Att Mr Mickey Weinstein

Your efforts to undermine the worshipping of the only true God in the universe, namely Jesus Christ of Nazareth is heartbreaking.

Unlike any other ‘religions’ where a single individual went into a bush, or consulted an oracle, and came out declaring that ‘God’ spoke to him, without any witnesses, Jesus Christ proved Himself to be God, in the presence of thousands of witnesses.
Thousands wrote manuscripts of what they saw, and this formed the Holy Bible. And they did write it independently, even as far away as Egypt.

And when Jesus Christ died on the cross, Hê died so that everyone that believes in Him, could have eternal life. However those that reject this truth, has only the judgment of God waiting for them, you included.

You are a Jew, and yes once you were the chosen nation of God, after God made a convent with Israel; the Bereith.
This convent could only end with the death of one of the parties – God or Israel.

And this is exactly what happened when Israel crucified the Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, also God.

Then that was the end of Israel’s privileged position, and the dawn of all that believe in Jesus Christ.

All the nations witnessed God in action on earth, Jesus Christ and his works, even the Muslims of today, were there, the Africans as slaves and the nations around the Mediterranean Sea.

No other religion had a God performing miracles and being witnessed by thousands of people, and then putting their experiences to a book.

Christianity and those believing in Jesus Christ are the only ones that believe in the one and only true God.
Don’t blaspheme God, and keep in mind, the judgment of God awaits those that shy away and deny what I am telling you.
Be warned that the ignoring of this letter will put yourself in jeopardy.

That you can take as a fact. Save this letter. You might one day want to refer to it, and see at which crossroad in your life, your whole life started to fall apart.
This is that crossroad, in this letter.

Regards
(name withheld)

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Dear (name withheld),

You are, of course, welcome to your belief. Despite the fact that many of the statements you make in this letter are factually incorrect, they clearly reflect your beliefs and you are welcome to them.

You see, we believe that everyone in the U.S. military, which is the primary concern of the MRFF, should be as welcome to her or his belief system as you are to yours. It is the freedom to think, read, understand and make such choices that we prize as citizens of the United States.

Where we draw the line is when one person’s belief system is foist upon others, particularly when it is foist upon subordinates in the military by those with power over them.

Our concern, you see, if to ensure that everyone’s right to find his or her own truth be protected. You have clearly found what is to you the truth, and you are welcome to it. What is not welcome is your suggestion, actually your implied threat, that those who have a belief system different from yours will be somehow put “in jeopardy.”

No one here is interested in “undermining” anyone’s belief system. You have yours and you’re welcome to it. However, it is our commitment to protect the right of every person to come to her or his own conclusion about what is the “correct” thing to believe, and while we would protect your right to believe as you do, we cannot countenance your disparaging other religious beliefs as you have here. Neither your threats nor your claims of superiority of belief are welcome here. They are exactly what we’re intent on bring to an end in the U.S. military.

Mike Farrell
(MRFF Board of Advisors)

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Good Day, (name withheld) –

Mikey Weinstein shared your email with me, and I’d like to offer a reply from the perspective of a fellow Christian. It is clear from your note that you have a tremendous misunderstanding of the goals of MRFF, and I’d like to provide some more accurate information.

As I mentioned, I am a Christian myself, and the majority of supporters and clients of MRFF are people of faith (although our ranks also include many honorable people who choose not to believe in God, as is their right in this country). What brings us together is not a desire to “undermine the worshiping” of God, but rather to support the rights of all military members. Simply stated, we are not ‘anti-religion’ — we are ‘pro-Constitution”… and that is a world apart from your assumption that we exist to “blaspheme God”. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The US military, just like the society that it represents and defends, is comprised of people of many diverse beliefs, including non-belief. These brave men and women have all sworn an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” In doing so, each military member still has a right to his or her own personal beliefs with regard to religion. No single religion, including Christianity, is to be given any sort of favoritism or prominence over any other religious belief. This right to hold one’s own religious beliefs, without pressure or other effort to believe something else, is guaranteed by the US Constitution and is protected by specific military regulations.

