Pentagon Air Force Suspends Christian-Themed Ethics Training Program Over Bible Passages

Another brilliant move by your organization regarding the Christmas charity Operation Christmas Child. I see by your lack of response to my previous email regarding your uneducated ideology of the “Separation of Church and State” you obviously have no firm ground to stand on to promote your view. Do you not realize that Christmas is a CHRISTIAN holiday????? Because of people like you one can get into trouble for saying “Merry Christmas” and the 10 Commandments are removed from our schools and courthouses. I wonder if there were Muslims who wanted to do the same and they included a Muslim message with their holiday if you would go after them with the same vehement fervor you go after Christians and Christian ideas and holidays. I would bet that you do not go after those other religions who try to force their views on the Christians, as that would take true moral fiber. You are doing more damage to this country than any terrorist organization could do – you are chipping away at the foundation of the USA. As before, I welcome your comments on my thoughts but alas, methinks your lack of response is indicative of how truly weak your position is – both morally and academically. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! And by the way – as long as there are tests in schools – there will be prayer – get over it.

“But the watchdog group, Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said the course violated the constitutional separation of church and state and filed a complaint last Wednesday on behalf of 31 missile launch officers – both instructors and students. ”

Fox News

Do you clowns realize there is NO “Constitutional separation of church and state”????? The whole idea of separation between church and state is actually from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. “…I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.” Jefferson reflected his frequent speaking theme that the government is not to interfere with religion. The ONLY reference in the US Constitution is in the First Amendment – “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Sounds like you are just as ill-informed and willing to promote FALSE ideology in order to promote a progressive, socialistic agenda as any other liberal, socialist or fascist group out there.

Albeit according to Mickey Weinstein, the military uniform is a religious symbol and American Patriotism is the only one religious faith when in uniform [as i understand his words], then you should be promoting the removal of all military uniforms and condemning American Patriotism as that is also supported by the military since you are complaining about the “Christian-Themed Ethics Training Program” under the myth of your “Constitutional separation of church and state.” complaint.

Methinks you do more harm than good, not only to the military but also for those the military serves and protects. I welcome your comments on my thoughts.

(name withheld)

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Dear (name withheld),

I’ll first dispense with your ridiculous verbal gymnastics and pretzel tying regarding the clear constitutional concept of a secular democratic republic. The Constitution clearly states in not one but two separate instances the absolute unimportance and lack of respect for religion in our democratic republic form of government.
Article VI – …but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
Amendment I- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…
These quotes are not taken out of context, the language is clear, concise and on-point. There is no mincing of words here. Get over it.

Your verbal tantrum that “there is no constitutional separation of church of state” is based on your inability to face facts. The Constitutional Separation of Church and State is simply a conceptual summary of the clear/concise/direct constitutional language of Art. VI & Amend. I. You attack the conceptual construct because you know you can’t attack the language and constitutional imperative upon which it is based. This juvenile attempt to play “GOTCHA” is simply beneath contempt. It deserves ridicule and nothing more.

Since you like word games apparently, let’s play this one:
I will bet money against long odds that there is no place on your Birth Certificate that indicates you are a Human Being.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/1482943/Sample-Birth-Certificate
However, being that you have emailed MRFF with your complaints and assuming that you are neither a computer generated spam or a lower life form, I would look at your birth certificate and surmise that you are not just probably a Human Being…but that you are definitely a Human Being…without the words ‘HUMAN BEING’ ever appearing in the document that certified your birth. GOTCHA!

