Military Restricts Religious Freedom
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, November 3, 2017 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
The National Campaign to Stop the War on Religious Freedom in the Military is circulating a petition that should be signed by U.S. citizens who want to reverse the unconstitutional restrictions made during the Obama administration.
For example, the Pentagon launched a campaign to make it a crime for service members (including military Chaplains) to share their faith.
That campaign was counteracted on May 4 this year, when President Trump issued his Executive Order requiring all federal departments, including the Department of Defense, to “vigorously enforce” federal religious liberty laws, so Christians in the military are “free to practice their faith without fear of retaliation by the federal government.”
Although Christians face many problems in the military, we’ll consider only a few more: In 2011, the Bible was banned from the premises of Walter Reed Military Medical Center, untila fierce public backlash forced them to put it back. After the 2011 Twin Towers attack, the Department of Defense put Christians and Islamist terror groups on the same terror list and the administration bent over backward to protect the rights of Muslims, homosexuals, and transgenders in the military, but virtually abolished the rights of free speech and religion with a gag order that stopped military commanders from telling their units about chaplain services.
Atheists pressured the Air Force Academy to take “So Help Me God” out of the oath for Air Force Academy recruits. When they were forced to put it back, So Help Me God was made optional.
The petition asks Secretary of Defense Mattis to (a) investigate the actions of former President Obama and his agencies that restricted religious liberties of men and women in uniform. (b) It, also, asks Secretary Mattis to take immediate action to reverse the restrictions, and (c) publicly restore America’s founding policies that Christianity, Chaplains and religious liberty will remain sacrosanct in America’s Armed Forces.
But restrictions are spreading throughout the culture. Last month, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 that the “Peace Cross” Memorial in Virginia is unconstitutional. It was built and erected 90 years ago in honor of 49 World War I Veterans from Virginia. Ironically, the court defied President Woodrow Wilson’s words engraved on the base of the memorial: “The right is more precious than the peace; we shall fight for the things we have always carried nearest to our hearts; to such a task we dedicate ourselves.” On October 18th two judges misinterpreted the U.S. constitution to rule against that memorial. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.