Yet Another Attack On “Under God”

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress in 1942.  The words “under God” were added 12-years later, and it is an interesting story how that happened.

 

One Sunday morning early in 1954, President Dwight ‘Ike’ Eisenhower attended services at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church a few blocks from the White House.  There he heard the Reverend Dr. George MacPherson Docherty give a stirring sermon calling for the addition of the words “under God” to the Pledge.  Docherty said that there was nothing in the Pledge that differentiated Americans from Russians. Russian school children, he argued, could recite a similar pledge to their country.

 

This prompted Ike to reflect on what made Americans different from their Soviet enemies – what set America apart.  Of course, it is that we believe our liberty comes from God.

 

The next day, Eisenhower initiated the process of adding “under God” to the Pledge.  Soon after, Rep. Charles Oakman introduced a bill to add the words and the law passed overwhelmingly in both houses of Congress and was signed by the president.

 

Interestingly, given the current attacks on religious liberty and the overall trend toward restraining religious speech, it’s questionable that such a bill would pass today … especially in Harry Reid’s Senate.

 

The courts have gone back and forth about the constitutionality of the daily schoolroom ritual.  In 2002, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declared the words to be an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. Then, in 2010, the same court ruled that the phrase could be left in because it invokes not religious faith but “our founders’ political philosophy that a power greater than the government gives the people their inalienable rights.”

 

Now “under God” has been targeted again.  A national humanist group is suing a New Jersey school district on behalf of a family that believes the words “under God” discriminate against atheist children.  The American Humanist Association claims that phrase “marginalizes atheist and humanist kids as something less than ideal patriots.”  This even though state law allows children to opt out of reciting the pledge.

 

There’s no telling how this latest fight will turn out.  But this we know: The humanists won’t be happy until all recognition of God is banished from the public square.  Ronald Reagan used to say that if we ever forget that we are “one nation under God then we will be a nation gone under.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Discounts for Death?

The destruction of innocent babies in America is big business.  If you don’t believe it, look at the discounts abortionists are offering to entice women to choose death.

 

Several abortion clinics offer coupons for ‘liking’ their Facebook pages.  One Florida abortionist offers a discount as high as $100.  A Pennsylvania abortion clinic advertises a $50 discount for “Out of State Residents.”  A Florida clinic gave a new meaning to the term ‘Black Friday’ with its “After Thanksgiving Savings” coupon.  That's right – the day after thanking God for His blessings, you can save a few bucks when you abort your baby.

 

Talk about the cheapening of life!  Offering discounts for the destruction of an innocent human baby exposes the callous business model of the abortion industry and its exploitation of women.

 

Scott Cox speaks of the Genesis account where the Bible says that God "formed man from the dust of the earth."  The same purposeful act of God that took place in the dust of the earth when Adam was formed takes place in the womb when God forms life there. You see, the unborn is not an accident; he or she is not the product of random chance; he or she is the product of God’s creative work.  Life is sacred … because God made it.  America’s forefathers vehemently acknowledge it in our Declaration of Independence when they said this truth is self-evident … that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights … to include Life!

 

Listen to these affirming passages from God’s Word … and then dare to say you weren’t created as a person:

 

· Jeremiah 1:4 states, “Before I [the Creator] formed you in the womb I knew you.”

 

· Psalm 100:3 reads, “Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

 

· Psalm 139:13-16 says, “For You [the Lord God] created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from You when   I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”

 

And there are other texts that could be sighted (Isaiah 43:1; 49:1; Exodus 33:12, 17; Isaiah 44:24; 45:3-4; Luke 1:11-15; John 1:6-8; Galatians 1:15-16; Psalm 22:10).

 

The point is: God created you as a PERSON.  Each time God created something in Genesis He followed it by saying, “ … and it was good.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

NY School Singles Out Student-led Bible Study Club

Last week, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) aided a New York high school student in starting an after-school, student-led Bible study club.  A senior at a high school in Amsterdam, NY, received approval from her principal to begin the after-school club; but on the day the club was to begin, the school superintendent informed the student that the club needed an insurance policy to use school facilities after hours.

