Since its inception in 2005, MRFF and its President and Founder, Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein, have worked tirelessly to protect the rights of our clients by fostering a national discussion, influencing military policies, and pursuing legal remedies through our court system. Your support has made this vital work possible.
August 2007 – MRFF first to uncover evangelical extremist group’s unconstitutional distribution of sectarian and bigoted “Left Behind” videogame to active-duty troops serving in Iraq. The game featured a post-apocalyptic storyline where “Soldiers for Christ” must convert “Secularists”, Jews, Muslims, and others. The group, Operation Straight Up, openly advocated the United States military unleashing “multiple crusades” to “sweep through” the Arab and Muslim world.
August 2007 – MRFF-instigated DoD Inspector General’s report finds misconduct by uniformed Pentagon Generals participating in “Christian Embassy” promo video filmed inside the Pentagon.
October 2008 - The California Council of Churches IMPACT (CCCI), one of the country’s largest Christian organizations, representing 21 mainstream and progressive Protestant denominations, 5,500 congregations, and millions of congregants formally announced its endorsement of MRFF.
October 2009 - The Military Religious Freedom Foundation was officially nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. The nominator, who wishes to remain anonymous, happens to be the only Christian in the upper chamber of his country’s national parliament; the country is an ally of the United States. Shortly thereafter, another anonymous Qualified Nominator submitted a second official nomination for MRFF for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.
January 2010 – After MRFF and Mikey Weinstein exposed the biblical references engraved on Trijicon brand rifle scopes used by the United States military in Iraq and Afghanistan on ABC’s flagship news program Nightline, the story exploded across international news outlets. Shortly after the “Jesus Rifles” story broke, the manufacturer gave in to media pressure and ceased using the inscriptions, subsequently distributing kits throughout the military for the purpose of removing these biblical references from weaponry currently deployed worldwide.
April 2010 – MRFF successfully demanded the cancellation of Islamophobic Evangelical Preacher Franklin Graham’s scheduled participation in the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer event, thereby severing the affiliation between the Pentagon event and Shirley Dobson(wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson)’s exclusively Christian National Day of Prayer Task Force and making this event inclusive of all religions. Also in April, the book Attitudes Aren’t Free: Thinking Deeply about Diversity in the US Armed Forces, published by Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, was widely distributed throughout the command structure of the United States military. The book includes a chapter written by MRFF Senior Research Director Chris Rodda, which provides a comprehensive overview and numerous specific examples of the various issues that MRFF is currently dealing with and has dealt with in the past.
June 2010 – Colorado Interfaith Alliance officially endorsed MRFF’s challenge of the Evans Army Community Hospital emblem’s depiction of a Crusader cross.
August 2010 – MRFF broke the story of soldiers punished for refusing to attend a Christian concert at Ft. Eustis. MRFF’s spotlight on the issue of military-endorsed Christian concerts led to significant criticism of the Billy Graham Association’s “Rock the Fort” Christian concert at Ft. Bragg the following month.
September 2010 – MRFF and Mikey were included as major subjects in New York Times bestselling author Jeff Sharlet’s newest groundbreaking book, C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy (published by Little, Brown and Company), in which they are referred to as the “constitutional conscience of the military.”
October 2010 – MRFF was officially nominated for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, making this the second consecutive year MRFF has been honored with such recognition. Mikey Weinstein received the 2010 Anne Froehlich Political Courage Award from the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club for his work with the foundation.
November 2010 – After MRFF’s relentless pressure on the US Air Force Academy, Superintendent Lt. Gen. Gould released the data behind the bi-annual Academy Climate Survey. The survey revealed that 41% of non-Christian cadets and 19% of all cadets were subjected to unwanted proselytizing. Additionally, religious liberty watchdog Americans United for Separation of Church and State announced that Mikey Weinstein will be named “Person of the Year” at a November 2011 ceremony in Washington, D.C. “We’ve never named a ‘Person of the Year’ before, but I can’t think of anyone more deserving than Mikey Weinstein,” stated Americans United executive director Rev. Barry W. Lynn.
