Just so you know Mikey, everywhere I travel, everywhere I go, every person I talk to, I say GOD BLESS YOU, JESUS LOVES YOU, AND GOD BLESS AMERICA…I put up signs in the windows, on the side of the highways, in hs. parking lots, on the lawns of every court house, on hiking and biking trails in my national parks. Your pathetic, arrogant, ignorant attempt to silence the word of God the symbols of God, or the people of God, is laughable.
Just makes God’s people more active, not less. And just a reminder, God, through Jesus, and 12 disciples spread the gospel and changed and conquered the entire world…and still going strong….you really think that evil pea brain of yours is going to accomplish anything but give you a one way ticket down to hell?
You look miserable…so angry and depressed. What is really your problem? In any case, your kind comes and goes…but the signs, symbols, witnessing, praising, and conversion to Christianity is continuing in the military…GOD IS EVERYWHERE, IN EVERY ASPECT OF THIS WORLD…and you Mikey, better come to grip with that reality real soon.
Signed,
One Christian among many!
Dear (name withheld),
It breaks my heart that a fellow Christian has bought into the lies the media spews and took it upon her to demean Mikey and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, without knowing anything about us.
First, I need to clear up that Mikey is NOT an atheist. He is Jewish and prays to the same Father we do three times a day. The media and others know this but because the word ‘atheist’ would rile up the Christians better and faster than saying he is ‘Jewish’, they choose to be deceitful.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) is made up of more than just Mikey. There is the Board, the Advisory Board, volunteers and supporters of which 75% are Christians. A full 96% of our 41,711 soldier clients are Christians. We fight for the rights of these Christians more than any other religion but it never makes the news.
MRFF does not act on its own but on the request of soldiers’ 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.
“. . . no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” (Article VI, Section III)
“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.
“Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person’s life, freedom of religion affects every individual. Religious institutions that use government power in support of themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths, or of no faith, undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of an established religion tends to make the clergy unresponsive to their own people, and leads to corruption within religion itself. Erecting the “wall of separation between church and state,” therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society.” Thomas Jefferson, to the Virginia Baptists (1808) ME 16:320.
This is his second known use of the term “wall of separation,” here quoting his own use in the Danbury Baptist letter.
This wording of the original was several times upheld by the Supreme Court as an accurate description of the Establishment Clause.
Jefferson’s concept of “separation of church and state” first became a part of Establishment Clause jurisprudence in Reynolds v. US, 98 U.S. 145 (1878). In that case, the court examined the history of religious liberty in the US, determining that while the constitution guarantees religious freedom, “The word ‘religion’ is not defined in the Constitution. We must go elsewhere, therefore, to ascertain its meaning and nowhere more appropriately, we think, than to the history of the times in the midst of which the provision was adopted.” The court found that the leaders in advocating and formulating the constitutional guarantee of religious liberty were James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Quoting the “separation” paragraph from Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists, the court concluded that, “coming as this does from an acknowledged leader of the advocates of the measure, it may be accepted almost as an authoritative declaration of the scope and effect of the amendment thus secured.
In 1878 “separation of church and state” became part of the Establishment Clause BY LAW.
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.
Government action violates the Establishment Clause unless it:
1. Has a significant secular (i.e., non-religious) purpose,
2. Does not have the primary effect of advancing or inhibiting religion, and
3. Does not foster excessive entanglement between government and religion.
The sign fits into all 3 and therefore it is a violation of the Establishment Clause.
Then there’s Parker v. Levy:
“This Court has long recognized that the military is, by necessity, a specialized society separate from civilian society… While the members of the military are not excluded from the protection granted by the First Amendment, the different character of the military community and of the military mission requires a different application of those protections. … The fundamental necessity for obedience, and the consequent necessity for imposition of discipline, may render permissible within the military that which would be constitutionally impermissible outside it… Speech [to include religious speech] that is protected in the civil population may nonetheless undermine the effectiveness of response to command. If it does, it is constitutionally unprotected.” (Emphasis added) Parker v. Levy, 417 U.S. 733, 1974
The sign broke both the Lemon Test and Parker v. Levy and is constitutionally UNPROTECTED.
Our military is a government entity and must remain secular. Any person that wants to don the uniform of a branch of our military is free to do so with the express admonition from the Constitution and Supreme Court ruling to not exalt one religion over another.
As a civilian you can put up a poster anywhere you want but the military cannot do that on a government owned base because the above laws kick in.
By your attack on Mikey, using the words “pathetic, arrogant, ignorant” and “evil pea brain,” you have inadvertently swept up thousands of Christians involved with MRFF with your demeaning words. We are none of those things.