 

However, other student-led clubs were not required to obtain an insurance policy.

 

In response to the student’s parents’ request for help, the ACLJ provided information about the relevant legal principles regarding religious clubs’ access to school facilities and that the Bible club must be given the same privileges as any other student-led club.

 

If other student-led clubs are not required to obtain insurance policies, this senior should not be required to obtain one for the Bible club.

 

Upon receiving this information, the school allowed the student to start up her after-school Bible study club.

 

Christians need always to ready for persecution.  This is the way it starts … in a localized (little unknown school district).  From there it grows into more global settings.  Thank God for such organization like ACLJ who are committed to helping protect religious liberty.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Arizona Understands Pro-Life Health Protection for Every Women and Pre-Born Child

Last week, the Arizona State legislator voted in favor of the new Women’s Health Protection Act (HB-2284), which does three basic things:

·         First, it requires abortion clinics to meet the same Department of Health Services (DHS) standards of safety and inspection as any other clinic or surgical center in the state.

·         Second, it makes it a Class 1 Misdemeanor to aid or assist a minor in receiving an abortion, without parental or guardian consent.

·         Third, it requires that abortion clinics report botched abortions whenever the child is born alive and it requires the clinic report what (if any) steps are subsequently taken to save that child’s life.

 

Regrettably, the vote was straight down party lines … making one wonder if the democrats have any moral composition at all.  For a party that touts itself as being pro-women, it sure seems odd that every one of them would vote against a law which would improve safety and equipment standards in clinics designed specifically to serve female patients.

 

Regarding the first issue: As it currently stands, county and/or state DHS inspectors are prohibited from snap or random inspections of abortion clinics (except upon obtaining a search warrant).  Inspectors are also prohibited from routine inspections except upon re-licensure (once every two years).  Out of all the other medical facilities in the state, abortion clinics are given a total pass in the area of safety and health inspection standards.  So even if the authorities receive complaints and suspect abuse of the laws, they are not allowed to inspect the clinics in a timely manner.  According to the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP), “DHS should have the authority to perform reasonable cause, unannounced inspections of abortion clinics, just as they do with every other type of health care institution.”  HB-2284 supports that view.

 

Regarding the second issue: Arizona’s Parental Consent statues require that prior to a minor having an abortion, written, notarized consent must be obtained by the provider from a parent or guardian.  However, currently if an abortion provider violates the law, there are no legal penalties which can be imposed, so there’s no risk involved in coercing a 12-year-old girl to have an abortion.  But HB-2284 would change that, even if the child is taken out of state to avoid the Parental Consent law, and make it a Class 1 Misdemeanor … which carries a maximum fine of up to $2500.00 and six months in jail.

 

Finally, regarding the botched abortion issue: In 2012, “LiveAction” television went undercover and caught Dr. Mercer, an Arizona abortion doctor, stating that at 23-week gestation (a baby) “... doesn’t even look like a baby yet ...”  According to several studies, over 50% of all babies born at 23-weeks survive and thrive.  The same undercover video also caught an abortion assistant admitting that if an infant survived an abortion, nothing would be done to try and save the child’s life.  Current Arizona Statute mandates that physicians have a duty to promote the life of any fetus delivered alive.  Yet Dr. Mercer’s flagrant lies and disregard for the Hippocratic Oath and current Arizona laws exemplify why state legislators must be more aggressive in ensuring that abortion providers adhere to the same standards of practice as any other healthcare provider.  At an absolute minimum it will require that abortion clinics report all botched abortions (live births) to the authorities, as well as what measures (if any) the medical personnel took to save the child’s life.

 

Governor Jan Brewer signed HB-2284 into law … another victory for Arizona’s thriving pro-life movement.

 

I commend the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Debbie Lesko, who championed the legislation of HB-2284, and Governor Brewer for standing up to the attacks and distortions from Planned Parenthood.