Throughout 2010, Mikey Weinstein spoke to students at a number of the U.S. military’s educational institutions: the U.S. Air Force Academy’s National Character and Leadership Symposium, the Air Force JAG School, and the Air Command and Staff College. This direct contact with the future leaders of America’s military has been vitally important to MRFF’s continuing mission of fostering a climate of absolute religious freedom and acceptance throughout our armed forces.
January 2011 – MRFF demanded that the US Army cease and desist their blatantly unconstitutional policy of administering a “spiritual fitness” component to the mandatory “Soldier Fitness Tracker”, whereby soldiers’ combat-readiness and ability are judged on the basis of their religiosity.
March 2011 - MRFF opposes superiors demanding participation in religious events:
U.S. Army releases investigation on March 8, 2011 pursuant to MRFF demands after soldiers disciplined for choosing not to attend an evangelical Christian Commanding Generals’ Spiritual Fitness Concert at Ft. Eustis. MRFF continues to disagree with the investigation’s attempt to place the blame on a lower-ranking soldier.
March 2011 - MRFF Invited to Provide Testimony to the U.S. Senate:
On March 29, 2011, MRFF provided extensive written testimony to a U.S. Senate hearing on “Protecting the Civil Rights of American Muslims.” The hearing was held before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, and was the first-ever Congressional hearing on the civil rights of American Muslims.
April 2011 - Representing MRFF in a panel debate alongside military chaplains, Mikey Weinstein spoke to the US Army War College Strategy Conference on faith in the US military and in American civilian life, stressing the need to steadfastly protect soldiers’ legal rights to freedom from proselytizing harassment and to safeguard the military’s national security mission from those seeking to divert it towards theocratic, crusader ends.
June 2011 – MRFF’s vigorous efforts result in two immigrant MRFF clients of the Muslim faith, eager to serve their adopted homeland as translators abroad, being featured in a heart-rending, emotional story featured by both the New York Times and ABC News Nightline. The exposé detailed the hideous, ongoing ordeal which they have undergone since being subject to the unfounded accusations of conspiracy to poison their fellow soldiers.
July 2011 - Based on the fallout from a MRFF client’s FOIA request exposing the use of Christian ‘Just War’ theology, the Nuclear Ethics and Nuclear Warfare training program “has been taken out of the curriculum and is being reviewed,” according to David Smith, chief of public affairs of Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. Subsequent to this action, on August 14, 2011, the Air Force Times reported that the Air Force was reviewing all training materials related to ethics, core values and character development after more Christian-themed course work surfaced.
August 2011 - Fort Bragg Limits then Restores Promised Support for “Rock Beyond Belief ” Concert/Festival. Due in part to continued pressure by MRFF, a spokesman for Fort Bragg announced in early August 2011 that, “Our logistical support will be the same as what we did for Rock the Fort,” meaning Bragg will provide the venue, security, and basic utilities. The event is presently scheduled to take place on March 31, 2012, on the main parade field at Fort Bragg (also the venue for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s fundamentalist Christian “Rock the Fort” concert, which was officially endorsed and promoted by Fort Bragg).
August 2011 - MRFF investigates Department of Defense contracts regarding religious promotions to military members and their families:
In 2010, MRFF began an investigation into just how much money the DoD spends promoting religion to military personnel and their families. The initial report by Chris Rodda, MRFF Senior Research Director, was released on August 19, 2011, and was prominently featured on the front page of The Huffington Post.
September 2011 - MRFF again compels concrete corrective action by the U.S. Department of Defense and by the U.S. Air Force Academy:
On September 1, 2011, General Norton Schwartz, United States Air Force Chief of Staff issued a memorandum on ‘Maintaining Government Neutrality Regarding Religion.’ Distribution of this edict by Academy leadership to faculty, staff, and cadets occurred only after MRFF’s placement of a billboard containing the full text of the memorandum at a busy intersection in Colorado Springs, the home of the U.S. Air Force Academy.
