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Ever noticed that
the only news you hear is bad news?
Current accusations of
"religious favoritism" represent 0.02% of the
US military population, yet they have been on
major news networks, received the personal attention of
four-star generals, and even caused changes (formal and
informal) in the current conduct of military members.
Why?
The short answer: no one
complains about the good things.
One person can complain he was
religiously harassed by a Chaplain, for example. It is
unlikely that 100 others will run to the press with the
non-newsworthy assertion that they did not get
harassed by a Chaplain. Those outside of an
organization, in the absence of further
evidence, assume that what they hear is the truth. Since
they tend to hear primarily negative statements about
the religious environment in the military, that is
increasingly thought to be the truth. The failure to
respond to
even isolated incidents can result in the perception
as a "pervasive" institutional problem.
For example, when stories about
religious "scandals" in the military hit the internet,
there are almost always comments like this:
In my 27 years of service, I never
saw this. I can't believe what's become of our
military!
What the amazed veteran doesn't
realize is that what he remembers from his service is
probably more accurate than the story he's just
read. Perhaps, what he's read isn't the entire story.
Sure, a Lieutenant Colonel may have told a group of
young troops "if you don't believe in Jesus, you're
going to go to hell." That sure sounds
inflammatory coming from a high-ranking commissioned
officer.
What they fail to mention,
though, is that the words were uttered by a Chaplain in
a denominational church service; it was part of a
sermon, delivered to voluntarily-attending, like-minded
religious believers, in support of their free exercise.
The people in the congregation expected to hear
that theology preached, just as Jewish, Islamic, or
Wiccan adherents would expect to hear their
doctrinal beliefs espoused in such meetings.
Such expression is protected by the rules of the system
affirmed by the Supreme Court.
Unfortunately, the initial
accusations often spread with viral intensity, while the
subsequent rebuttals based on the truth are minimized or
ignored. The result: the invective escalates.
For example, in 2007, these
photos emerged accusing young Christian basic trainees
(in a cropped photo of an on-base Bible study) of being
morally equivalent to Hamas suicide bombers.
 
In their newsletter, the
responsible organization said these
"two photos show how the
infiltration of fundamentalist Christianity in the US
military is starting to mirror Islamic fundamentalism."
The US Army Privates were doing
nothing wrong. They did not represent
anything wrong. They had nothing to do with any
form of fundamentalist Christianity or any kind of
theocratic threat, nor did their actions or motives
resemble Islamic fundamentalism.
It didn't
matter.
Few rose to defend the Army trainees, or highlight the
virtues of American religious liberty the soldiers both
exercised and protected.
The Bible
study that was the source of the US soldiers' photo shut
down.
This fabricated "scandal"
faced so little opposition--and was repeated so often--that even today the misleading and
inaccurate portrayal remains a point of reference for
those who oppose Christianity in the military. The
original article is a top web search hit for "military
evangelism," beating out even evangelical military
ministries.
All that from an inflammatory
and unsubstantiated attack on military Christians that
was unopposed.
Despite the Constitutional
protection of religious freedom, not every act of
"religious expression" in the military is defensible,
and those that are not must be corrected. Those
that are permissible must be defended.
The organizations who
make such accusations have a significant following, and
proudly publish their comments in support of their
efforts to "oppose the Christian Taliban in the military."
While the source of the controversy may be a specific
act, very often the internet vitriol extends much
further. Those who support the removal of faith
expression in the military often support the elimination
of Chaplains, retribution for mere association with
religion, and the extension of their thoughts beyond the
military--to the US government and American public life
in general.
The efforts of these
groups demonstrate the lengths to which a small minority
will go to mute the presence of religious speech,
expression, and faith in the US military. Make no
mistake--their efforts are sweeping. Even memorial
services for fallen soldiers are at risk of being
neutered of anything resembling a religious faith.
Should they be successful, they will not only undo
hundreds of years of military tradition, but they will
also marginalize people of faith in the military
service.
As previously said, no
one complains about the good--so we need to. We
need to proclaim the virtues of faith in the US
military. The
goal is to build a "corps" of the willing:
- Military members or
supporters who have witnessed the norm. That
is, religious expression in the military without
coercion;
- Those who have received a
positive benefit from faith, people of faith,
Chaplains, or religiously-based organizations while
in the military; and
- Those willing to speak out
in support of religious expression in the military,
regardless of faith group, when it is in compliance
with governing rules, regulations, and good faith.
The objective:
- Demonstrate that faith
has a positive value in the US military, and
- Oppose the unjust
maligning of religious faith in the US military.
What you need to do:
Just share
your story. "Complain" about the good
things you see about faith and the military.
Did you attend a change of
command with a prayer that was heartfelt and relevant?
Did you notice the Chaplain's stand of free books that
included a New Testament, Torah, and posting of local
Wiccan meetings? Did you hear a briefing that went
out of its way to be religiously inclusive?
You know that
faith is not a pariah in the military service. We
need everyone else to know that. The
American public
repeatedly hears assertions that Christianity is hell-bent on an
evangelical crusade to take over the world via the US
military. We need to be willing to stand
up and set the record straight.
Even a short comment thanking a
Chaplain or mentioning the positive role of military
ministry is enough.
If you're willing to do more,
use the form above or send an email
to
 saying you'll stand by to respond
to unjust accusations and defend the positive and
appropriate role of faith in the military. When
you're needed, we'll let you know.
Anonymity is available and is
the default, unless you want your information published.
Questions to consider:
- Did you have an experience
with a Chaplain who didn't try to convert
you?
- Did a Chaplain's words make
your day or save your marriage, irrespective of his
faith or yours?
- Did a commander's or other
officer's acknowledgement of faith inspire you to
greatness?
- Did you have a respectful,
insightful religious discussion with a group of your
peers?
- Did a local ministry (the
Chapel, para-church group) positively impact your
military service?
- Have you witnessed the
uninhibited religious expression of various faiths
in the military?
- Will you defend the actions
of Chaplains and military members who stay within
the regulations, yet are pilloried for expressing
their faith?
Share your story,
even if it's just a statement of encouragement for those
of faith in the military.
Examples of comments received:
Thanks
for the encouragement...I feel piled upon by loud,
shrill, demagogues whose agenda is possibly noble but
whose style is offensive and dangerous.
- Retired Army Colonel &
Chaplain
I
absolutely support what you are doing! Thank you for
your commitment!
- Christian USAF F-15C Fighter
Pilot
Your
site...is like a stronghold, and a source of motivation
for those of us...who want to pursue goals and dreams of
earning our wings, and standing up against worldly
influences throughout our profession.
- USAF enlisted NCO &
aspiring officer
Send in your
story, comment or encouragement! |