 

While I rejoice in yet another state victory for life, the work will never be done until every woman and pre-born child is protected from the dangerous and deadly practices of Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Pro-Life Centers Can Continue to Advertise in NYC

Last week, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) received a ‘stay’ from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that will protect two non-profit organizations that operate numerous pro-life crisis pregnancy centers in New York City.  ACLJ represented them in a lawsuit challenging a New York City law that imposes burdensome disclaimer and confidentiality requirements upon crisis pregnancy centers.

 

The law, enacted in March 2011, was designed by pro-abortion legislators to severely limit the ability of pro-life centers to advertise their services, and to divert the course of conversations that these centers have with women who are interested in their services … by requiring three lengthy disclaimers to be included (in English and Spanish) in any advertisements, in conversations in which a woman asks about abortion, contraception, or pre-natal care, and on signs posted at the center’s entrance and waiting area.  Non-compliance with the law is punishable by thousands of dollars of penalties.

 

The Second Circuit granted ACLJ’s motion, which means that their clients will not need to comply with the law while the appeal moves to the Supreme Court in the coming months.  This is a significant win because the law violates the clients’ constitutional 1st Amendment right to advertise their services for the reasons set forth by the trial court and Judge Wesley.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

If You Don’t Support Gay Marriage, Do You Deserve a Job?

In the midst of the chatter for ‘tolerance’ and ‘diversity’ America’s gay rights activists are warning: If you don’t support gay marriage, you don’t deserve a job.

 

Brendan Eich, the former chief executive officer at Mozilla – the technology group that gave us the Firefox Web browser – resigned under a firestorm of controversy after it was revealed he had donated $1,000 in support of California’s Proposition 8 (a ballot initiative that protected traditional marriage).  Once his donation was revealed, supporters of gay marriage launched all-out war.

 

The Wall Street Journal reported that OKCupid, the popular online dating website, asked its followers to stop using Firefox.  According to The New York Times, OKCupid posted a letter denouncing the Mozilla CEO, reporting – “Those who seek to deny love and instead enforce misery, shame and frustration are our enemies and we wish them nothing but failure.”  And the wireless company Credo Mobile gathered more than 50,000 signatures on a petition calling for Eich to resign.

 

Eich won’t say he was forced to resign, but based on the company’s press release, it’s safe to say his days were numbered.  “Mozilla prides itself on being held to a different standard and, this past week, we didn’t live up to it,” Mozilla Executive Chairwoman Mitchell Baker wrote in a statement.  “We know why people are hurt and angry, and they are right: it’s because we haven’t stayed true to ourselves.”  She went on to opine about freedom of speech and equality.  In her estimation, one trumps the other.  “Equality is necessary for meaningful speech,” she wrote.  “And you need free speech to fight for equality.  Figuring out how to stand for both at the same time can be hard.”

 

Are there not rational and reasonable individuals within the gay rights community who understand the dangers of muzzling free speech and expression?  It appears that the voices that are winning the day are those who believe gay rights trump everyone else’s rights.

 

Evidently, the left does not believe people who oppose gay marriage should be allowed to engage in the democratic process.  They have a proven track record of intimidating and bullying those who do.  Just ask Angela McCaskill, the chief diversity officer at Gallaudet University.  She was suspended after she signed a petition in her church to put a gay marriage referendum on the ballot in Maryland.  Just ask Scott Eckern, the former artistic director of California Musical Theatre.  He resigned under pressure after he gave money to support Prop 8.  Just ask our nation’s top military officials.  They were called into President Obama’s office and told that if they could not support “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” they should resign their commissions.  “We were called into the Oval Office and President Obama looked at all five service chiefs in the eye and said, ‘This is what I want to do,’” said Coast Guard Adm. Robert Papp in remarks reported by Buzzfeed.

