There is a lot of fervor going on over the display of religious symbols at the main gates of Travis Air Force Base in California. Some view this as an overreaction to a single complaint by a lone airman who reached out for help to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF). I wrote a lengthy post at PoliticusUSA about this debate yesterday laying out some of the details in an attempt to put this into the broader context of what this is all about.
This is not about reacting to one person’s complaint. This is about a collection of events occurring in our military that represent a calculated and intentional campaign to insert one religion as the predominant theology. (Read about the scope of our work here). The fact that we represent – pro Bono - nearly 26,000 men and women in our Armed Forces is evidence of how widespread this aggressive proselytizing is. For every military person who contacts us we are highly aware that there are many more who are too afraid to reach out and ask for help from MRFF after exhausting all avenues within the system in their quest for resolutions.
They are afraid for their jobs, career, family, personal safety and retribution in many forms. This is patently unacceptable.
While these men and women volunteer to join our military that exists to protect our freedoms, the least we can do is be there for them. They have all taken an oath to defend our U.S. Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic and we owe it to them to help them enjoy the very freedoms they are fighting for on our behalf.
MRFF has risen to the occasion and spoken out on many issues brought to us at an alarming rate from troops here and abroad, defending mostly the needs of mainstream Christians who seek our help. Along the way we have also represented the concerns of non-religious members as well. This clearly does not make us anti-religion nor anti-Christian, it simply makes us defenders of religious freedoms for all as provided to us as Americans under our U.S. Constitution.
It is, indeed, the season for displays for some religions, that is true. But – positioning these displays at the entry gates of a government funded military Base is more than celebrating the season, it is a statement of preference and endorsement that clearly signals to all who pass through those gates that their differing faiths and beliefs are disregarded. We fully support the erection of these displays on Base at their respective Chapels and places of worship, which is the appropriate setting. The insistence that our military is synonymous with a biblical worldview is dangerous on many levels.
Many of us at MRFF are mainstream Christians who honor the beliefs of others and recognize the inequity of having religious displays up front and center on the grounds of an institution that belong to all of us. Imagine the outrage that would erupt if displays were erected during holy seasons for other religions. For example, a display that coincides with the 29 or 30 days of Ramadan? It would be met with fierce opposition! This is not about objecting to Christianity or any other faith, quite the contrary…it is about protecting freedom of religion for all our Armed Forces personnel.
Here is my question: I would like to understand that if this is innocuous and purely without ulterior motive, why the push-back against relocating the displays to their respective houses of worship?
The glaring lack of Civics 101 education in this country shines through in the venomous hate mail we get every time we step up to represent our troops. I don’t know which is harder for me to digest – the ignorance or the hate.
I am impressed with this posting. It analyzes and summaries the problem well.
My four favorite "takeaways" from this posting are the following:
1. "We fully support the erection of these displays on Base at their respective Chapels and places of worship, which is the appropriate setting."
2. "The insistence that our military is synonymous with a biblical worldview is dangerous on many levels."
3. "This clearly does not make us anti-religion nor anti-Christian, it simply makes us defenders of religious freedoms for all as provided to us as Americans under our U.S. Constitution."
4. "This is not about objecting to Christianity or any other faith, quite the contrary…it is about protecting freedom of religion for all our Armed Forces personnel."
Thank you Leah, for once again, proving that you are one of the best spokespersons for conveying how most of us feel. If we only had more people of your caliber in positions of political power, we might finally see the return of reason, tolerance, and civility in our national discourse. Thank you for being our voice on a national scale and for helping our country transition out of the darkness.
Thank YOU for reading and understanding that my message is not about divisiveness but about harmony and tolerance. It is a vocal minority who make tireless attempts to spin our message into "anti-religion/Christianity/conservative" of which we are none of those. Hang in there with us, we are getting people to finally listen…it takes all of our voices.
I would like a good refutation/sound byte to counter this idea that "the Founding Fathers intended this to be a Christian nation". I get irritated with conservatives who go on about freedom and yet think they need a permission slip telling them what they can and cannot believe.
Long stand the Wall Of Separation
The imp in me suggests that a Wiccan bonfire and other solstice celebrations at the main gate of Travis might be fun. The Wiccan Pentacle is approved as a religious symbol for Arlington Cemetery. So it seems to me that a Solistice Celebration is in order. (My more appropriate comment is above,)
Leah, I suspect the hate is due to ignorance. Many really see it as an attack on their faith because they simply don't understand what living in a pluralistic society means. So many of the "sheeple" are being taught that the Founding Fathers intended this to be a Christian nation which, of course, is false. They don't understand that when the Constitution was written, there were already citizens who were not considered Christian: the Catholics in Maryland and the Quakers in Pennsylvania. Of course, the hate is still hard to take.