Religious discrimination by the U.S. Government

Allegations of religious intolerance at Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, CO

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Overview:

According to the Associated Press, many allegations surfaced "...that evangelical Christians wield so much influence at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs that anti-Semitism and other forms of religious harassment have become pervasive....An Air Force task force concluded that some students and staff at the school have the perception that the academy favors evangelical Christians and is intolerant of those who do not share their faith." ₁₃

The Associated Press reported that the Academy's No. 2 chaplain, Captain Melinda Morton, said that she was fired for speaking up about religious intolerance among cadets and staff. She co-wrote a report in 2004 which criticized "strident" evangelizing of cadets by Christian officers. She alleged that evangelical Christians wield too much influence at the Academy. Major General Charles Baldwin, the Air Force's chief chaplain said that she wasn't fired, only reassigned to Japan. ₁

The Air Force issued an interim set of guidelines concerning the free exercise of religion at the end of 2005-AUG. The guidelines are to be applied beyond just the Air Force Academy; they apply to all Air Force personnel. They may eventually be enforced across the entire Armed Forces.

Allegations:

In excess of 50 complaints involving allegations of religious intolerance had been recorded at the Air Force Academy (AFA) in Colorado Springs, CO during 2004 and in the previous several years. One involved a Jewish cadet who was allegedly told that the Holocaust was revenge for the death of Jesus. Another Jew was allegedly called a Christ killer by a fellow cadet.

Michael Weinstein of Alburquerque, NM, and a 1977 AFA graduate is an outspoken critic. He doubted that the task force will resolve the problems at the Academy. He calls it a "mask force." He claims that more than 115 current and former cadets, staff and faculty have contacted him with accounts of religious bias at the academy. His older son, 2nd Lt. Casey Weinstein, 22, graduated from the AFA in 2004. He said that Evangelical Christians are: "a large vocal minority that is the 800-pound gorilla [on campus]. They blurred and crossed the line between church and state." His younger son, Curtis, was allegedly called a "filthy Jew" and other slurs. Michael Weinstein told the Los Angeles Times: "When I visited my son [Curtis] he told me he wanted us to go off base because he had something to tell me. He said, 'They are calling me a ... Jew and that I am responsible for killing Christ.' My son told me that he was going to hit the next one who called him something....When I was at the academy, there wasn’t this institutional notion that if you didn’t accept Christ you would burn eternally in hell. This is not a Jew-Christian thing, it's an evangelical versus everyone else thing. I am calling for congressional oversight and for the academy to stop trivializing the problem by calling it non-systemic. If they can’t fix it and Congress won’t fix it, the next thing to do is go to the federal court and file a lawsuit alleging a violation of the Constitution and civil rights." ₅

Events at or about the Academy 2004-JUL to 2005-JUN:

Leslie reported that an academy chaplain urged cadets to pray for those who didn't attend, to try to convert them and "remind them of the consequences ... [that] those not 'born again will burn in the fires of Hell'." "When we saw this kind of predominant, pervasive evangelical conservative Christian message putting itself forward as pastoral care, we noted it," Leslie said in an interview." ₄

Captain Morton allegedly claims that she was pressured to deny the story. Academy spokesman Johnny Whitaker told the Colorado Springs Gazette that several chaplains have denied that anyone said anything about burning "in the fires of Hell" at the service.

The veterans recommended that all of the U.S. military academies "adopt as part of their curricula courses in cultural, religious and ethnic diversity to fight bigotry and hatred."

Air force report issued:

In late 2005-June, two military groups -- the Headquarters Review Group and the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces -- issued a joint report which described the results of their investigation of religious intolerance at the Academy. It was authored by Lieutenant General Robert Brady, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for personnel.

Also in late June, two individuals received appointments:

Congressional oversight requested and resisted:

Forward magazine reported on 2005-JUL-01:

"Congressional Democrats, including Rep. Steve Israel of New York and Rep. Lois Capps of California, have insisted on congressional oversight of the situation at the Air Force Academy. On Tuesday, in testimony before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, Israel recognized the contribution of Air Force Chaplain Captain MeLinda Morton to bringing to light the problems with the religious climate at the academy. Morton resigned the military recently after being reassigned to Japan, allegedly as a punishment for her role in exposing the problems there."

" 'While she may not be able to be an official witness at the hearing, my colleagues can certainly learn a great deal from Chaplain Morton, who courageously defended religious liberty and respect and ultimately lost her job for it,' Israel said in a briefing before the hearing."

"The Democrats' demand for oversight has been resisted by some Republican lawmakers. At a recent hearing on the matter, Rep. John Hostettler, an Indiana Republican, accused Democrats of "denigrating and demonizing Christians" and charged that their demand for oversight was part of a 'long war on Christianity in America'."

"At least one Jewish organization involved in investigating the situation at the academy, the Anti-Defamation League, is also urging Congress not to shirk its oversight function on the matter."

" 'Congress should ensure that the guidelines are followed,' said Abraham Foxman, national director of the ADL, in written testimony submitted Tuesday to the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel." ₁₄

New guidelines released:

The Air Force team investigating religious intolerance and oppression in the Air Force Academy issued of a set of guidelines on 2005-AUG-30. The guidelines extend well beyond the Academy: they apply to every officer, enlisted personnel and civilian employee within the Air Force. Donald H. Rumsfeld, Defense Secretary, told a group of religious leaders in late 2005-AUG that if the guidelines work well in the Air Force, that they will be expanded to include the entire armed forces.

The guidelines state, in part: "At a time when many nations are torn apart by religious strife, we must understand that our ability to stand together as Americans and as airmen -- those who represent many religions, shoulder-to-shoulder with those who claim no religion -- is part of our heritage, and our strength."

