Your Work

Dear MRFF,

I read an article today about the work of your organization to prevent Lt. Col. Reyes from expressing his beliefs when he referenced the oft-quoted “no atheists in foxholes.” I understand why atheists wouldn’t like that line, but it goes too far to say it’s “bigoted and supremacist.” It’s just a simple way of expressing that war has a way of making one think about the ‘bigger, eternal’ issues. It doesn’t say there are only Christians or Evangelicals in foxholes. It doesn’t even say that there are no agnostics in foxholes. You get my point…

But you already knew that. The reason your organization desires to see Reyes punished is because he represents something you hate. It’s not that he hates you; it’s not that you hate him; it’s that you hate God. You attack Christians and hatefully call us “fundamentalist monsters” who engage in “spiritual rape,” because you despise the One on who’s behalf we speak. And I write today not to condemn you for that, but to merely point it out. I just ask you to consider your heart in the matter. Is your work really because you believe Lt. Col. Reyes is doing anyone harm or is it because he represents a God who calls you to turn away from your sin and submit your life to Christ?

I’m sure there have been “Christians” who have been hurtful and caused you pain. I cannot apologize for them, but I am truly sorry that it happened. Jesus invites all who are weary of their sin & heavy burdened with their guilt to come to Him and He will give you rest. I pray you will. Lay down the weapons of your war with God and rest in the person & work of Jesus Christ.

Grace to You,
(name withheld)

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Hi (name withheld),

Thank you for contacting the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) with your concerns. I hope I can clear them up for you.

We are not anti-Christian in any way. In fact, 75% of the Board, Advisory Board, volunteers and supporters are Christian. A full 96% of our 34,000+ soldier clients (1 can represent more than 50) are Christian – Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodist, Lutherans, Baptists, Evangelicals, etc.

I am on the Advisory Board and an ordained minister in the Assemblies of God.

I’ll give you a little background on why we fight for all soldiers; regardless of their religious affiliation or lack thereof.

Under the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution it states-

“. . . no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” (Article VI, Section III)

Our military is a government entity and must remain secular. Any person that wants to don the uniform of a branch of our military is free to do so with the express admonition from the Constitution to not exalt one religion over another.

The Air Force has explicit rules on religious neutrality but they push the boundaries – bordering on insubordination – on it and write how the military feels about atheists in a story about WWII. There is a term for what they do and it’s called Jehovah Sneaky.

BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE
Air Force Instruction 1-1
7 August 2012

2.11. Government Neutrality Regarding Religion. Leaders at all levels must balance constitutional protections for an individual’s free exercise of religion or other personal beliefs and the constitutional prohibition against governmental establishment of religion. For example, they must 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. Commanders or supervisors who engage in such behavior may cause members to doubt their impartiality and objectivity. The potential result is a degradation of the unit’s morale, good order, and discipline. Airmen, especially commanders and supervisors, must ensure that in exercising their right of religious free expression, they do not degrade morale, good order, and discipline in the Air Force or degrade the trust and confidence that the public has in the United States Air Force.

Lt. Col. Chaplain Reyes’ is free to say anything he wants about atheists under the First Amendment but it must be within the context of his church or chapel. He can pass out flyers on this to his parishioners. But, he is not allowed to place his religious beliefs in The Official Website of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for ALL of the soldiers to see according to Air Force Instruction 1-1. In the Chaplain’s Corner he can write about the difficulties of deployment, marital problems, PTSD or anything that is universal to all soldiers.

The military has what is called the Comprehensive Soldier Spiritual Fitness Test that has questions based on Christianity. If you fail it you have to see a Christian Chaplain for remedial training – not a mental health person. This means that it doesn’t matter what religion you are, you must attend.

The atheists are hit the hardest by telling them that they are unfit for service, when according to the 2nd Amendment there should not be a religious test to serve.

There are many “atheists in foxholes” that have served in combat. The most prominent one is football player Pat Tillman who turned down a lucrative contract with the Cardinals to defend his country. He joined the Army Rangers and served several tours in Afghanistan before being killed by “friendly fire.” Soldiers in his own unit killed him.

President Bush used his service to his country with distinguished honor and courage as a recruitment tool while his parents were not given the true cause of his death. The fact that he was an atheist was also withheld.

We are not trying to rid our military of Christianity. What we are trying to stop is an extreme form of Christianity that believes they are the only true form of it and all other mainline Christians are not of the “right kind” or “born-again” and are going to hell. They are attempting to turn our soldiers into “Warriors for Christ” and that every war is a “Crusade.” That they are training our soldiers to be “government paid missionaries.” They teach that they are to cleanse the world of all the wrong kinds of Christians, those of other religions and those not practicing any faith, in order for Jesus to come back and reign for 1,000 years. This thinking throws out the entire book of Revelations where Jesus comes back with His ‘heavenly army” to conquer the world. Jesus never asked for an army on earth. He said “Blessed are the peacekeepers” not “Blessed are the warmongers.”

This extreme form of Dominionist/Fundamental/Evangelical Christianity is relentless in its in-your-face religious proselytizing to other soldiers by the military personnel all the way up to the Commander. They have usurped the office of the Chaplains. They have harassed, beaten, withheld advancements and drummed soldiers out of the military on trumped up charges, all in the name of Jesus. They believe in cleansing the military of all of those that do not believe in the sect they do.

US Army chaplain MAJ James Linzey, who, in a 1999 video, described mainstream Protestant churches as “demonic, dastardly creatures from the pit of hell “that should be “stomped out.”

This is the type of Christian – including Lt. Col. Chaplain Reyes – that we protect mainline Christians from because this thinking is pervasive in our military.

Our military is secular and must remain that way; not blurring the lines between separation of church and state.

Pastor Joan