Army Chaplain Attacked By Atheists For Discussing His Faith

An atheist group is on the warpath after the harmless thing this military chaplain did.

B. Christopher Agee / Western Journalism

When an atheist organization learned Army Capt. Joseph Lawhorn, a military chaplain, dared bring up Christianity during a discussion about preventing suicide, it promptly and publicly criticized him. After Lawhorn’s commander, Col. David Fivecoat, saw an article about the incident published by Military Atheists, he added to the condemnation by drafting two pointed letters.

Fivecoat’s first letter of concern accused Lawhorn of violating military guidelines regarding equality. His subsequent draft scaled back those allegations, reportedly after he was informed that Lawhorn’s actions did not constitute a violation of Army policy.

Nevertheless, the colonel echoed many of the concerns raised by the atheist group and the lone soldier responsible for lodging the initial complaint.

“During this training,” Fivecoat wrote, “you were perceived to advocate Christianity and used Christian scripture and solutions. You provided a two-sided handout that listed Army resources on one side and a biblical approach to handling depression on the other side. This made it impossible for those in attendance to receive the resource information without also receiving the biblical information.”

The reprimand caught the attention of several organizations dedicated to preserving religious freedom.

The Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition drafted its own letter in response to Lawhorn’s, in which the group demanded the reprimand be withdrawn.

Read more at Western Journalism

http://www.westernjournalism.com/army-chaplain-scolded-discussing-faith/#lY6V88S5jcm2a8eI.97