Opinion

Published On: December 15, 2011|Categories: MRFF's Inbox|0 Comments|

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To Whom it May Concern:

Have you ever heard the saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes?” From the time this country was established, our forefathers turned to God for His help and they received the help they needed which has given you the ability and right to speak as you do, even if it is different from the majority of the people. You are in a minority in your protest about the Nativity and Menorrah being displayed, and we who are in the majority are weary of minorities like yours. If you don’t like these displays, then ignore them.

Do not read into the First Amendment what you want it to say. It’s intent was to let us have the freedom to worship as we choose, and we in the majority choose to worship God which includes the birth of His son.

We are instructed in the Bible to pray for those who are lost, and since that seems to be the case with the members of your organization, I will pray for you. Perhaps, it would do you well to wonder why our country and the world seem to be in dire straits right now. Could it be that we’ve pushed God out of everything and He’s not giving us the protection He once did? Think about it. Then, perhaps, you’ll also do as the Bible instructs and get on your knees praying to Him.

May God help us all.

Sincerely,
(name withheld)


Dear (name withheld),

Yes, I’ve heard the saying “there are no atheists in foxholes.” It is exactly the sort of falsehood I expect to hear from ungrateful, closed-minded bigots. I am living proof – along with thousands of others – that atheists serve this nation on the front lines alongside Jews, Christians, Muslims, Mormons, pagans, Satanists, Buddhists, and a hundred different religions and denominations that call America home and swore to uphold and defend the Constitution. Thousands of atheists risk their life for this country every day. Foxhole atheists make up a portion of the complaints MRFF receives, though 96% come from Christians who are persecuted for not being Christian enough for their theocratic commanders.

We know exactly what the First Amendment says and what it means. The Free Exercise Clause guarantees citizens the right to worship however you choose. And the Establishment Clause demands that the government never establish preferential treatment of any religion over others. Nobody at MRFF wants to restrict your free exercise – we’re against government established religion. The wall of separation goes both ways: government cannot stop you from practicing your religion and you can’t use government to promote your religion. Just because you’re “the majority” doesn’t mean you get to use government to promote your religion for you. MRFF has never (and will never) opposed free exercise, but it does oppose government establishment. Freedom doesn’t mean freedom to force your views into our shared government.

The Founders deliberately left “God” out of the US Constitution for a reason. The second President, John Adams, wrote: “The United States of America have exhibited, perhaps, the first example of governments erected on the simple principles of nature; and if men are now sufficiently enlightened to disabuse themselves of artifice, imposture, hypocrisy, and superstition, they will consider this event as an era in their history. Although the detail of the formation of the American governments is at present little known or regarded either in Europe or in America, it may hereafter become an object of curiosity. It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the influence of Heaven, more than those at work upon ships or houses, or laboring in merchandise or agriculture; it will forever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses.”

The author of the Constitution, James Madison, wrote: “The general government is proscribed from the interfering, in any manner whatsoever, in matters respecting religion”, “Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprize, every expanded prospect.”, and “The establishment of the chaplainship in Congress is a palpable violation of equal rights as well as of Constitutional principles.”

George Washington was opposed to expanding the chaplaincy for precisely the reasons we’re fighting: “Among many other weighty objections to the Measure, it has been suggested, that it has a tendency to introduce religious disputes into the Army, which above all things should be avoided, and in many instances would compel men to a mode of Worship which they do not profess.”

Display all of the religious stuff you want. Go to church. Pray a million times a day. But the government is not your church, it doesn’t belong to you or “the majority”, and you can’t use it to promote your beliefs. Government must maintain neutrality, or it ceases to be an institution of equal rights and becomes a theocracy – an un-American, unconstitutional perversion I will fight to the death.

Dustin Chalker
MRFF Non-Religious Affairs Advisor


Dear (name withheld),

You obviously have no idea what the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) stands for and have painted all of those involved in MRFF with a broad stroke.

I am not “lost” nor are many, many people who volunteer with MRFF. I am an ordained minister in the Assemblies of God and on the Advisory Board. The California Council of Churches/IMPACT with 5,500 churches supports us. We also have other churches and individual Christians who back us. There are many active duty and retired military personnel from all branches of our armed forces who are part of MRFF including the following distinguished people-

A Lt Col (Ret) 25 year veteran of the Air Force who served as an ICBM crewmember

A former Navy Seal

A Retired brigadier general

A Naval Academy graduate with a 36 year career in the United States Air Force, he also served a three-year assignment as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first to hold that position.