The guidelines attempt to accurately follow the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff. who helped write the guidelines said that they guarantee religious freedom while prohibiting any "establishment" of religion by the government. The report states: "We will not officially endorse or establish religion, either one specific religion or the idea of religion over non-religion."

Some of the guidelines are:

The report requires the Air Education and Training Command to submit a plan for incorporating the guidelines in "all venues of formal training and education for officer, enlisted and civilian personnel where our core values and professional standards are addressed." It also requires the Air Force Academy to "submit a long range plan for incorporating this guidance in their training program."

Resnicoff noted that these guidelines will result in major changes throughout the Air Force. He said: "In many places throughout the Air Force, people have told me that if they have four meetings in a day, they have four prayers." _10,11

Reactions from the conservative Christian community:

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council discussed the Interim Guidelines in his Washington Report for 2005-AUG-30. He had sent a letter to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, expressing concern that there might be a backlash against "those of faith at the Academy."

He wrote in his Washington Report under the heading "Air Force buckles under pressure:"

"New guidelines released yesterday seem to indicate that the overreaction we feared is exactly what has happened. The new guidelines reportedly discourage public prayer at official functions and urge commanders to avoid personal expressions of religious faith in a wide variety of settings. The Air Force seems to be fighting perceived religious intolerance with actual religious tolerance [sic] -- ultimately telling the military chaplaincy how to pray. ...Free expression of religion for all peoples is what the U.S. military has fought for since its inception; that concept should not be denied to those who have taken on the task of protecting our freedoms." ₁₂

Reactions by others:

Abraham Foxman, head of the New York-based Anti-Defamation League commented that the guidelines "...say all the right things. They address all the issues that were raised as problems at the Air Force Academy. The major question is, how will be they become a reality? A lot of the people implementing this are the people who violated it."

Mikey Weinstein, a graduate of of the Academy who has two sons there said: "The Air Force's official policy remains that the Air Force reserves the right to evangelize anyone in the Air Force that it determines to be unchurched." ₁₃ In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said: "It's a declaration of war, as far as I'm concerned, on the Constitution. I hope everybody comprehensively and joyously celebrates whatever religion that they want — or no religion — but they cannot engage the machinery of the state." In an interview with the Colorado Springs Gazette, he said: "These guidelines do nothing more than contribute to what appears to be an imperious, fascistic contagion that is sweeping throughout this country through evangelical Christians trying to infuse their religious thought into the machinery of the state." ₁₅

Why Colorado Springs?:

Captain Melinda Morton, a Lutheran, is the second most senior chaplain at the school. She told the task force that she was fired because she had spoken up about religious intolerance among cadets and staff -- including allegations that Evangelical Christians there wield too much influence. When she was asked why she thought the problem was concentrated at the Air Force Academy and not at the other academies, she pointed to nearby Colorado Springs, CO, the home of many influential conservative Christian organizations. Tom Minnery, spokesperson for Focus on the Family, arguably the most influential Evangelical Christian para-church organization in the U.S., disagreed that Evangelical Christians are the problem. He claims that "anti-Christian bigotry" was infecting the academy. ₁ He said that Americans United is on a "witch hunt here. They will not rest until religion is eradicated from that campus."

According to National Public Radio, Colorado Springs, "...for the past decade has been recognized as a center for evangelical Christian organizations." ₂ Over 100 groups are located there, of which Focus on the Family is the largest. Others include the New Life Church, the Navigators, Mission of Mercy, Global Action, and the International Bible Society.

References:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. "Chaplain says she was fired. Claim comes amid inquiry into alleged intolerance at AFA," Associated Press, 2005-MAY-13, at: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/
2. Jeff Brady, "Colorado Springs a Mecca for Evangelical Christians," NPR, 2005-JAN-17, at: http://www.npr.org/
3. "JWV Condemns Anti-Semitism and Urges Training in Cultural Diversity at Military Academies," Jewish War Veterans, 2005-FEB-25, at: http://www.jwv.org/
4. Patrick O'Drioscoll, "Academy critic says she was fired," USA Today, at: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/
5. Patrick Martin, "Christian fundamentalist bigotry reigns at US Air Force Academy," World Socialist Web Site, 2005-APR-30, at: http://www.wsws.org/
6. "Americans United Report Details Instances Of Religious Favoritism At U.S. Air Force Academy," Americans United, 2005-APR-28, at: http://www.au.org/
7. "Air Force Responds To Americans United Complaint About Religious Intolerance At Academy." Americans United, 2005-MAY-03, at: http://www.au.org/
8. Bryant Jordan & Rick Maze, "Academy commandant faces IG review. Complaints include improper proselytizing to cadets," Air Force Times, 2005-JUN-09, at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/
9. Richard Cohen, "Flying Over the Line," Washington Post, 2005-JUN-08, Page A21, at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
10. Alan Cooperman, "Air Force Sets Rules Limiting Religious Expression," Washington Post, 2005-AUG-30, Page A04. Online at: http://www.washingtonpost.com
11. "Interim guidelines concerning free exercise of religion in the Air Force," The Telegraph, Macon, GA, 2005-AUG-31, at: http://www.macon.com/
12. Tony Perkins, "Washington Update," Newsletter, Family Research Council, 2005-AUG-30.
13. "Air Force releases prayer guidelines," Associated Press, 2005-AUG-30, at: http://www.foxnews.com/
14. E.J. Kessler, "Air Force taps rabbi to aid on Academy religious flap," Forward magazine, 2005-JUL-01, at: http://www.forward.com/
15. Ted Olsen, "Air Force issues religion guidelines," Christianity Today, 2005-AUG-30. at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/