November 2011 - MRFF’s demands for compliance with General Schwartz’s edict of September 1, 2011 led to the U.S. Air Force Academy’s command quickly moving sponsorship and oversight of Franklin Graham’s Operation Christmas Child program at the Academy under the guidance of the Chaplain Corps, where all religious programs belong.
November 2011 - Americans United for Separation of Church and State awarded Mikey Weinstein its inaugural Person of the Year award in Washington, DC on November 7, 2011. MRFF also received a nomination for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize, making this the third consecutive year and fourth occasion where MRFF has been honored with such recognition.
December 2011 – MRFF provided written testimony on December 7, 2011 to a Joint Hearing on “Homegrown Terrorism: The Threat to Military Communities Inside the United States” held by the House Committee on Homeland Security and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, detailing the plight of service member-clients and victims of Islamophobia within the armed forces.
January 2012 - No Snowflake in an Avalanche (Vireo, 2012) is released in January/2012 and details MRFF’s prominent case studies and struggles, as well as the violent impediments that continue to be imposed against MRFF by those in opposition. Mikey supports book lease with nationwide speaking and book signing tour which includes one book store in Albuquerque, NM being forced by public pressure to reverse its decision to deny an in-store appearance due to “controversy” surrounding Mikey/MRFF/Book.
January 2012 - Rabid Islamophobic retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin Withdraws from West Point Speech. MRFF sent a demand letter to Secretary of the Army John McHugh on January 27, 2012 condemning the outrageous and scandalous decision to invite the rabidly Islamophobic retired Lieutenant General William Boykin to speak before the National Prayer Breakfast at the United States Military Academy at West Point scheduled for February 8, 2012. MRFF demanded rescission of this invitation to speak on behalf of 27 faculty members and 74 cadets, all MRFF clients, all but 7 of whom were either Protestant or Roman Catholic.
February 2012 - MRFF broke the story on February 9, 2012 of the ongoing usage of Nazi SS Flag and Symbols by U.S. Marines serving in Afghanistan. This story received massive and immediate worldwide coverage. After breaking the story about Nazi flag usage, MRFF sent a letter on February 13, 2012 to Department of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta demanding an immediate comprehensive investigation into the Nazi SS flag’s usage along with recent disclosure of a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Afghanistan being named “Aryan”. U.S. Marine Corps Commandant James Amos issued an official apology and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta pledged to launch investigation just one day after MRFF sends letter demanding immediate investigation.
April 2012 - One Day After MRFF Demand, Air Force Removes “Spiritual Responsibility” Content from Squadron Officer School Curriculum. MRFF learned that the Air Force’s Squadron Officer School’s mandatory training materials stated, “If you attend chapel regularly, both officers and airmen are likely to follow this example,” among other content in a section entitled “Spiritual and Ethical Responsibilities of the Leader.” Just one day after MRFF’s immediate demand for removal, the Air Force responded by promptly doing so.
May 2012 – MRFF Action Leads to Renaming of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 (VMFA-122). On April 17, 2012 MRFF initially challenged a Marine fighter squadron decision on renaming from the “Werewolves” to the “Crusaders”. The squadron, based in Beaufort, S.C., used the Crusaders symbol from 1958 to 2008, when Lt. Col. William Lieblein pointed out that imagery invoking the Christian conquest and colonization of Muslim nations during the Middle Ages was counterproductive to the U.S. presence across the Arab and Islamic world. In a letter written May 23, 2012 to Navy Secretary, Ray Mabus, and Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James F. Amos, MRFF threatened legal action to force a change in the squadron name. MRFF also submitted a FOIA request for all communication and documentation related to the return of the squadron’s name from “Werewolves” to “Crusaders.”
