRFF's Inbox|0 Comments|

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Hi Folks.
Just curious …how did the you get the idea that God is the same as Christianity…or any other religion? That’s a strange idea to jump to when you consider that our country was founded on a belief in God to begin with. It’s in our constitution and our country is “One nation under God”.

The days of anti-American rhetoric are coming to an end because folks like you want to make others do what you want them to do, even if they don’t want to. If you worked for what you believed in, in ways that we all can agree on, you would actually accomplish something. When you pick out silly things to try to create attention for yourselves, you look as silly as your letter demanding punishment for celebrating the fabric of America by an American General.  Wow! You folks don’t really understand this country, do you?
Thanks for listening.

(name withheld)


 

Good Evening, (name withheld) –

Thanks for writing to the MRFF, and for doing so in such a cordial manner.  There are some aspects of your note that I’d like to address.  I’m a USAF Academy graduate (’85), a USAF veteran, and a lifelong Christian… in addition to being a volunteer supporter of the MRFF.

Most important thing to understand is that we are not opposed to “God”, or “Christianity”, or any other particular sectarian religious belief (or non-belief).  Our sole focus and mission is dedicated to ensuring that all members of the United States Armed Forces fully receive the Constitutional guarantees of religious freedom to which they and all Americans are entitled by virtue of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.  Part of that focus is to expect that all military leaders, especially those at the most senior level, are cognizant of their professional obligations and that they act appropriately.

Specific to the current issue with Maj Gen Olson, it may help first to talk about what the MRFF does NOT oppose:

— We do NOT oppose Maj Gen Olson’s right to hold whatever religious belief he wishes to hold.
— We do NOT oppose Maj Gen Olson’s right to express his personal religious beliefs in an appropriate time, place, and manner.

Most of the static that we’re hearing in emails, and that I’m seeing on websites where this issue is being discussed, is driven by the misconception that the MRFF is opposed to Olson’ s Christian beliefs.  That is NOT the case.  As a Christian and former USAF officer myself, I understand very well the sentiment that he expressed in his speech — but again, the specific content of what he shared is not the issue.

Rather, the issue is that the manner in which he did it was not appropriate, and he allowed his participation in the NDF Task Force event to take on the appearance of being an official endorsement.

— He appeared in full uniform
— He did not make any statement to suggest that he was speaking as an individual and not as a USAF leader
— He called for specifically sectarian prayers for the Defense Dept and military personnel.

Put it all together, and he was over the line, whether he intended to be or not.

With all due respect, (name withheld), I would argue that those of who support the MRFF absolutely do “understand this country”.  We understand that it is a remarkably pluralistic society.  We understand that the American citizenry is comprised of decent and honorable people of many beliefs, including non-belief.  We understand that this diverse palette of belief systems is also present among the brave men and women who have volunteered to serve as soldiers, sailors, and airmen in our military.  And we understand that those brave men and women are entitled to a leadership cadre that respects all beliefs equally, and which does not act in a manner that could call into question the objectivity of the leaders.

Personally, I’m glad that Maj Gen Olson has such strong, heartfelt beliefs.  But I’m sad that he didn’t take the time to consider how his appearance at this event might be construed, and that he didn’t make more of an effort to be clear about the relationship between his personal religious beliefs and his professional obligations.

Thanks again for writing.

Peace,

Mike Challman
Christian, USAF veteran, MRFF supporter


 

Hi Mike.
I won’t take up any more of your time …but please remember that some of what the founders were after…freedom from government intervention into religion not freedom from religious interference in government. God is in the fabric of the nation and no one should ever be told that mentioning God is inappropriate, anywhere. I believe this because I’m not a Christian. I’m an American. Good luck with your cause…whatever it is.
(name withheld)

Hi (name withheld) –

Thanks for the additional thoughts… no need worry about my time, I devote a good bit of it this topic because I think it’s vitally important.
One thing that I’d ask you to ponder is this — if you were a non-Christian subordinate within General Olson’s organization, how would you feel about his desire that everyone in the Defense Dept, and in fact all US troops, would “depend on Christ”?  Would you feel that you were on equal footing with your Christian peers, in the eyes of the General?
Rules such as those in AFI 1-1 exist for a reason, and the reason is that our brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen give up a lot when they agree to serve.  They shouldn’t be put in a position to question whether their commander is going to view them as a less-than-desirable service member because of a difference of religious beliefs.
That’s what I think, anyway.
Peace,
Mike

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