CHAPLAIN ALLIANCE FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY April 30, 2013 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact CHAPLAIN ENDORSERS at info@chaplainalliance.org or call (571) 293-2427
Chaplain endorsers ask Air Force for equal time
WASHINGTON — Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, an organization of chaplain endorsers representing more than 2,000 current chaplains actively serving the armed forces, expressed both gratitude and concern Tuesday over the Air Force and a new “religious tolerance” policy.
Chaplain Alliance is grateful that Air Force officials are taking religious freedom seriously but is concerned that senior Air Force officials have met with only Mikey Weinstein and others with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation to obtain guidance on the new policy. Neither Weinstein nor his organization are directly connected with any active duty chaplains, the men and women whose responsibility it is to nurture and safeguard the religious freedom of America’s soldiers.
“If the Air Force wants to be serious about religious freedom, its sole and exclusive meeting should not be with a man that calls religious service members ‘spiritual rapists’ or ‘human monsters,’” said CH (COL) Ron Crews, USAR Retired, executive director of Chaplain Alliance. “To understand real religious freedom, the Air Force should speak with the men and women in the trenches, making the sacrifices for our country, and ministering to the families and survivors of those that pay the ultimate price for religious freedom.”
MRFF has a history of advocating against service members freely living and sharing their faith. Crews explained that this is plainly wrong, as wearing a uniform does not strip service members of their constitutionally protected freedom to exercise their religious beliefs.
“Saying that a service member cannot speak of his faith is like telling a service member he cannot talk about his spouse or children,” said Crews. “The Air Force cannot ban personnel from protected religious speech, and I certainly hope that it is willing to listen to the numerous individuals and groups that actually live out and protect military religious liberty, all without demonizing other service members.”
Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty is an organization of chaplain endorsers, the faith groups that provide chaplains for the U.S. military and other agencies needing chaplains. The endorsers in Chaplain Alliance speak for more than 2,600 chaplains serving the Armed Forces.
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