VMFA-122 has been ordered to reverse the decision, and to return to identifying itself as “Werewolves”. The deputy commandant for aviation directed VMFA 122 to maintain the unit identification as the “Werewolves”, according to Marine Corps public information officer Lt. Col. Joseph Plenzler
To discourage similar actions in the future, MRFF has demanded prosecution of those who made the decision to rename the squadron the “Crusaders” along with a full accounting of the resulting costs to U.S. taxpayers.
June 2012 – Space and Missile Systems Center ‘Industry Days’ Rescheduled After MRFF Intervenes on Behalf of Clients. The 2012 Event was scheduled for Sept. 25 through Sept. 27 at exactly the same time that Jewish people observe what is considered the holiest day of their calendar, Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. Based on MRFFs direct intervention, Doug Loverro, Executive Director of the SMSC, directly emailed MRFF to state that “we intend to change the dates for SMC Industry days to de-conflict it with Yom Kippur.”
June 2012 – U.S. Military Emblems No Longer Allowed on Holman Military Bibles
Over the past few years, MRFF has received nearly 2,000 complaints about these Bibles which are displayed and sold in base exchanges and other stores on military bases. The Military HSBC Bibles contained material merging Evangelical symbolism and theology with national and military iconography and anthems. The Bibles also contain a lengthy section of essays and other information promoting the Officers’ Christian Fellowship (OCF), an organization devoted to raising “a spiritually transformed military, with ambassadors for Christ in uniform, empowered by the Holy Spirit.” Following direct efforts by MRFF on behalf of its clients, all four branches of the U.S. Military have now revoked their approval of the Military series of Holman Christian Standard Bibles (HCSB).
August 2012 - New Air Force Instruction AFI 1-1 Issued, Further Strengthening Religious Neutrality in U.S. Air Force
MRFF pressure directly culminated in the issuance of Air Force Instruction 1-1 Standards of Conduct. This document requires total mandatory compliance on penalty of potential adverse criminal action, including courts martial, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice – the first time religious neutrality regulations have had such enforceability. AFI 1-1 requires non-chaplain officers and supervisors to “avoid the actual or apparent use of their position to promote their personal religious beliefs to their subordinates or to extend preferential treatment for any religion.”
October 2012 -MRFF Client Exposes U.S. Army suicide prevention sessions lead to forced “mass Christian prayer”: During an Army-wide stand down for suicide prevention sessions, a Christian chaplain in Texas improperly led rookie soldiers in a candlelight prayer, an Army instructor said in a formal complaint last week. Staff Sgt. Victoria Gettman, a lab technician instructor at Fort Sam Houston, informed MRFF that she was among 800 soldiers from the 264th Medical Battalion undergoing resilience training on Sept. 26. Almost all of the soldiers were fresh out of boot camp and in training for their first job in the Army. 38 service members at the base, including 11 who were in the room, have told MRFF they are willing to sign a federal complaint against “this unconstitutional disaster.” Among that group are 24 Christians (Protestants and Roman Catholics), two Jews and 12 agnostics or atheists.
MRFF is nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize for the fifth time, marking the fourth consecutive year that MRFF has received a nomination. MRFF was nominated by one of the founding members of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning humanitarian organization.
November 2012 – Cancellation of fundamentalist fraudster and phony “Doctor” Ray Giunta as Guest Speaker of Pentagon Prayer Breakfast: MRFF, based on the complaints of 211 armed forces clients (189 of whom are practicing Protestants or Roman Catholics) at the Pentagon, demanded on November 26, 2012 that Senior Department of Defense (DoD) leadership immediately and officially revoke the invitation to Mr. Ray Giunta to be the ‘Guest Speaker’ at the ‘Pentagon Prayer Breakfast’ scheduled for November 28, 2012. MRFF also demanded that an aggressive DoD investigation be swiftly launched to determine the particulars of why, how, when and who was responsible, via acts of commission and omission, for inviting this disgusting, despicable charlatan and fraud to speak at this Pentagon event in the first place. MRFF quickly organized a petition to the Pentagon Chaplain’s Office in support of its demands. On the morning of November 27, 2012, the Office of the Chaplain at the Pentagon sent a revised invitation to the prayer breakfast saying that Giunta was no longer going to speak. MRFF continues to demand an investigation into the actions surrounding this event.
