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MIKEY TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS, HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE

HEARING: Religious Accommodations
in the Armed Services

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

For the first time, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has testified live before a congressional hearing (MRFF has twice before submitted testimonies to Congress).

Click here for video


COVERAGE FROM
CHRISTIAN POST

'Tsunami of Confusion'
Exists on Religious Liberty in
Military, Argues Panel

"There is also a lot of willful confusion," said Weinstein, adding that "the excuse of 'I'm sorry, I just don't understand' seems very specious.
It gets old after a little while when a superior says 'I'm sorry, I just didn't know.' I think they know very well."

Thursday, November 2o, 2014

Selected Article Excerpts

  • WASHINGTON – A "tsunami of confusion" exists regarding religious liberty in the United States Armed Forces, according to panelists testifying before Congress.

    Experts told the panel that the military is caught between a strong desire not to condone or coerce religious doctrine on soldiers and an equally strong desire to protect speech, especially religious speech, in the military.

  • Before Wilson's House Committee on Armed Service's Subcommittee on Military Personnel at the Rayburn Office Building, a five-member panel agreed that confusion undergirds current policies. Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and a supporter of more controls on proselytizing in the military, told those gathered that a "tsunami of confusion" exists on the matter.

Dr. Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty and one who supports the freedom to witness in the military, and another panelist giving testimony agreed with Weinstein on the "confusion" point.

  • In an interview with The Christian Post, Crews said that he believed a lack of education on applying religious freedom in the military was partly to blame: "I think part of the reason is that there's been a lack of education in the field … about pure First Amendment principles and how they now apply in the military.

    "This is a complex world and our military lawyers and then chaplains need to have more education on the religious liberty issues and exactly how its going to play out with our military today."

    Weinstein, on the other hand, believes the problem lies with military leaders who give Christians freedom to share their faith.

    "There is also a lot of willful confusion," said Weinstein, adding that "the excuse of 'I'm sorry, I just don't understand' seems very specious. It gets old after a little while when a superior says 'I'm sorry, I just didn't know.' I think they know very well.'"

    In addition to Weinstein and Crews, other members of the panel were Michael Berry, senior counsel and director of Military Affairs with the Liberty Institute; Travis Weber, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Family Research Council; and retired US Navy chaplain Rabbi Bruce Kahn.

  • Regarding the subcommittee meeting held Wednesday afternoon, Weinstein told CP afterward that he considered it to be a "charade" that was a "despicable example of Christian exceptionalism and supremacy."

    "It is sad to see lawmakers so incredibly misinformed," said Weinstein, "there is stupidity and then there is willful stupidity."

    Regarding the confusion over religious freedom in the military, Weinstein told CP that he believed it was "intentional" and the product of a "fundamentalist Christian para-church military corporate congressional proselytizing complex."


Click here to read at Christian Post


COVERAGE FROM
MILITARY.COM

Pentagon's Religious Guidance Spurred 'Tsunami of Confusion'

Thursday, November 2o, 2014

Selected Article Excerpts

  • Pentagon guidance on religious accommodation has sparked a "tsunami of confusion" among military commanders, chaplains and personnel, lawmakers were told Wednesday by witnesses on both sides of the debate over religious practice versus proselytizing in the military.

    Nearly a year ago, Congress inserted language into the defense budget bill intended to quell criticism by some that Christian chaplains were not allowed to practice their faith. But testimony by retired chaplains and others on Capitol Hill on Wednesday showed that the language has not settled the debate.

  • Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a watchdog group that fights improper and illegal proselytizing in the military, said not all the confusion is innocent.

    "There is a tsunami of confusion out there, but there's also a lot of willful confusion," he said. "The excuse of I'm sorry, I don't understand, seems very specious ... I think they [commanders] know very well. There is a very purposeful attempt to witness and proselytize irrespective of the Department of Defense directives, instructions and regulations."

    Weinstein has filed or threatened to file numerous lawsuits against the military over the past 10 years in connection with military leaders using their positions to promote their faith. Those cases have included the Air Force Academy coach whose locker-room banner touted "Team Jesus," to an evangelical Christian Embassy video filmed at the Pentagon and featuring senior defense leaders.

Click here to read at Military.com


COVERAGE FROM
MARINE CORPS TIMES

Religious advocates spar in
House hearing

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Selected Article Excerpts

  • Neither conservative chaplains nor atheist advocates think the military is properly enforcing rules on religious expression in the ranks.

    But they come at that issue from different directions: Conservative groups see policies limiting faith speech as a violation of troops' rights, while opponents see congressional meddling in those areas as an effort to marginalize service members without religious beliefs.

  • Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said too often he hears stories of individuals facing persecution or punishment for their lack of Christian beliefs, or for their atheist views.

    "The bottom line here is we're talking about unity," Weinstein said. "From a purposeful perspective, why would you want to say something divisive before you go into combat?"