 

Todd Starnes of Fox News said it well – “The road to ‘political correctness’ is littered with the bodies of folks like Brendan Eich sideswiped by the tolerance and diversity bus.”  He goes on to ask, “Why not demand that those who oppose gay marriage relinquish the right to own property?  Why not take away their right to vote?  Why not take away their children?  Why not just throw them in jail?  Why not force them to work in chain gangs?  Why not call for public floggings?  Or better yet, let’s just strap them down on gurneys, stick a needle in their arm and rid the world of these intolerant anti-gay bigots once and for all.”

 

Definition: tol-er-ance (tŏl’ǝr-ǝns) n. is being willing to put up with, endure, bear with those whose views or lifestyles are different from others’ views without agreeing with them. 

 

Given this definition, it’s clear that those who cry the loudest for ‘tolerance’ are the most ‘intolerant.’

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Our ‘First Freedom’ of Religious Liberty Wins Again

On the heels of last month’s jury verdict for a Christian professor punished by his employer for his conservative and Christian speech (read my blog of March 28), the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) team reports yet another victory for religious liberty.

 

A former employee sued her Christian employer, a national campus ministry, claiming that its religious criteria for employment constituted “discrimination” in violation of federal law.  This is an issue that Christian employers have been fighting for years as they’ve worked to preserve the liberty to hire and fire employees (especially ministerial employees) using faith-based principles.  If federal anti-discrimination laws were applied to the hiring and firing of ministerial employees (for example, pastors and religious teachers), then no church or ministry would be able to safeguard the integrity of its message.

 

In an opinion issued last week, a federal court dismissed the plaintiff’s claims, reaffirming that the 1st Amendment protected a “ministerial exception” to federal anti-discrimination laws.  The court explained: “Moreover, allowing a ministerial employee to pursue employment claims against her supervisor would allow the state to become involved in the strictly ecclesiastic decision of who shall minister to the faithful and to impose upon a religious group an unwanted minister—the very concerns that underlie the ministerial exception.”

 

The ‘Free Exercise Clause’ provides the freedom for Christian employers to apply their faith, while the ‘Establishment Clause’ bars the government from getting entangled in religious decision-making.

 

It's a matter of common sense that Christian employers should be able to use Biblical principles when deciding who shares the Gospel; but it's also a matter of constitutional law.

 

The ACLJ are thankful for the victory and thankful for a Bill of Rights that still has legal power to protect our ‘First Freedom.’

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

Is This – “The South Will Rise Again”?

Mississippi lawmakers last week passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act – a bill that says governments cannot put a substantial burden on religious practices.  It will also add “In God We Trust” to the state seal.

 

In a press release, Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, said, “This is a victory for the First Amendment and the right to live and work according to one’s conscience.  The legislature gave strong approval to a bill that declares that individuals do not have to trade their religious freedom for entrance into public commerce.”  “We commend Governor Phil Bryant, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, House Speaker Philip Gunn, and Senator Phillip Gandy, the bill’s sponsor,” he added, “for their leadership to defend religious freedom and for refusing to cower to egregious misrepresentations of a fair and common-sense religious liberty measure.”

Time and again, I’m seeing more and more states going contrary to the national scene.  I see it happening regarding pro-life issues, the 2nd amendment right to bear arms, and in this case – protecting religious freedom.  There is ever increasing evidence that our nationally elected or appointed officials are ‘out of touch’ with the grassroots citizenry.  The time has long past for the federal branches of government to get their ‘finger on the pulse’ of “We the people.”

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

BSA Experiences Budget Shortfall & Membership Decline

The National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) met in February and learned that registration fees for 2013 totaled $1.76 million less than the previous year and more than $2.5 million less than was budgeted.  Despite these shortfalls, overall revenue in 2013 exceeded $115 million, with registration fees accounting for about $45 million of the total.  The Scouts last year had an “excess of revenues over expenses” of $2.986 million, according to the minutes of the meeting and other documents obtained by WORLD News Group.  This number was better than budget, but significantly less than 2012’s excess of $5.431 million.

