Stop the Air Force Academy

Published On: December 9, 2015|Categories: MRFF's Inbox|1 Comment|

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So I just saw in the news that your group was attempting to stop the Air
Force Academy from praying before games. Why are yall such cry baby bitches?

(name withheld)


 

Hey (name withheld),

You heard wrong. We don’t care if the team members pray if they want to, but we do care if they make a requirement and a public display of it. See, some of the team members and many of the cadets may have a different faith or none at all and they don’t want to have some superior’s belief shoved in their faces.

Get it? I know that might be hard for yall to understand, but think of it this way:

Best,

Mike Farrell

(MRFF Board of Directors)


 

The key word there being “may”. Have you asked THE CADETS what they think?? Because after all….it is THEIR school and THEIR choice. I know our Chaplin prays with us before every airborne operation and says “hey if this isn’t your thing, you don’t have too…it’s totally understandable”. Why is it such a big deal for you? Does it hurt you that they do it? How can you be that sensitive to where that offends you so easily? Does it affect you psychologically? I’m just trying to understand is all.

Respectfully,

(name withheld)

“We are not the wolves at the gates, we are the ones who face them”


 

If you’re sincerely trying to understand it, (name withheld), I appreciate that.We took a position at the request of cadets and members of the team who feel compelled to participate because to fail to do so will result in negative consequences.

If you and your team pray along with your chaplain before an action and participation is voluntary, no one would have a problem with that. But a public display by a unit of a religious exercise, prayer or other demonstration of preference of one faith over all others contravenes not only the law but military regulations. There is a doctrine in our country that protects everyone’s freedom of religious belief or lack of belief. It’s known as the separation of church and state. Its effect is to require that the government, in all its parts, stands neutral with regard to all beliefs, thereby allowing for the freedom of each of us to choose without being pressured to join any particular one.

The problem we deal with is that some believers contend that anyone who does not accept their version of the “right” belief is wrong and condemned to hell or whatever form of perdition their belief system prescribes. It leads to pressure and proselytizing and can get pretty ugly sometimes, as you might imagine.

I hope that helps. Thanks for asking.

Mike Farrell

(MRFF Board of Advisors)


 

Dear (name withheld),

What is the official religion of the United States Air Force?

Blake A. Page
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
Special Assistant to the President
Director of US Army Affairs


Yeah I can see your point in where if they make them do it and they don’t, they’ll be negative consequences. But have you ever directly asked the cadets what they think? I’ve trained with a few of them that are on the team…and they don’t really care either way. They’re also made to pray if they don’t want to, they’re given the choice. This isn’t outside speculation….its fact. I just think that if it makes them happy doing it, and it’s not harming anything…why not let them? I’ve been to plenty of games and I have yet to see anyone get offended over something that small.

(name withheld)

I understand your concern, (name withheld), but in this case it’s not a matter of our asking  the cadets. The cadets asked us. Maybe, because you were perceived as part of the system, they didn’t feel comfortable in expressing their concerns to you. Who knows?

Anyway, please take a look at this. It might give you a different take on it.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/12/10/ex-chaplain-criticizes-tebow-prayer-at-air-force-football-home.html

Best,

Mike Farrell

(MRFF Board of Advisors)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One Comment

  1. Yeshua Warrior December 9, 2015 at 9:40 am

    Mike, the Air Force Academy has just ruled that the players can pray in the end zone!

    http://christianfighterpilot.com/2015/12/09/update-usafa-responds-to-football-prayer-complaint/

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