are you kidding me?

Dear Military Religious Freedom Foundation,

If the people who came before you fools acted the way you do none of us would have any religious freedom and that is what built this wonderful country.

Get over yourselves. If you choose not to practice any religious beliefs or practices you are welcome too, but don’t think for one moment you have the right to tell any of the rest of us that the values that built this country are no longer allowed to be displayed in public.

If you spent more time actually practicing charity and compassion this country would be a much more human place for everyone.

(name withheld)

Hi (name withheld),

Thank you for contacting the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) with your concerns.

Contrary to certain media reports, individuals and websites, we are NOT anti-Christian. In fact, we are the most ardent supporter of the Constitution.

I am an ordained minister in the Assemblies of God and on the Advisory Board for MRFF. We also have the support of the California Council of Churches/IMPACT with 5,500 churches, individual churches and military Chaplains. Many on the Advisory Board and volunteers are Christians. We also have many active-duty and retired military personnel including but not exclusive to-

A Lt Col (Ret) 25 year veteran of the Air Force who served as an ICBM crewmember

A former Navy Seal

A Retired brigadier general

A Naval Academy graduate with a 36 year career in the United States Air Force, he also served a three-year assignment as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first to hold that position.

A former Chaplain in the United States Air Force

A retired U.S. Air Force Major General, recently Deputy Director, Center for Special Operations, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida

A retired Air Force Brigadier General – a Master Navigator

A military aviator who possesses both Senior Command Air Force wings and aircraft carrier qualified Naval Aviator wings, in addition to having been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in combat during Operation Desert Storm.

If anyone knows the proper place (in front of the chapel) of religious symbols in the military, it is the above honored officers. We rely on them for their expertise in concerning religious matters.

Our military is SECULAR – not exclusively Christian. Anyone – regardless of their religious affiliation or non-belief in a higher deity – is able to join and fight for our freedoms under the Constitution – not the bible.

Also, in September 2011, Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff for the Air Force, issued a memorandum (attached) on religious neutrality, under the Constitution, on all bases. Here are two quotes from that memorandum to the Commanders-

“avoid mixing religion with their military roles.”

“ refrain from appearing to officially endorse religion generally or any particular religion”

The Nativity scene and other Christian holiday scenes were always on Chapel grounds—in the case of Travis AFB…2 blocks away—under the authority of the Chaplains. This year the Commander usurped the Chaplains authority and placed it at the gate to the base, giving the appearance of supporting one religion over another which is totally against the Constitution IN THE MILITARY.

We are doing nothing more than supporting Gen. Schwartz’s memorandum and asking that ALL religious scenes be put back where they belong—on Chapel grounds under the authority of the Chaplains—where it was before.

Travis AFB failed to mention the memorandum to the media and has made MRFF the scapegoat for the Commander’s insubordination against the Chief of Staff’s direct order. The Commander should be taking this up with Gen. Schwartz instead of using public anger to trample on the the Constitution.

As a matter of fact, we do practice charity and compassion to almost 26,000 soldiers of all branches of the military—96% of them mainline Christians—who face religious persecution in our military—PRO BONO.

We are not out to do away with Christian practices in the military. The Chaplains were appointed to be in charge of religious activities within the military because the Commanders can’t.

We at MRFF receive vicious hate mail and death threats—yes, death threats—from CHRISTIANS!—that are not made public. These we turn over to our agent in the FBI.

As a minister I am shocked and saddened that Christians would do this. Jesus told us to pray for our enemies.

I hope this clarifies MRFF’s stance concerning the un-Constitutional display of religious scenes on all bases. If there were religious scenes placed at the front gate by Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. we would be fighting them, too.

Pastor Joan