 

Meeting documents also indicate that the Scouts plan to pay the Chief Scout Executive Wayne Brock $442,900 for the coming year.  Two other senior executives—Deputy Chief Scout Executive Gary Butler and Chief Financial Officer Michael Ashline—are in line to receive $330,000 in salary.  [In 2012, Brock’s base pay was $392,627.  Butler received $270,919 the previous year, while Ashline’s base salary was $276,460.]

 

These raises come as the BSA lost approximately 110,000 youth members in 2013.  Total membership in Scouting, including Scouts and adult leaders, fell to below 2.5 million by the end of the year … the lowest level in more than a half-century.  [I wrote of this a year ago – April 15, 2013 – “Boy Scouts Must Stand Firm.”  Go back and read that blog.]

 

Though many causes contributed to the membership losses, the most significant was a decision by the National Council in May 2013 to allow openly homosexual Scouts into the program.  [I wrote of this – June 5, 2013 – “The BSA Will Pay a Price for Policy Change.”  Go back and read it.]  Almost immediately, a new alternative group called Trail Life USA organized.  [I wrote of this – July 12, 2013 – “Scouting that is JC Focused – Rather than PC Fixated.”  Go back and read it.]  That group now has approximately 600 units of Trailmen in more than 40-states.

 

The BSA’s president-elect, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, told the BSA leadership at the February 5th meeting that he had “no intention of reopening the BSA membership standards issue” during his presidency.  “Scouting has been through a divisive ordeal,” he said.  “I fully support the decision that was made last May, but I believe strongly that we need now to focus on healing our differences, restoring our unity, and returning our full attention to growing our membership, strengthening our finances, and delivering a Scouting program of the highest quality.”

 

Gates concluded his remark by saying, “It appears the greatest challenges are behind [the BSA].  Still, it seems to me we have been, as a movement and as leaders of that movement, distracted, divided, and defensive.  Now it is time to refocus on the Scouts and on this unique program.”

 

All I can say to Mr. Gates is – Good luck with that!  You’re going to loss many more as Trail Life USA gets into more states and multiplies itself.  And the proponents of homosexual agenda have yet to aggressively pressure the BSA to permit openly gay leaders.  Your “greatest challenges” are far from over.

 

BTW: How many openly gay boys have newly enrolled into Scouting since last May’s change in policy?  And where is the new dollar support to the BSA from the homosexual activists (corporations and individuals)?

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

 

Reversing Course & Reaffirming Biblical Marriage

Last week, World Vision’s leadership reacted to the widespread concern that it was abandoning its adherence to traditional Evangelical and Christian beliefs in favor of a diluted religiosity.  This $1 billion relief group reversed its previous (recent) decision to allow same-sex unions among employees … which World Vision now calls a “mistake.”  Instead, it’s reaffirming its policy of “sexual abstinence for all single employees and faithfulness within the Biblical covenant of marriage between a man and a woman.”

 

Here’s their statement to their supporters:

 

Dear Friends,

 

Today, the World Vision U.S. board publicly reversed its recent decision to change our employment conduct policy.  The board acknowledged they made a mistake and chose to revert to our longstanding conduct policy requiring sexual abstinence for all single employees and faithfulness within the Biblical covenant of marriage between a man and a woman.

 

We are writing to you our trusted partners and Christian leaders who have come to us in the spirit of Matthew 18 to express your concern in love and conviction.  You share our desire to come together in the Body of Christ around our mission to serve the poorest of the poor.  We have listened to you and want to say thank you and to humbly ask for your forgiveness.

 

In our board’s effort to unite around the church’s shared mission to serve the poor in the name of Christ, we failed to be consistent with World Vision U.S.’s commitment to the traditional understanding of Biblical marriage and our own Statement of Faith, which says, “We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.”  And we also failed to seek enough counsel from our own Christian partners.  As a result, we made a change to our conduct policy that was not consistent with our Statement of Faith and our commitment to the sanctity of marriage.

