Nativity

Dear Mr. Weinstein,
My name is Kim Langston, I am writing to you to tell you how insulted and offended I am for the actions you took concerning the Nativity at Shaw AFB in Sumter, SC. My dad served in the Air Force, and I’m sure he is looking down from heaven and shaking his head in disgust at the actions our government is taking. You say you are protecting religious rights for people, what about the Christians rights? Our nation was founded “under God”, what happened to protecting God?
My dad fought for our freedoms, yet our so called freedoms seem to be disappearing daily. I for one am tired of being run over by these so called small groups. I have called and spoken with congressmen about a couple of “Freedoms” that offended me and I was told that not enough people complained about it and it was dropped. So, just how many people does it take to get your attention?
I would love to know why our government caters to all groups Except Christians? Can you answer that or will you choose to ignore this email?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
(name withheld)

Dear (name withheld),

Mikey has read your email and asked me to respond to you.

We answer every email.

First of all, we are not a small group. We have Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) liaisons on 25% of our bases and are well-known on the rest.

MRFF has been nominated 6 times in the past 5 years for the Noel Peace Prize. Only a person who has already received a prize can nominate someone.
https://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/press-releases/2013/Nobel_2014.html

Mikey is also considered one of the top 100 influential people according to the Department of Defense.
http://special.defensenews.com/people/

Mikey is a Jewish Agnostic but 75% of the Board, Advisory Board, volunteers and supporters are Christian. 96% of our almost 36,000 (1 can represent 50) soldiers clients are Christians. We defend Christians more than any other religion or those of no faith.

There is a clear separation between church and state in our government and our military falls in that category.

The Air Force has strict laws on religious neutrality.

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.

Our military is a government entity and must remain secular. All religious holidays, feasts and obligations are to be in the hands of the Chaplains on Chapel grounds. This is legal and we encourage it. The Christians can put up a tree, a Nativity scene and any other decorations they want on their grounds – not any place on base they want.

The Nativity “was not within the vicinity of any chapel and was not part of a scene designed to accommodate all religious preferences, or no preferences, aboard the base.”

The Nativity scene was placed by a lake – not at a designated area – by a “volunteer group” that believed they were above the law by placing it there according to 41 officers at Shaw of which 39 are Christians.

The only reason people hear about the MRFF “attacking” Christians is because they are the ONLY ones that flaunt the Constitution and military law. Every other religion obeys and works within the Air Force directive.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) does NOT act on its own but at the request of the soldiers’ and their complaints of the blatant disregard and trampling of the Constitution and the Military Code of Justice; blurring the lines between the separation of church and state. Every complaint is vetted by Mikey who was a JAG lawyer at the Air Force Academy for 10 years; worked in the West Wing under Ronald Reagan; and held positions in private practice.

It only takes one person to make a complaint to the MRFF but it is usually much more. If the complaint is valid, then we work on it.

Our government does cater to Christians. The President is sworn in on a bible; the White House is decorated for Christmas and Easter; the White House holds an Easter Egg hunt; there is a National Day of Prayer; and Christmas is considered a federal holiday.

Please go to our website, click on “About” and then click on “Foundation Voices.” Scroll through and you will see many distinguished military personnel that support the MRFF. We rely on them for their expertise concerning what can and cannot be done on our bases under military law.

We are not anti-Christian in anyway. If the MRFF was I would have been gone a long time ago. What we are is a defender of the Constitution and military law and if they overstep those bounds, we step in.

God bless,

Pastor Joan