A former Chaplain in the United States Air Force

A retired U.S. Air Force Major General, recently Deputy Director, Center for Special Operations, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida

A retired Air Force Brigadier General – a Master Navigator

A military aviator who possesses both Senior Command Air Force wings and aircraft carrier qualified Naval Aviator wings, in addition to having been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in combat during Operation Desert Storm.

If anyone knows the proper place of religion under the Constitution in the military, it is the above mentioned honorable individuals.

MRFF has been portrayed as anti-Christian which is the furthest thing from the truth. We currently have over 26,000 clients from all branches and ranks in the military and 96% of them are Christians. They have come to us because they are being harassed, beaten and advancements withheld because they are not the “right kind” of Christian. They are subjected to the worst kind of in-your-face religious proselytizing ever imaginable.

You wrote-

“Have you ever heard the saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes??”

Everybody has heard this myth. Go to Arlington and any other military cemetery and look at the markers. There is also an atheist organization in the military that scoffs at this saying.

There were and are many Muslims who fight for this country, not just Christians.

http://www.nysun.com/opinion/muslims-in-the-military/31393

You wrote-

“From the time this country was established, our forefathers turned to God for His help and they received the help they needed which has given you the ability and right to speak as you do, even if it is different from the majority of the people.”

Outside of the fact that this country was “established” long before the European settlers came here, not every forefather was Christian. Many were Deists who believe in the existence of God, on purely rational grounds, without any reliance on revealed religion or religious authority or holy text. Thomas Jefferson cut out every reference to Jesus in the bible. Hence the term “God” or “Creator” but no “Jesus” in our founding documents.

You wrote-

“You are in a minority in your protest about the Nativity and Menorrah being displayed, and we who are in the majority are weary of minorities like yours. If you don’t like these displays, then ignore them.”

Weary? Really? The minorities are to just suck it up and ignore them? Just because we Christians are in the majority doesn’t give us the right to ride roughshod over the minorities. The Constitution gives the same freedoms and rights to the minorities as the majority. And lest we forget, Jesus told us to love our neighbors and that means everybody. So, you being “weary” of the minorities as if you’re tolerating them is totally umbilical.

Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, wrote in his autobiography on the passage of the Bill Establishing Religious Freedom said:

…a singular proposition proved that its protection of opinion was meant to be universal. Where the preamble declares that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed, by inserting the word ‘Jesus Christ,’ so that it should read ‘a departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion,’ the insertion was rejected by a great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo, and infidel of every denomination.”

Jefferson also wrote a letter on January 1, 1802 to the Danbury, Connecticut, Baptist Association that was published in a Massachusetts newspaper;

“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”.

The US Supreme Court has upheld the writing of Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson’s metaphor of a wall of separation has been cited repeatedly by the U.S. Supreme Court. In its 1879 Reynolds v. United States decision, the court allowed that Jefferson’s comments “may be accepted almost as an authoritative declaration of the scope and effect of the First Amendment.” In the 1947 Everson v. Board of Education decision, Justice Hugo Black wrote, “In the words of Thomas Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect a wall of separation between church and state.

The Treaty of Tripoli

This is the first treaty between the USA and Tripoli signed in Tripoli on November 4, 1796. It was submitted to the Senate by President John Adams, receiving ratification unanimously from the U.S. Senate on June 7, 1797 and signed by Adams, taking effect as the law of the land on June 10, 1797, less than 10 years from the ratification of the Constitution. If this country WAS founded on the Christian religion there would have been uproar about it, but there was none.

Part of the Treaty states;

As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Musselman,—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

As you can see, America was not founded on Christian laws but is a secular nation and the separation of church and state has a long history upheld by the Supreme Court.

Our military is secular under the Constitution and has Chaplains to tend to the needs of people of faith. MRFF totally supports religious freedom for those who choose to exercise that right within the Chaplaincy Corp. But the Commander of a base is not allowed to support one religion over another.

In September, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz issued a memo to commanders that told them to avoid mixing religion with their military roles.

They must refrain from appearing to officially endorse religion generally or any particular religion,” Schwartz wrote.”

