Pentagon Confirms May Court Martial Soldiers Who Share Christian Faith

[jimnyc]

I don't know what to make of this. Is it just an article that is making a big deal of nothing, or worse...


The Pentagon has released a statement confirming that soldiers could be prosecuted for promoting their faith: "Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense...Court martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis...”.

The statement, released to Fox News, follows a Breitbart News report on Obama administration Pentagon appointees meeting with anti-Christian extremist Mikey Weinstein to develop court-martial procedures to punish Christians in the military who express or share their faith.

(From our earlier report: Weinstein is the head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and says Christians--including chaplains--sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in the military are guilty of “treason,” and of committing an act of “spiritual rape” as serious a crime as “sexual assault.” He also asserted that Christians sharing their faith in the military are “enemies of the Constitution.”)

Being convicted in a court martial means that a soldier has committed a crime under federal military law. Punishment for a court martial can include imprisonment and being dishonorably discharged from the military.

So President Barack Obama’s civilian appointees who lead the Pentagon are confirming that the military will make it a crime--possibly resulting in imprisonment--for those in uniform to share their faith. This would include chaplains—military officers who are ordained clergymen of their faith (mostly Christian pastors or priests, or Jewish rabbis)--whose duty since the founding of the U.S. military under George Washington is to teach their faith and minister to the spiritual needs of troops who come to them for counsel, instruction, or comfort.

This regulation would severely limit expressions of faith in the military, even on a one-to-one basis between close friends. It could also effectively abolish the position of chaplain in the military, as it would not allow chaplains (or any service members, for that matter), to say anything about their faith that others say led them to think they were being encouraged to make faith part of their life. It’s difficult to imagine how a member of the clergy could give spiritual counseling without saying anything that might be perceived in that fashion.

In response to the Pentagon’s plans, retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, who is now executive vice president of the Family Research Council (FRC), said on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning:

It’s a matter of what do they mean by "proselytizing." ...I think they’ve got their defintions a little confused. If you’re talking about coercion that’s one thing, but if you’re talking about the free exercise of our faith as individual soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, especially for the chaplains, they I think the worst thing we can do is stop the ability for a soldier to be able to exercise his faith.”

FRC has launched a petition here which has already collected over 30,000 signatures, calling on Secretary Hagel is stop working with Weinstein and his anti-Christian organization to develop military policy regarding religious faith.

**UPDATE**

The FRC petition has now exceeded more than 40,000 signatures at the time of this update.

Breitbart News legal columnist Ken Klukowski is senior fellow for religious liberty with the Family Research Council and on faculty at Liberty University School of Law.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/05/01/Breaking-Pentagon-Confirms-Will-Court-Martial-Soldiers-Who-Share-Christian-Faith

[Marcus Aurelius]

Odd... I don't see any reference to Muslim chaplains and whether or not this would affect them.

[jimnyc]

Odd... I don't see any reference to Muslim chaplains and whether or not this would affect them.

That's what I'm wondering though, whether or not this article is leaving something out, like perhaps this new rule applying equally to all faiths? I don't know, this is the first I heard of it and posted it. I'll have to dig more. Anyway, here's an earlier article, about the gentleman put in charge to help make these decisions:

Pentagon Taps Anti-Christian Extremist for Religious Tolerance Policy“Today, we face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces.”

Those words were recently written by Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), in a column he wrote for the Huffington Post. Weinstein will be a consultant to the Pentagon to develop new policies on religious tolerance, including a policy for court-martialing military chaplains who share the Christian Gospel during spiritual counseling of American troops.

Weinstein decries what he calls the “virulent religious oppression” perpetrated by conservative Christians, whom he refers to as “monstrosities” and “pitiable unconstitutional carpetbaggers,” comparing them to “bigots” in the Deep South during the civil rights era.

He cites Dr. James Dobson—the famous Christian founder of Focus on the Family—as “illustrating the extremist, militant nature of these virulently homophobic organizations’ rhetorically-charged propaganda.” Regarding those who teach orthodox Christian beliefs from the Bible, Weinstein concludes, “Let’s call these ignoble actions what they are: the senseless and cowardly squallings of human monsters.”

Weinstein then endorses the ultra-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), who publishes a list of “hate groups.” Alongside truly deplorable organizations like the KKK, the SPLC’s list includes a host of traditional Christian organizations (for their support of traditional marriage) and Tea Party organizations (for supporting limited government). Weinstein says SPLC correctly labels them all as “hate groups.”