Now, I’m sure you might say, “But Christianity is the one true religion.” To be blunt, that is beside the point from the perspective of Constitutional protections. The view though a Constitutional lens sees ALL beliefs, including non-belief, as deserving of equal protection. Despite the assertions of some, the United States is not a Christian nation and the US military is not a Christian force. And within a very hierarchical structure, where military leaders have enormous control over their subordinates, it is especially critical that leaders do not act in a manner that could be considered pressuring their troops to align with a particular religious belief. That does not mean that a leader cannot be a Christian — on the contrary, a leader’s right to personal religious beliefs is protected in the same way that a subordinate’s rights are protected. But it does mean that there can be some limits proscribed as to the time, place and manner in which a leader expresses personal religious beliefs.

So you see, those of us involved with MRFF are not rejecting any “truth” — we only work to ensure that the religious neutrality of our government, including our military, is maintained in the manner that is required by the US Constitution.

Peace,

Mike Challman
Christian, AF veteran, MRFF supporter

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Dear (name withheld),

Mikey (not Mickey) has read your email and asked me to respond to you.

As an American, I am saddened that you (from Africa) have chosen to interject yourself into the work of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF). You obviously lack – in a profound way – any knowledge of our Constitution and military law.

You have also been duped – by whatever means you have received news about the MRFF – about our true mission.

Let me school you:

We are neither anti-God nor anti-Christian. Mikey is Jewish and prays 3 times a day to the same Father we do. A full 75% or more of the Board, Advisory Board, volunteers and supporters with the MRFF are Christian. Out of our 37,100+ military clients (1 can represent 50 and 1 represents 100) are Christian – Catholic, Episcopalians, Methodists, Lutherans, Baptists, Evangelicals, etc. If anything, we represent Christians more than any other religion but that doesn’t make the news.

Mikey and the MRFF DO NOT act on their own but on the complaints of soldiers who see the blatant disregard for the Constitution and military law where religion is concerned.

Evangelical/Fundamental/Dominionist Christianity (google it) is what we fight against – not all Christians. They believe that they must cleanse the world of all Christians not of their sect, those of other faiths and those of no faith, in order for Jesus to come back and rule for 1,000 years thus throwing out the Book of Revelation.

Christians listed above that are in our military are under emotional distress and persecution by this extreme fringe of Dominionist Christians. Though this sect only makes up about 10%, they are the most vocal and allowed to run roughshod over the other 90%. They crave media attention in the hopes of drawing in those mainline Christians – which THEY persecute – to come to their defense and it’s working very well.

This is what Dominionists in the military think of the faith of those Christian denominations listed above:

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.”

If you are not a Dominionist and belong to a mainline Christian denomination, then we are fighting for you.

When one joins the US military, he/she gives up some rights in order to have cohesion and good order in the unit. They are not allowed to speak back to their superior or disparage the President. They are not to speak about politics or religion in public while in uniform. They are to obey every rule and command even if they disagree with it.

The Air Force has strict rules on religious neutrality. This is binding on everyone at the academy.

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.

As a Christian how would you like to be –
Told you’re not “the right kind” of Christian or not “Christian enough?”
Told that you are going to hell because you do not believe in the Christian sect they do?
Given poor performance ratings because you won’t accept their sect?
Denied advancements because you are of a different sect?
Verbally abused with in-your-face religious proselytizing against your own religion?
Driven out of the military on trumped up charges?
Put on “point” on every mission?

And, there is more…so much more.

This is the hostile environment the mainline Christians deal with on a daily basis by the Dominionist Christians. Their Constitutional rights of religious freedom are being trampled on without any help from those in the chain of command.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment (Establishment Clause) of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise (Free Exercise Clause) thereof . . . “(1st Amendment)

The Establishment Clause comes before the Free Exercise Clause for a reason; the Free Exercise Clause is subservient to the Establishment Clause – not the other way around as some Christians would like it to be.

The Supreme Court heard the Lemon v. Kurtzman case in 1971 and ruled in favor of the Establishment Clause.

Subsequent to this decision, the Supreme Court has applied a three-pronged test to determine whether government action comports with the Establishment Clause, known as the “Lemon Test”

Lemon Test:

1. Any law or policy must have been adopted with a neutral or non-religious purpose.
2. The principle or primary effect of any law or policy must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion.
3. The statute or policy must not result in an “excessive entanglement” of government with religion.

If any government entity’s actions fit into one of these three, then it is a violation of the Establishment Clause.