 

We are brokenhearted over the pain and confusion we have caused many of our friends, who saw this decision as a reversal of our strong commitment to Biblical authority.  We ask that you understand that this was never the board’s intent.  We are asking for your continued support.  We commit to you that we will continue to listen to the wise counsel of Christian brothers and sisters, and we will reach out to key partners in the weeks ahead.

 

While World Vision U.S. stands firmly on the biblical view of marriage, we strongly affirm that all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, are created by God and are to be loved and treated with dignity and respect.

 

Please know that World Vision continues to serve all people in our ministry around the world.  We pray that you will continue to join with us in our mission to be “an international partnership of Christians whose mission is to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice, and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God.”

 

Sincerely in Christ,

Richard Stearns, President

Jim Beré, Chairman of the World Vision U.S. Board

 

Thank God for Christian organizations (and individuals) who come to recognize the error of their ways, and seek forgiveness.  As Christians, we must forgive them … just as we ask the Lord to forgive us our sins (re-read the Lord’s Prayer).

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel

What’s a ‘Missing Man Table’ Without a Bible? Incomplete!

The Patrick Air Force Base in Brevard County, FL, is currently embroiled in controversy after a Bible honoring missing soldiers and prisoners of war was removed from one of the base’s dining halls earlier this month.

 

The Bible was a part of a ‘Missing Man Table’ – a tradition in the U.S. Armed Forces meant to honor servicemen who did not return from combat, either because they are missing or prisoners of war.  The vacant table is set up in some Armed Forces' dining halls in the U.S., and includes a plain white table cloth, an inverted glass, a single red rose, a yellow ribbon, a candle, a plate with lemon and salt, and a Bible.

 

The purpose of the Bible is to “[represent] the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God,” according to the Air Force Chiefs website.

 

The Family Research Council (FRC) pointed out the irony of the controversy.  “Of particular irony is the fact that this reversal of a long history of including such memorials in dining halls occurred at the same installation where the Department of Defense's equal opportunity agency - the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) - is housed,” FRC said. “DEOMI is tasked with training military Equal Opportunity (EO) advisers on how to instill respect and tolerance for diverse viewpoints in service members.  Apparently, that respect and tolerance isn't supposed to extend to religious speech or the ability of an organization to recognize the role religious faith has played in the lives of many service members.”

 

According to Florida Today, a dispute over the Bible’s presence at the Missing Man Table at Patrick Air Force Base's Riverside Dining Facility caused commanders to remove the table from the dining hall.  Authorities at the Air Force Base then released a statement to the local media outlet late last week saying that the table would return to the dining facility, although they were unclear if the Bible would be a part of the Missing Man display.

 

“The 45th Space Wing deeply desires to honor America’s Prisoners and War (POW) and Missing in Action (MIA) personnel.  Unfortunately, the Bible's presence or absence on the table at the Riverside Dining Facility ignited controversy and division, distracting from the table’s primary purpose of honoring POWs/MIAs,” the statement read.  “Consequently, we temporarily replaced the table with the POW/MIA flag in an effort to show our continued support of these heroes while seeking an acceptable solution to the controversy.  After consultation with several relevant organizations, we now intend to re-introduce the POW/MIA table in a manner inclusive of all POWs/MIAs as well as Americans everywhere.”

 

News of this most recent incident regarding religious freedom comes after the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, reportedly asked a cadet to erase a Bible verse from the whiteboard that hung outside of his dorm room.  The decision prompted outrage from religious freedom groups like the Liberty Institute and the Family Research Council. Although the cadet was not punished for writing the biblical message, Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, has called for the student to be “visibly punished” so others won't follow his example.

 

I find it fascinating that we protect building structures of historic significance from being demolished, yet allow historic traditions of religious significance to be destroyed.  What good is one without the other … if you’re truly wishing to preserve an understanding of what our America heritage?  Eradicating religion from our history is to deny today’s Americans from a full understanding of who we are and where we came from … not to mention an infringement of our 1st amendment right to religious freedom.        

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel