Militant Faith

Disrespect by the US military for the First Amendment rights of soldiers--the rights of free speech as well as the rights of religious freedom, which include the freedom from religion--have been increasingly demonstrated by uniformed Chrisitan evangelical fanatics for decades. Those indulging in religious promotion and discrimination have ranged from Brigadier Generals down throught the ranks to staff sergeants who have actively endorsed and participated in evangelical promotions

A watchdog organization, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) investigated complaints of more than 5,000 active duty and retired soldiers through 2005 to 2007, many that served or were still serving in Iraq that had been pressured by their commanding officers to embrace evangelical Christianity. Complaints of similar holy harassment continue to this day.

As a result of this constitutionally impermissible promotion of a religious belief system throughout branches of the military, a flood of lawsuits were filed against the Pentagon. One example of the religious harassment is the case where an Army Major broke up a meeting of soldiers that shared atheist principles: the Major going so far as to threaten to block the principal organizer's reenlistment in the army if the group continued to meet. Clearly such action is a flagrant violation of the soldier's First Amendment rights under the US Constitution.

Other similar violations involve Department of Defense (DOD) officials who appeared in uniform while on active duty in a 2004 promotional video for a fundamental Christian organization that calls itself the Christian Embassy. This gave the deceitful impression that the officers spoke officially on behalf of the military.

The lame excuse for this unconstitutional promotion was that the Christian Embassy had become a quasi-Federal entity with the DOD endorsing the organization to General Officers for over twenty-five years! Indeed, Christian Embassy, which is affiliated with Campus Crusade for Christ, have been providing faith-tilted studies used in the Pentagon and which clearly seek influence over Congress, the Executive Branch, and over the diplomatic community.

It is certain that true democratic principles are NOT being served by those attempting an evangelical coup in the military branches and the three branches of national government. We remain free to ponder that if the God they embrace is forced to resort to such a deceitful manner to glorify himself can he truly be called omniscient (all-knowing) or omnipotent (all-powerful)?