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/09/air-force-schwartz-warns-commanders-on-religious-programs-091611/

https://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/USAFA_memo.pdf

We are doing nothing more than supporting Chief of Staff Gen. Schwartz’s position. If you have a problem with this I suggest you take it up with him.

You wrote-

“Do not read into the First Amendment what you want it to say.”

Actually, you are reading into the First Amendment what you want it to say.

You wrote-

“. Perhaps, it would do you well to wonder why our country and the world seem to be in dire straits right now.”

The world has always been in dire straits but we’re more informed of this due to the media. You need to look back to the Cold war, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, WWII, WWI and beyond.

Pat Robertson is always making the natural disasters as omens from God. He said Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for the gay parade that was supposed to take place in New Orleans and the catastrophe in Haiti was because they sold their souls to the devil. If we want to go with Pat’s suppositions on natural disasters then why does the south, which is called the Bible Belt, have hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, drought, wild fires and most of the devastation in America that kill hundreds of people? Is God punishing them? See what it looks like when we paint things with a broad brush?

You wrote-

“Then, perhaps, you’ll also do as the Bible instructs and get on your knees praying to Him.”

Perhaps you should get on your knees and ask God to forgive you for your judgmental and condescending attitude towards others who do not believe the way you do and begin to walk the way Jesus did with love towards all.

Pastor Joan


Dear Pastor Joan:

“Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.” Certainly not original, but appropo. My feelings about minority views stems from the fact that most often those minorities want things the way they want them, but want to deprive the majority of what they want. Why should that be?

You might check out a recent Gallup poll:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/113566/US-Christmas-Not-Just-Christians.aspx

Another good site to see a different view from yours is:

http://www.keepchristmasalive.org/docs/MerryChristmasOKtosayit.pdf

I was surprised to learn you are a pastor in an Assembly of God church. As a young child, I was raised in an Assembly of God chruch who, #1, taught the Bible and the story of Jesus’ birth, and #2, would not have had a female pastor. I have seen
churches that have moved more into the liberal realm as they are influenced more by attendance than feeding the flock, but think that those that don’t are the ones that adhere to Biblical principles as their reason to exist.

When we have an election, I may not have voted for the person who wins the political position, but know that we elect officials by majority rule. It’s the fair way to do it.

Sincerely,
(name withheld)


Dear (name withheld)

It is our duty at MRFF to educate people on the facts. If you consider this protesting too much, then so be it.

You are confusing the general public with the government/military. You cannot compare a general election by the majority with the rules and regulations of our government/military under the Constitution. You are also dismissing the memorandum from Gen. Schwartz, Chief of Staff to the Air Force that directly forbids what Travis AFB is doing. Under military law this is insubordination.

Our military is secular. Anyone who wants to don the uniform of the US Military–regardless of their religion or lack thereof–can fight for our freedoms under the Constitution–not the bible.

I’m pretty sure that is the the Muslim soldiers put up a display for Ramadan at the base gate Christians would be screaming. No religion can be endorsed by the military.
You have it wrong concerning minorities. They are only standing up for the same rights, freedoms and laws that Christians claim as their own. Some Christians want to run roughshod over others as if they own America and it’s either their way or the highway. They can’t do it under the Constitution. The preamble states “We the People” not “We the Christians.”

Your statement saying that females are ordained to increase attendance and not feed the flock and that those churches with male preachers are feeding the flock, is a deliberate attack on me. I can’t believe you even said such a derogatory statement that people only go to church to see a female body.

Acts 2 speaks of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit came down like tongues of fire and alighted on everyone–male and female. Peter even got up and quoted Joel 2:28-29.

Do you tell anyone about your faith in Jesus? If so, then you practice the Great Commission–Matthew 28:18-20. Here Jesus tells them to go “teach” but in Mark 16:15 Jesus tells them to go “preach”. There is no difference between teaching and preaching according to the Gospels. If there was, then no woman would be able to share her faith–only the males.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

The very first teaching was by Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, who were the FIRST to see Jesus alive, to the disciples.
I suggest you read the book titled “Neither Male Nor Female” by Q. M. Adams. Also, do some research on the early church and the fight between Peter and Paul. You will see that those who were putting the bible together chose Paul’s writings and his strict Jewish heritage concerning women over the calling Jesus gave to everyone.

Pastor Joan

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