MIKEY’s OP-ED -The Horrific Specter of the “Post-Fleming Amendment” Fundamentalist Christian Military

Published On: August 7, 2013|Categories: Mikey's Op-Eds, News|2 Comments|

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Selected Article Excerpts:

  • Recently, a perversion of the sacrosanct principle of freedom of religion enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution has found its way to Congress through the evil bigotry of a repugnant Christian fundamentalist carpetbagger and Congressman by the name of John Fleming (R-LA 4th).
  • The Constitutionally-derelict Rep. Fleming believes that any way to abridge the ability of servicemembers to express their deeply-held religious convictions somehow constitutes a conspiratorial “threat” to their rights of free speech. At first glance, his Religious Liberty Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014 would seem innocuous enough. In actual practice, however, the bill would give carte blanche to those who would wreak havoc on the morale, good order, and discipline of U.S. servicemembers who faithfully serve in the United States armed forces. What Fleming’s amendment would do is add any type of “actions and speech” to the protected religious freedoms of servicemembers, thus rendering commanders all but helpless to stop potential problems until such actions or speech reach the point that they “actually harm” (a euphemistic phrase for “irreparably damage”) good order and discipline.
  • We at the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) know all too well what the true consequences stemming from the signing of this “Christian Talibanistic” amendment would be. It would generate a thoroughly dreadful nightmare of civil rights desecration wrought by a tsunami of unabated fundamentalist Christian supremacy, exceptionalism, and tyranny.
  • Within the last 72 hours, we received yet another signal, among thousands, of exactly what our military would look like if Fleming’s despicable amendment is signed into law. In a fit of philosophical dissonance that I like to call “G.I. Jesus Tourette’s Syndrome,” Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Zach Frith of the USAF’s 187th Fighter Wing took it upon himself to steer his fellow airmen away from what he believes to be the “wrong religion” through a literally shocking and shameful email addressed to the entirety of the 187th:

    Dear friends of the 187th,

    Due to the influential power that a chaplain might have over the life of a military member, I’m strongly compelled to inform you of what is True in regard to how one may come before or come to know God. That truth is in the word of God and that truths’ name is Jesus Christ.

    (JOHN 14:6) Jesus said to him (Thomas, the doubter), “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father(God) but through Me”.

    And I understand that this e-mail might have consequences or ridicule to follow but I’d rather suffer that than have those around me be lied to about something that could have a detrimental impact on their soul.

    Sincerely, SSgt Zach Frit

Click to read article at Truthout

Click to read this article at Alternet

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2 Comments

  1. Frank August 10, 2013 at 6:55 am

    I’m glad I retired from the USAF in 1990 after a little over twenty years of service. Only a couple of times did I encounter any attempts at proselytization by Evangelical Christians. It was dealt with quickly by supervisors and ended. Currently, it appears the adherents of Christian Dominionism are methodically embedding themselves in all echelons of the military, not merely the chaplaincy corps. I dearly feel sorry for those service members who will be subjectively browbeaten by the religious fanatics taking-over this country’s military service branches.

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