You will not silence us – EVER

(name withheld)

Good Evening, (name withheld) –

Thanks for writing to the MRFF, and especially for expressing your thoughts in a polite manner — too many don’t extend that courtesy.  I’m a lifelong, active and committed Christian; a USAF Academy (’85) and a veteran USAF officer, as well as an MRFF supporter.  I’d like to respond to several aspects of your note, as I believe you are mistaken in a number of areas.

First, our group name is neither misleading nor intended to confuse.  We work hard to ensure that all members of the United States Armed Forces fully receive the Constitutional guarantees of religious freedom to which they and all Americans are entitled by virtue of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.  And that is a focus which should be shared by all military leaders, particularly those at the very top.

Second, despite what you may have heard or read, we are not opposed to “military personnel who give voice to their belief in God”.  In fact, we do not favor or oppose any particular religious belief (including non-belief).  Rather, what we do oppose is inappropriate actions (not beliefs) when they occur… and that is what happened in the case of Maj Gen Olson.

What did he do that was inappropriate?  He appeared at the NDP Task Force event in full uniform; he did not make any statement to suggest that he was speaking as an individual and not as a USAF leader; and he called for specifically sectarian prayers that the Defense Dept and all troops should “depend on Christ”.  Put all of that together, and he was over the line that is plainly described in AFI 1-1 for all USAF leaders.

So again, the issue is not that he spoke about his faith — it’s that he did so in a manner that conflated his personal views with his official position, and that was inappropriate.

As for your assertion that our “country was founded in a believe [sic] and trust in God”, that actually is not quite a fact.  While it is true that many of our founding generation were people of faith, these same men drafted a Constitution and Bill of Rights that were prescient in anticipating a pluralistic society comprised of many beliefs… and it was never their intention to create any sort of a theocracy.

Lastly, it is not our intention to “silence nor intimidate” anyone, or even to interfere with anyone’s right to his personal religious beliefs.  We will only continue to act as we have along… as advocates for the US Constitution.

Thanks again for writing.

Peace,

Mike Challman

Christian, USAF veteran, MRFF supporter