Why?

Yesterday I caught a story about your organization’s attempt to have God removed from an oath. I have to ask, who is having religion forced upon them in the military? I served for 20 years and recently retired. During those two decades, not once did I feel pressured by anyone with regard to religion. For the record, I was an atheist throughout my military career. Since then I have found God, and I have to tell you, your unnecessary attempts to deny religion to those who do believe is reprehensible. What gives you the right, as the minority, to seek to punish the majority? As an atheist, I never felt compelled to take anything away from people who belive. Nor did I feel slighted by their beliefs. Why can’t you just omit the offensive phrase from the oath as you say it? You and your entire group fall into the category I label “victims waiting to be offended”. Are you also fighting to have the DFAC menu changed to fit your personal meal preferences? Should all the left hand dominant servicemen and women fight to have everyone salute with their left hand? God forbid you just accept something that truly has NO IMPACT on your lives. Do you think it would be more or less difficult for a believer to add God to an oath than it is for you to omit Him? Your efforts are un-American. Nevertheless, I doubt you will be disuaded from your mission for you will surely look upon this throughout the rest of your life as a major accomplishment. The small percentage of non-believers who will have to take the oath will remember you forever. Or not.

(name withheld)

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Dear (name withheld),

Thank you for your service to our nation. It is, and always will be, greatly valued and appreciated. Although I have no military experience, I am very proud to work with many retired and active duty military members at MRFF who have a very different perspective from yours.

Mikey has read your email and asked me to respond on his and MRFF’s behalf. I am a Christian (Episcopalian in fact) who fully supports Mikey’s and MRFF’s attempt to protect members of the U.S. Military from unconstitutional religious influence in relation to their training, assignment, advancement and retention. In supporting MRFF’s efforts, I defend both my Christian faith and my Constitution proudly and equally.

The U.S. Constitution establishes a secular democratic republic.

…no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. (Article VI, Section 3, in relevant part)

-and-

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…(Amendment 1; in relevant part)

Additionally, the lone oath contained within the U.S. constitution has no religious component whatsoever;

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:–“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” (Article II, Section 1; in relevant part)

Megyn Kelly of ‘The Kelly File’, during her recent interview with Mikey, made the case herself that religious pledges in required government oaths are meaningless and irrelevant when she contended that anyone who didn’t want to say those words (So Help Me God) could just omit it. Why then is this back door attempt at religious fealty being pushed so fervently? I do not require nor desire government assistance in expressing my Christian faith in either public or private situations. My faith does not require government sanctioning. Your label of “victims waiting to be offended” can just as easily be applied to my fellow Christian’s who enjoy such a vast majority status under our secular democratic republic.

The importance of maintaining and encouraging secular democracy here, and abroad, is of significant national security importance. If you don’t believe me I suggest you review clearly stated foreign policy positions regarding U.S. support for the formation of secular democracies in the wake of the ‘Arab Spring’.

I’m glad to hear you did not experience religious coercion during your military career. In its relatively short history since 2005, MRFF has responded on behalf of over 34,300 active duty, reserve, and veteran clients with a different experience than yours. MRFF’s actions are client initiated in response to actions like these documented on video

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB1UifGIqaw):

“From an evangelistic standpoint, I always refer to them as ‘ripe as black bananas,'” Maj. Douglas W. Duerksen, Army Chaplain, told a laughing audience about new recruits. “And it’s great to be a government paid missionary!”

Maj. Jeff Struecker, Army Ranger School Chaplain, had this to say about his mission: “It puts the student — the Ranger student — in the absolute worst possible conditions. Most of them will go a couple of days with no food, some of them have gone as long as three days without any sleep whatsoever. My goal has been to meet them when they are at their absolute worst, when they’re coldest and the most tired and the most hungry that they are going to be because the more difficult the circumstances, the more receptive the average person becomes to issues of faith.”

MG (Ret.) Bob Dees, Executive Director, Campus Crusade for Christ International Military Ministry, is shown on the video saying, “Our vision is to transform the nations of the world through the militaries of the world. We try to reach our recruits immediately […] We have staff at half of the nation’s boot camps”.

Lt. Colonel Gary Hensley, Army Command Chaplain, is shown in the video telling troops in Afghanistan that “You are commissioned to be witnesses for Him. Does that mean we are all preachers? Um-hm. […] The special forces guys, they hunt men, basically. We do the same thing as Christians. We hunt people for Jesus.”

Many additional situations are archived on the MRFF website https://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/.

Sincerely,

Andy Kasehagen