Military and Religion

First of all thank you for your service.

Second I really don’t understand people like you that want to remove religion from America. You say that you support the Constitution but you like others think it reads, “Freedom FROM Religion” not “Freedom OF Religion”. It is to protect us from a STATE run religion not from all religion. As long as all religions are treated equally I see no problem with a soldier praying or writing about their belief in their God.

(name withheld)

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Dear (name withheld),

I think you misunderstand and have been fed lies by some other media source about what it is we do. We do not inhibit anyone’s right to pray or worship how they please in the military.

We do, however, conduct two primary missions: we ensure the military as an institution remains religiously neutral and we protect the rights of service members to not have any religion forced on them by others.

Many people rail MRFF as an atheist organization and nothing could be farther from the truth. 96% of our over 39,000 clients are practicing Christians who come to us for help because they are afraid their careers will be put in jeopardy should they seek help through official channels. There is a very pervasive movement in the military that breeds fear for speaking up in defense of your religious rights. The vast majority of the time our clients are being religiously discriminated against by extremist Christians for not being the “right kind of Christian.” That is something we do not tolerate, the Constitution does not tolerate, and that commanders SHOULD not tolerate but often do because it is the status quo.

We are working very hard to stop that. We do not tell people not to worship. In fact we highly encourage everyone in uniform of any creed or religion to worship however they see fit so long as they do not trample upon the Constitutional rights of others.

I hope this clears up questions you had but should you wish to inquire further I will be glad to answer any questions you do have.

Very Respectfully,
Paul Loebe
Special Projects Manager
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
Chicago, IL

*Disclaimer: Although I am a Marine Staff Sergeant I do not speak on behalf of the Department of Defense, United States Marine Corps, or any affiliated branches.*

 

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Hi (name withheld),

You make it very clear that you don’t understand. Please try harder.

No one here wants to “remove religion from America.” No one here claims the Constitution says “Freedom FROM Religion.” We do, however, agree with the generally accepted understanding that freedom of religion means freedom to believe as one chooses, which includes the choice of having no particular religious belief. That freedom is precious and must be protected. And we do so. This confuses some people, evidently including you. The fact that most of the people associated with the MRFF are themselves religious, in fact some are clergy, and the vast majority of the believers are Christians, seems to be lost to you and others who choose to misunderstand and criticize.

As you suggest, the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion is intended to ensure that America is for everyone, no matter her or his belief. There is and will be no state religion. That’s why the law has been interpreted to mean the authors intended to keep the state and religion separate. It’s most often referred to as the separation of church and state.

As regards your thought about all religions being treated equally, if you actually mean all belief systems, wouldn’t it be great if it were so? But that’s another issue.

Our brief is seeing to it that no one in authority over another in the military (which is part of your STATE) can impose her or his belief system on those in an inferior position. For that reason, the military has strict guidelines forbidding proselytizing in any form. Nothing prevents “a soldier praying or writing about their belief in their God” privately, unless that soldier imposes his or her belief on others under his or her authority. It’s a question of when it is done, where it is done and how it is done. And in order to ensure that an expression of private belief doesn’t somehow become proselytizing of others, one must take scrupulous care.

That’s all. No one here is against your having any belief you choose. Just don’t push it on others.

Best,

Mike Farrell
(MRFF Board of Advisors)

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Dear (name withheld),
Thank you for your email. I have been asked to respond, as Mr. Weinstein is busy protecting the very rights you believe he is taking away.

Your confusion lies in the fact that you believe, when a commander discusses his beliefs, he means to open the discussion for all to speak of their individual beliefs, too. In the military, that is too often not the case. It means, instead, that the commander, or ranking officer, or even ranking enlisted person doing the witnessing, expects to be seen as an example to follow: directly to his or her church, denomination, and specific beliefs, regardless of the beliefs of those under his or her command. For example, a Catholic commander might be seen to favor those who, despite Lutheran or Baptist upbringing and commitment, start going to mass, and count others, even if they’re also Christian, as “not Christian enough.”

Would you want that? Would you want a Presbyterian telling Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists how to pray or which church to attend?

Cases of discrimination against nonChristians are egregious, to be sure, but 96% of military members reaching out to MRFF for protection actually self-identify as Christians!

Mr. Weinstein does all he can to protect them all, Christian and non-Christian alike.

I suggest you familiarize yourself with the MRFF website to learn more. It is a real eye-opener.

Sincerely,
A true patriot, an American veteran, and a staunch MRFF supporter

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America

(name withheld)

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America. Isn’t it wonderful to live here instead of Iran, Saudi Arabia or any other country where the majority of one religion rules? And, we have the Constitution to thank for that because it protects the minority from the majority.

Yes, America; home sweet home!

Pastor Joan
MRFF Advisory Board Member