    The hearing was heavily tilted toward the conservative activists, with four of five witnesses testifying about persecution of religious troops in the military and the subcommittee's Democratic members absent after a midhearing break.

Click here to read at Marine Corps Times


COVERAGE FROM
STARS AND STRIPES

Advocates paint differing
pictures of the state of
religion in the military

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Selected Article Excerpts

  • WASHINGTON — Religious liberty advocates painted widely divergent pictures of the state of faith in the U.S. military for House legislators Wednesday, with some claiming rampant proselytization and others complaining that believers are punished for expressing their faith.

    The purpose of the hearing by the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee was to examine the effects of recent changes to federal law and Defense Department policies governing religious expression in the military.

  • Religious conservatives who spoke at the hearing said the new legislation and policy is promising, but it’s not yet being implemented consistently. As a result, they said violations of religious freedom continue.
  • But Mikey Weinstein, head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and a vocal critic of what he terms the "Christian Taliban," said the new policy may embolden commanders who "wrongly believe that the First Amendment gives leaders an unrestricted right to proselytize or witness to their subordinates."

Unlike in civilian life, he said, "the subordinate must listen respectfully and deferentially or risk being punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for showing disrespect to a superior."

Courts have said the military may have valid reason to restrict some forms of religious expression, Weinstein said. He recommended severe discipline for commanders who attempt to proselytize their subordinates.



Click here to read on Stars and Stripes


COVERAGE FROM
JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY

Jewish veterans testify against sectarian prayer in military

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Selected Article Excerpt

Mikey Weinstein, the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Association and a former U.S. Air Force judge advocate general, and Rabbi Bruce Kahn, a retired Navy chaplain, were among five witnesses to appear Tuesday before the subcommittee on military personnel of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

The subcommittee was considering arguments arising out of recent controversies over Christian chaplains who name Jesus in their prayers for groups of troops that include more than one denomination or faith, as well as atheists, among other sectarian practices.

Click here to read at JTA


MIKEY/MRFF FEATURED BY
THE WASHINGTON POST

The Pentagon's Pugnacious
Critic on Religion
Gets His Day in Congress

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Selected Article Excerpts

  • It was one of several victories by Weinstein over the military about how religion will be handled in the ranks. His pugnacious style, vigorous public relations efforts and aggressive fund-raising have earned praise from some — but also made him a target for those who say he is capitalizing on political correctness to get rich and exaggerating problems.

    On Wednesday, Weinstein will get one of his largest stages yet: An appearance before the House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on military personnel. Weinstein, along with several other witnesses, will testify before Congress on the military's current policy for religious accommodation, which requires Sikhs to seek a waiver from top service officials to wear their religion's mandatory turbans and beards.

  • "If they intend to try to shoot the messenger, to assassinate the messenger, I couldn't care less about that," Weinstein said Tuesday. "To me, this is about the U.S. Constitution. They will not assassinate the message, and the message is that tens of thousands of our brave members of the U.S. military are being persecuted by a version of Christianity, a twisted version, that is the closest thing to the American, Christian version of the Islamic Taliban."

    Weinstein, who has not appeared before Congress previously, said the foundation will celebrate its 10th anniversary in about two weeks. It has grown to include nearly 40,000 members, 96 percent of whom are Christian, he said. The other 4 percent are from various faiths — there are even about 12 members who subscribe to Jedism, a religious movement based on the ideas in the "Star Wars" movie franchise.

  • "If it's contentious, it's contentious," Weinstein said of the hearing. "It's not supposed to be UFC fight or a World Wrestling Entertainment event. It's a congressional hearing. But, we'll see how it goes."

Click here to read on The Washington Post


MRFF DIGITAL TESTIMONY SUBMITTED TO CONGRESS

Click here to read MRFF's Testimony


NEW BOOK EXPOSES LUNATIC FRINGE OF THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT:

 

"Thanks to everyone who supported To the Far Right Christian Hater... You Can Be a Good Speller or a Hater, But You Can’t Be Both with pre-orders and orders everywhere. Because of the overwhelming response, we're very proud to say that the book has gone into an immediate second printing and outlets such as independent bookstores, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble have ordered additional copies because of all the enthusiasm."
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A shocking anthology of correspondence revealing the hatred emanating from those who desire a fundamentalist Christian takeover of the United States Military. Featuring original artwork and previously-unreleased material from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the renowned organization defending the U.S. Armed Forces from the powerful religious extremist forces who wish to destroy the Constitutionally-mandated separation of church and state.

The author, Bonnie Weinstein is presently giving interviews about the release of this book. To schedule an interview, please contact Bekki Miller at (337)356-8696

Bonnie Weinstein is the co-founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, an organization dedicated to ensuring that all members of the United States Armed Forces receive the Constitutional guarantee of religious freedom to which they and all Americans are entitled. She lives in New Mexico.


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