Floyd Lee Corkins—the first person ever convicted of domestic terrorism in federal court under the laws of Washington, D.C.—told the FBI that he chose his intended shooting spree targets from the SPLC website's map. Corkins was arrested at the offices of the Family Research Council (FRC) after shooting a security guard in August 2012. His court documents state that Corkins intended to kill as many people as possible.

Weinstein also supports Lt. Col. Jack Rich, the Army officer who wrote to subordinate officers that soldiers who hold traditional Christian beliefs agreeing with organizations on SPLC’s “hate group” list are incompatible with “Army values" and should be carefully watched and excluded from military service.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/04/28/Pentagon-Consults-Extremist-Who-Calls-Christians-Monsters-and-Enemies-of-the-Constitution-to-Develop-Religious-Tolerance-Policy

[aboutime]

Odd... I don't see any reference to Muslim chaplains and whether or not this would affect them.


Marcus. Believe it or not. While I was still on active duty prior to my retirement in 1995. The Pentagon frowned on anyone of any faith doing such things but...WE WERE INSTRUCTED...Not to mention, or even discuss members who openly claimed to be of the Muslim faith, and it would have been seen as violation of Direct Orders. Even if we attempted to complain about members who Prayed while on duty, or wore the supposed Headdress, that looked like a fancy Dew rag. Which I knew some insisted, they must wear when off duty.
So. Nothing new.

JUST MORE OF THE DUMBING DOWN OF AMERICA and BOWING DOWN to RADICAL MUSLIMS.

[cadet]

I don't know what to make of this. Is it just an article that is making a big deal of nothing, or worse...



http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/05/01/Breaking-Pentagon-Confirms-Will-Court-Martial-Soldiers-Who-Share-Christian-Faith

No news here.
You're supposed to be Americans first. A melting pot of all cultures. That means respectful to others religions/ways of life, but not pushy of yours.
And this doesn't go to JUST christians. This applies to ALL faiths in the military.
If you're atheist and bashing christianity or islam, or hinduism, you'll see your ass court martialed. Same goes for pushing your religion on others. Unless, of course, they ask what you believe in, or ask you to tell them a little about your faith.

[aboutime]

No news here.
You're supposed to be Americans first. A melting pot of all cultures. That means respectful to others religions/ways of life, but not pushy of yours.
And this doesn't go to JUST christians. This applies to ALL faiths in the military.
If you're atheist and bashing christianity or islam, or hinduism, you'll see your ass court martialed. Same goes for pushing your religion on others. Unless, of course, they ask what you believe in, or ask you to tell them a little about your faith.


Totally agree cadet. Just wait till you find yourself in such a situation, in person. Then. Remember what you said about "Americans first". You may be very surprised to learn...in person. How those above you BEND OVER BACKWARD not....to offend those who freely, and openly advertise their faith...as I said earlier. But. How will you handle it when it comes to your turn?
Hard facts of Life aren't always as easy as saying "Americans first!"

[jimnyc]

No news here.
You're supposed to be Americans first. A melting pot of all cultures. That means respectful to others religions/ways of life, but not pushy of yours.
And this doesn't go to JUST christians. This applies to ALL faiths in the military.
If you're atheist and bashing christianity or islam, or hinduism, you'll see your ass court martialed. Same goes for pushing your religion on others. Unless, of course, they ask what you believe in, or ask you to tell them a little about your faith.

That's how it should be, and I would go along with that. But these articles make it sounds as if it's just Christianity they are targeting. Do you have other news than this one?

[cadet]

Totally agree cadet. Just wait till you find yourself in such a situation, in person. Then. Remember what you said about "Americans first". You may be very surprised to learn...in person. How those above you BEND OVER BACKWARD not....to offend those who freely, and openly advertise their faith...as I said earlier. But. How will you handle it when it comes to your turn?
Hard facts of Life aren't always as easy as saying "Americans first!"

Personally, I just wear my cross around my neck, and say nothing about it.
And try to keep it under my shirt of course, gotta stay in regs.
I really don't ever see an issue with any of these kinds of things. Most people in the military I've met are very hard workers and considerate of others.
(Yes, yes, I have met an asshole or two, but they never get any promotions, for good reason :laugh:)

[fj1200]

And this doesn't go to JUST christians. This applies to ALL faiths in the military.

What is the UCMJ violation?

[aboutime]

Just read this, and will share it. Pentagon has REVERSED this.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/05/major-change-on-christians-in-military/