Before you retreat to your natural fallback position of; Our national motto is ‘In God We Trust’, let me share the following observation with you.
I personally prefer E Pluribus Unum (Out of many, one). E Pluribus Unum is a phrase on the Seal of the United States which was adopted by an Act of Congress in 1782. As such, it is much more reflective of the intentions of our founding fathers than ‘In God We Trust’, a phrase officially adopted in 1956 as the official motto of the United States and recently the subject to a U.S. House Bill. E Pluribus Unum was born out of the American Revolution and our independence from England. As a proud Christian (Episcopalian in fact and a direct line descendant of the founders of the Anglican Church of England) I find ‘In God We Trust’ to be born out of fear and loathing…less than admirable qualities. Episcopalians in the United States came into being when American colonial members of the English Anglican Church refused to swear allegiance to the British Crown during revolutionary times. I am proud of that fact and I’ll continue to follow the lead of the founding fathers of my Nation and my Church.

A final thought on the ongoing importance and support for our constitutionally created SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC.
I have always thought our Constitution came first and that a huge part of American Exceptionalism was based on our secular democracy. I think I read somewhere recently that we’re real concerned about and supportive of SECULAR democracies forming in the Middle East in the wake of both U.S. military action (Afghanistan & Iraq) and the ‘Arab Spring’. You may want to check this out, I think it appeared in a few opinion pieces, policy statements, and conservative think tank opinions. Either we believe in this concept, or we’re the biggest hypocrites on Planet Earth. We’re Americans, let’s be exceptional.

Now…onto your mindless rant about Operation Christmas Child which I’m sure you learned about from some so-called “news” account.

MRFF has done nothing to stop OCC at the USAFA. Any statement to the contrary is both ignorant of actual facts and based on a wild assumption. Absolutely no one at the USAFA is being prohibited from participating in the OCC. USAFA even has an internal (meaning tax payer funded) element that can encourage participation in this or similar activities. You may have even heard of this organization that exists within all branches of the US military, it’s known as the Chaplain Corps.
MRFF’s Founder and President Mikey Weinstein stated as much:
Thursday, November 3, 2011
UPDATE: AFA backs away from toy drive that sparked flap
Weinstein said he’d be fine if the academy was backing a secular toy drive, or if the religious charity was promoted by chaplains rather than cadet leaders. But having leaders apparently backing the worldwide evangelism aims of Operation Christmas Child is inappropriate, he said.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/religious-127840-academy-christmas.html?pic=1
Was this statement:
a) Not clear;
b) Not included in whatever source you relied on to spur you to write to MRFF; or
c) Not able to fight it’s way past your preconceptions of MRFF’s actual goals?

This position on the USAFA handling of participation in OCC which I believe was clearly and precisely stated by MRFF was quickly followed by the USAFA agreeing with MRFF 100% in a press release:
Friday, November 4, 2011
Academy responds to cadet community project — Community project will continue, led by Academy Chaplains
http://www.usafa.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123278819

MRFF’s goal is, and has always been, to uphold the military’s command structure constitutional imperative to be totally neutral on religious affairs. In fact, this imperative is of such significance as to require a very recent command directive from the US Air Force Chief of Staff:
September 1, 2011
Schwartz: Don’t endorse religious programs
Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz sent a service wide memo Sept. 1 cautioning leaders at all levels to balance the Constitution’s protection of religious freedom and the prohibition on government intrusion.
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/09/air-force-schwartz-warns-commanders-on-religious-programs-091611/
Was this command directive:
a) Not clear;
b) Over 2-months old and difficult to recall;
c) Applicable to all US Air Force elements outside of the USAFA; or
d) Not able to effectively cut through an existing, and un-constitutional, command structure religious bias?

Assumptions and accusations based on factual ignorance reveal pre-conceptions and nothing else. This may create a cheap anger driven adrenaline thrill, but accomplishes nothing.

We are involved in a cause that affects children worldwide very deeply, both today and tomorrow. Any assertion that MRFF has no care for children speaks volumes about the lack of understanding of the overwhelming historical importance of our cause. To allow the command structure of the most powerful military in world history to promote any religion would lead to potentially horrific consequences for any children not belonging to the “preferred” religion.

Stick this in your “morally and academically” weak position and smoke it!

Your consideration of this information is greatly appreciated. May the warmth and calm of Christian brotherhood be with you.

Sincerely,