December 2012 – West Point Cadet, MRFF Client sacrifices career in noble stance defending U.S. Constitution from religious zealots. Blake Page, a West Point cadet slated to graduate this year, resigned in protest of the pattern of invasive and harassing religious proselytizing taking place at the esteemed military academy.
Sacrificing his degree and commission, Page risked receiving a bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition, but was honorably discharged with waived fees as a result of the firestorm of media attention attracted to West Point’s crisis of proselytization. Page, a former Army enlisted man, was a leader in cadet efforts to end illegal Christian proselytizing at the academy and favoritism shown by faculty and administrators toward Christians. Page is Director of MRFF Affairs at West Point as well as the president of the West Point Secular Student Alliance.
Page, testifying in a blog posted on Huffington Post, wrote:
While there are certainly numerous problems with the developmental program at West Point and all service academies, the tipping point of my decision to resign was the realization that countless officers here and throughout the military are guilty of blatantly violating the oaths they swore to defend the Constitution…
… The existence of decades of legal precedent and policies prohibiting this pervasive religious bigotry has not stopped it from happening in the past, and will most certainly not stop it from happening in the future so long as the many who oppose it remain too timid to stand up and be counted. I am making this stand in the hope that others will follow by whatever means they must. Perhaps now some of the 136 cadets, faculty and staff at West Point that are represented by the MRFF may find the courage to make themselves heard.
Mikey Weinstein Named to List of 100 Most Influential People in U.S. Defense: MRFF President and Founder, Mikey Weinstein is named to the inaugural 100 Most Influential People in U.S. Defense on December 17, 2012. This list was compiled over five months by more than two dozen reporters and editors representing the world’s biggest military newsroom and the award-winning staffs of Gannett Government Media’s sector-leading publications: Defense News, Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times, Marine Corps Times, Armed Forces Journal and Federal Times. Inclusion in this list is based on an individuals’ personal influence, not just the power that comes with their office. One individual on the list explains the concept of personal influence as “…making change, it’s not just celebrity.”
January 2013 – U.S. Naval Academy Officer’s Christian Fellowship Removes Slogan from Webpage After MRFF FOIA Request. For many years, the “purpose” statement of the Officers’ Christian Fellowship (OCF), an organization of over 15,000 fundamentalist Christian officers operating throughout the military, was: “A spiritually transformed military, with ambassadors for Christ in uniform, empowered by the Holy Spirit.” MRFF submitted a FOIA request to find out who was responsible for this blatant proclamation of a purpose so antithetical to the purpose of training future officers at the service academies. In the wake of MRFF’s FOIA request, the OCF page on the Naval Academy’s website has been changed to: “Our purpose is to glorify God by uniting Christian midshipmen for Biblical fellowship and outreach, equipping and encouraging them to minister effectively in the military society.”
U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan on Thursday ordered the removal of a steeple and crucifix erected over a remote American base in the Muslim country after a soldier deployed there noted that the symbols violated Army regulations, and could reinforce suspicions that the United States is fighting a holy war. “It is the sort of thing that provides a boundless bonanza of terrorist propaganda for the mujahedeen, the insurrectionists, the Taliban and al-Qaida that we are supposedly fighting to protect our national security,” said Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the non-profit Military Religious Freedom Foundation. “The message of the cross on the chapel is basically putting out the message in Pashto, Dari and Arabic to please blow me up because I’m a latter day Christian crusader.”
