-Air Force Officer in Trouble Over an Open Bible?

An Air Force officer appears to be in trouble for having an open Bible on his desk. The Bible was seized by officials investigating a complaint issued by the ironically named MRFF (Military Religious Freedom Foundation). Here’s the story from the Blaze:

Officials at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs have removed an open Bible from a major’s desk after complaints from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

Base officials also are investigating if allowing the Bible on the desk was a reasonable accommodation of the officer’s religious beliefs or if it violated the separation of church and state, the Colorado Springs Independent reported.

     “The basic premise of the Air Force instruction [on religious freedom], grounded in Department of Defense policy, grounded in law is, people have an inherent right to free exercise of religion within boundaries,”

Col. Damon Feltman, 310th Space Wing commander, told the Independent.

     “At the same time, people have freedom to be left alone. It’s finding that right balance. The challenge of the commander is to be sure both people are treated fairly.”…

Feltman told the Independent that the investigation will be conducted quickly:

     ”If a person has a Koran display or book of Satan, they’re free to have that on display and read it as long as they’re not proselytizing, trying to entice someone to their particular viewpoint.”

Read the whole article>

Response: The MRFF complainer Mikey Weinstein demonstrates once more that his group is not really in favor of religious freedom, at least not for practicing Christians. Does an open Bible on a desk in an Air Force base actually constitute a violation of church and state? According to super sensitive Weinstein and his ilk it does.

Notice that there is no claim here that the major was actually ‘proselytizing,’ he just had an open personal Bible on his desk. Not only that, but I contend that the Obama administration policy against sharing ones faith in the military (which they call ‘proselytizing’) is itself a violation of the First Amendment. Actually our first general and Commander-in-Chief George Washington would have been in constant violation of this current policy along with many other major military leaders in American history.                *Top