How would you feel if someone told me lies about you and I came at you with the same vile name calling you used? You’d want to defend yourself, wouldn’t you? That’s how we feel.
We (at the behest of our soldiers) are asking that the poster be moved to chapel grounds where it belongs according to the Constitution and Supreme Court rulings – not our opinion.
I hope this clears up the false information you’ve been told.
In Christ,
Pastor Joan
MRFF Advisory Board Member
Dear (name withheld),
You misunderstand.
But before I explain that, I have to say it’s hard not to get a sense that there are a lot of very insecure Christians out there when I see messages like this. The insecurity seems to be fear-based and is expressed in various ways, mostly protesting too much, but quite a bit of it is, like yours, couched in personal attacks and judgments that are surprising coming from someone who claims to be a follower of Christ. I hope you’ll give that some thought.
Now, to your misunderstanding. No one here would argue that you don’t have a right to do what you’ve described above. You are lucky enough to live in a country that protects your right to believe as you do. And if you choose to, you’re free to shout it from the rooftops and do all the things you describe. I don’t know, but I assume lots of people appreciate your passion about your faith. I rather imagine some might find it a bit over the top, but they have the right to ignore it or turn away if they choose. That’s what freedom of speech and freedom of choice as regards what one believes is all about.
But you see, ours is a secular nation. That means there is no government religion. That’s what the founders established and that’s what the law says. In order for you and I to have the freedom we so cherish, the government stands back and leaves us free to form our own beliefs.
But some don’t understand that. Some are so absolutely convinced of the rectitude of their own belief system that they think it’s not only right for them but must be so for everyone. Now, again, that’s their right, on a personal level, but they really can’t impose their belief on anyone else. The can share it, talk to people (if they’ll listen) about it, write about it or whatever. But they can’t force it on others.
It’s called freedom. Everyone in this country has it.
And that’s the genius of the founders’ decision to separate religion from the government. It’s called the separation of church and state. By law, the government in all its parts cannot promote or even show the slightest preference for one religion or belief system over another. You see, if the government did that, if it began promoting and requiring allegiance to one particular faith, we would no longer be a democracy; we’d be a theocracy.
So, because the military is a government body, those in positions of authority over others must be very careful to not impose their belief system on those under their command, and they have to be careful to not say, do or publish things in a way that suggests one belief system is better than the others.
Now, of course, that doesn’t mean they can’t believe what they believe. That’s fine. But they have to be very scrupulous about expressing their beliefs. In the military its a question of time, place and manner. In church or a prayer meeting may be the right time. However, letting it be known to your subordinates that it would be of benefit to their careers if they came to the prayer meeting is over the line.
You see? The nature of power in relationships in the military requires diligent observation of the laws and rules involved. And sometimes people forget and overstep. Unfortunately sometimes people overstep not because they’ve forgotten, but because they feel directed by God or by their faith to do so.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation is dedicated to protecting the rights of all the women and men in the military to enjoy the freedom to believe as they choose. Period. And when the lines are crossed, we step in. This is not because we hate religion, as some charge. It’s not because we’re promoting atheism, as others say. It’s because we honor the constitution and want everyone to be able to believe exactly what she or he chooses as being right for her or him.
I hope that helps you better understand our work, and I hope it helps you realize how wrong you are in the judgments you’ve made and the personal attacks on Mikey Weinstein and those of us involved with the work of the MRFF.
Best,
Mike Farrell
Dear (name withheld) –
I am writing in response to your September 29, 2015 email to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (“MRFF”). You are clearly misinformed regarding the mission and work of MRFF.
Contrary to your claim we are attempting to “silence the word of God[,] the symbols of God, or the people of God,” we have no problem with the practice or the expression of Christianity. In fact, over 96% of MRFF clients are Christians. By all means, continue saying, “God bless America” – nobody at MRFF cares. The difference between your actions and those we work to prevent is that you are a private citizen – not a state actor. However, when a military superior forces his or her beliefs upon those under their command or shows preferential treatment for those of a particular religious faith over others, the requirements of the Constitution have been violated.
MRFF works tirelessly to protect all soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, midshipmen, cadets, and veterans from religious discrimination and wrongful proselytizing – many of whom, as stated above, are Christians. Our thousands of clients would vehemently dispute your characterization of this work as “laughable.”
We protect the rights of the brave men and women in uniform who sacrifice so much to protect our rights. You put up signs. We have successfully put a stop to numerous violations of the Constitution and military regulations. You write nasty, erroneous emails. That is reality – and you are the one who needs to grasp it.
Blessed be,
Tobanna Barker
MRFF Legal Affairs Coordinator