When one joins our military they must take the oath of enlistment.

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God (optional).” (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

Nowhere in this oath is it stated that they must support and defend the God of the bible.

Also, no Christian should say “So help me God” in the enlistment oath according to James 5:12:

“But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven (So help me God), neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and yournay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”

Now, speaking for myself and not as an Advisory Board member, I did a little research on you.

You white Afrikaners are descended from European colonists who first arrived in the Cape of Good Hope during the period of administration (1652 – 1795) by theDutch East India Company. You cringe when the native blacks call you “settlers” when you’ve only been there for approximately 400 years.

You’ve massacred the natives of that country the same way the whites massacred the native Indians of this country. The only difference is that we don’t have a celebration of a bloodbath here as you do.

On 16 December 1838, a 470-strong force under the command of Andries Pretorius confronted about 10,000 Zulus at the prepared positions. The Boers suffered three injuries without any fatalities. Due to the blood of 3,000 slain Zulus that stained the Ncome River, the conflict afterwards became known as the Battle of Blood River.

The Boers celebrated 16 December as a public holiday, colloquially called Dingane’s Day. After 1952, the holiday was officially named Day of the Covenant, changed to Day of the Vow in 1980 and to Day of Reconciliation in 1994.

So, you stop putting in your two cents into what the MRFF in America does and I’ll stop putting my two cents into your history.

Back to your email.

You wrote:
You are a Jew, and yes once you were the chosen nation of God, after God made a convent with Israel; the Bereith
.
This convent could only end with the death of one of the parties – God or Israel.

And this is exactly what happened when Israel crucified the Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, also God.

Then that was the end of Israel’s privileged position, and the dawn of all that believe in Jesus Christ.

Are you for real? Do you not know or read your bible?

“But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree–some of the people of Israel–have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree.” (Romans 11:17 NIV)

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.

For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” (Romans 11:25-29)

Israel’s privileged position is not done otherwise the root would be dead and Christians would be dead, too. If anything, the blessings giving to the descendants of Abraham’s tree is EXPANDED to include Gentiles and to SHARE “in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s SPECIAL olive tree.”

I could go on about the Jewish people still being the “chosen” or as this scripture calls them “God’s SPECIAL olive tree” but I’m not going to do your homework for you.

I’m taking your email, adding it to the thousands we’ve received from people like you and throwing into the garbage pile I have titled Anti-Semitism.

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)

Remember, Jesus was born, raised and died a Jew. The bible lists the proud descendants of Jesus – all Jews.

And, placing the blame on the Jews for killing Jesus is wrong. It was the plan of the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to bring about His death.

Pastor Joan
MRFF Advisory Board member

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Dear (name withheld),

Mikey is tied up right now so I’d like to help out and answer your recent E-Mail.

It is not MRFF’s desire to undermine the only true God in the universe or any of the other several hundred lesser Gods who are worshiped in the world.

Since just about all religions call themselves the “one true religion” worshiping the “one true God,” it is difficult to differentiate between them.

You seem to be a committed believer in Jesus Christ and I can appreciate your feelings. This does not, however, make all that you believe true for there are millions of others just as committed as you but to various other faiths, beliefs and deities.

MRFF is dedicated to ensuring religious freedom for all members of the armed forces irrespective of their beliefs and freedom from religion for those who wish to have nothing to do with it. Sadly there are many committed Christians of rank and position in the military who practice command centered and coercive Christian based proselytizing on subordinates.This violates the US Constitution and the UCMJ. This is where MRFF has had to intercede and protect those who have been cornered by superiors. We are currently addressing over 37,000 complaints from our young men and women in all branches of the military as being subjected to such militant Christian proselytizing.

We do not wish to keep Christianity or any other belief system out of the military but cannot allow unilateral religious proselytizing to be practiced in the military except in the proper venue and conducted by authorized Chaplain personnel.

Only when unconstitutional and illegal actions are undertaken by religious groups do we take steps to correct it.

The US Supreme Court has ruled in Lemon Vs. Kurzman, 1971, that the government, including Public Education and the Armed Forces, may not advocate, recommend, promote or proselytize one religion over another or religion over non religion. This is quite clear.

I hope this has helped you to understand where we are coming from.

Rick Baker
Capt. USAF (Ret)
MRFF Volunteer