MRFF Announces Recipients of the Courageous Sacrifice Scholarship for Constitutional Defense and the Freedom’s Promise Research Grant for the Advancement of Religious Liberty on 1/15/2013. The Courageous Sacrifice Scholarship for Constitutional Defense is meant to honor those service members who have displayed academic excellence and bravery in fighting to safeguard the foundational American values which every service member has sworn an oath to defend. The recipient of this $2000 scholarship was Blake Page, former West Point cadet who was compelled to resign from the United States Military Academy by the pervasive Christian fundamentalist presence at the Academy – but not before blowing the lid off of the Christian fundamentalist regime at West Point. The Freedom’s Promise Research Grant for the Advancement of Religious Liberty is a $2000 gift meant to fund scholarly research that reflects MRFF’s mission. MRFF could think of no more deserving candidate for this tribute than Doctor David Mullin, a former associate professor of economics at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). Dr. Mullin gained the ire of certain USAFA administrators for his forthright defense of cadets’ constitutionally assured rights to carry on their studies unmolested by coercive Christian proselytization.
February 2013 – MRFF Demands Corrective & Punitive Action When U.S. Air Force Academy Promotes Reprehensible Homophobic Website as Source for Jewish Holiday Information. MRFF submitted a letter to General Mark A. Welsh III, Chief of Staff, United States Air Force, demanding that links to the website (www.jewfaq.org) no longer be used as educational reference points for matters of the Jewish faith and that those parties responsible face swift and decisive corrective measures. MRFF followed this with erecting a billboard on 3/5/2013 in Colorado Springs, CO (home of USAFA) and a protest rally on 3/8/2013 attended by approximately 65 people. Both events received significant coverage which finally led USAFA to ‘de-link’ this offensive website.
April 2013 – MRFF Meets with Pentagon Officials Regarding Implementation of Religious Neutrality Standards MRFF President/Founder Mikey Weinstein, MRFF Board Member Ambassador Joseph Wilson, and MRFF Advisory Board Member Colonel (ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson met with a Pentagon group that included several generals and a military chaplain to discuss religious neutrality issues within the U.S. Military.
May 2013 – Following the April, 2013 Washington Post story detailing the MRFF meeting at the Pentagon (see above), a major media maelstrom enveloped the foundation, with misinformation disseminated by BREITBART.com leading to an avalanche of negative press from Fox News (including an interview on the O’Reilly Report) and other pro-Dominionist media outlets. This culminated in the denunciation of Mikey Weinstein as an “anti-Christian extremist” by Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) on the floor of the House of Representatives.
I am a Quaker and I just learned about this organization. I applaud your efforts to control religious evangelization from corrupting our nation’s military. Religious freedom and tolerance are hallmarks of American culture. Thank you.
For young people to grow fit and be strong they need mental sharpness, good physical health, emotional stability and a strong spiritual foundation. Soldiers in particular will face tremendous risks serving our country and in combat face horrendous scenes of violence. Thousands have died horrible deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tens of thousands have been injured, many severely. Hundreds of thousands have had their minds and hearts scarred just by serving in these two horrible wars.
Yet this organization seeks to deny any one from practicing their religion? To help those who are in great need of spiritual replenishment or development? And deny the saving grace of Jesus Christ to those who ask? Only a fool or Satan would push such extreme positions and one wonders what the ultimate goal of this organization really is.
For this organization to seek to destroy that spiritual foundation simply because of a few excesses, now that is seditious and very harmful to our troops.
” I pray Lord that you will intercede and assist in diminishing this organization’s effectiveness or perhaps even close it down altogether. Denying men and women the basic need for spiritual development will ultimately and seriously weaken the moral fiber of our country. I pray Lord that we will be valiant warriors and defeat these misguided people in the battles ahead. Help us win in the courts of public opinion and prevent them from changing the laws of the land so that we can continue to speak freely of salvation and eternal life that can only be found through your Son, Christ Jesus.”