A sad and disappointing day…

Dear Mikey,

It’s sad when an organization that alleges to stand for religious freedom assaults a man for making a personal confession of faith. When a man makes a statement such as, “I have been crucified with Christ therefore I no longer live, but Christ lives in me,” he clearly refers to himself and to his own mantra. Moreover, he wrote that on his own personal messageboard.

That man was assaulted by your organization and told to go back into the closet. His faith mattered less than the desire of some weaklings (and let’s face it, those who choose to be offended by a personal statement of faith are weak through and through). His statement made no reference to others; no, he referenced himself. And in his own private space in which personal expressions are allowed. Double standard much?

“It massively poured fundamentalist Christian gasoline on an already raging out-of-control conflagration of fundamentalist Christian tyranny?” Do you realize who sounds like the bigot here? That verse is a personal statement of faith consistent with Christian teachings for centuries. That you would call such a personal statement of faith “fundamentalist” simply reveals your own bigotry. There’s nothing more fundamentalist to that statement that there is Greek Orthodox, Methodist, Catholic, or Amish.

I think what’s most telling is that this individual made a personal statement of faith, spoke of his central most core, and was rejected for it. So he is supposed to become another Jew on the path to becoming Cristiano Nuevo in 14th-century Spain. Indeed, he should pretend to be something he is not and be a good little secularist and hide his faith under a bushel so as to make spineless fools who can’t tolerate another individual’s statement of personal faith in their presense–or demanding the gods of secularism be worshipped instead.

I have very littel respect for those who undermine the religious liberties of other, particularly doing such in the name of “liberty.”

(name withheld)

Good Day, (name withheld) –

Thanks for your email about the recent news out of USAFA. Mikey Weinstein asked that I respond to you; I’m happy to do so. I appreciate that your note was both signed and polite, which sets it apart from many other notes to MRFF.

I am both a USAFA alumnus and a Christian, so I have a heightened level of interest regarding particular news item. I share your concern that no individual service member should be prevented from holding a personal religious belief. This freedom is guaranteed by the Free Exercise Clause of the US Constitution. But as I’m sure you know, there is another, equally important aspect of religious freedom that is spelled out in the Constitution – the Establishment Clause.

Over the past couple of hundred years, the Establishment Clause has been consistently interpreted to mean not only that no laws can be enacted that establish a national religion, but also that the government will not favor any one religion over others. In practical terms, that means that every government entity — which includes our military — must be neutral on religion. In a military setting especially, there is a need for constant vigilance to maintain the required neutrality because of the nature of superior/subordinate relationships.

So when you describe someone making a “personal confession of faith”, I’d ask that you consider what responsibility that individual has, in his capacity as a member of a military unit and in a position of authority over others, to ensure that his statement does not represent the favoring of one belief over others from the perspective of his subordinates. Every military leader has a clear obligation to balance his individual right of expression with his responsibility to support a climate that is consistent with the Establishment Clause.

In this case, there is the additional important detail that the whiteboard on which the verse was written is in the common hallway. You describe it as being his “personal space”, but because of its location it is rightly subject to greater control than something within the cadet’s room. Sharing a “personal” message in the hallway, on a board that rests immediately adjacent to the individual’s military position within the squadron, makes it a public pronouncement. While I personally agree with his sentiment, and I am sure the individual had only good intentions, from a professional military perspective it crossed a line.

I have enormous respect for our military – many of my dearest friends today are those that I met at USAFA and in the Air Force, and many of them are people of faith. I also have enormous respect for US Constitution and the protection it affords to every military member to live and work in an environment that is religiously neutral. And I believe that it’s possible to have deeply held religious convictions AND to respect the rights and freedoms of others, especially subordinates.

Not only is it possible, it’s essential.

Peace,

Mike Challman
Veteran, Christian, MRFF Supporter