June 6, 2018 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Phil Wright at pwright@chaplainalliance.orgor (612) 250-2072, or Craig Muehler at (314) 996-1346
Chaplains support Supreme Court decision on religious liberty
WASHINGTON— Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty is encouraged by Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission case. Cake artist Jack Phillips serves everyone who comes to his shop; however, he declined to design a custom wedding cake celebrating an event that he believed went against the teachings of his Christian faith. He was sued and lost his case at each level until the Supreme Court issued its ruling.
“Jack’s constitutionally guaranteed freedom to exercise his faith in how he runs his business was maligned and denied. It is essential to know that the words of the U.S. Constitution concerning faith and its expression in the public square are not just hollow words on paper but have meaning and application,” said Chaplain (COL) Phil Wright, USA retired, executive director of Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.
“Although the Supreme Court didn’t decide every aspect of Jack’s case, it is reassuring to know that seven of the justices recognized the outright hostility toward religion displayed by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission in its decision against Jack and corrected that injustice,” Wright added. “This decision gives hope to all who have sincerely held religious beliefs and use those beliefs to guide every aspect of their lives including in their workplace.”
As an example within the military, Wright cited the recent religious liberty decision in the case of Col. Leland Bohannon, where the Secretary of the Air Force overturned a complaint against him for a decision Bohannon made because of his faith. In that case, the investigator was hostile to Bohannon’s sincerely held faith.
Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty is an organization of chaplain endorsers, the religious faith groups that provide chaplains for the U.S. military, and other agencies needing chaplains. The endorsers in the Chaplain Alliance collectively endorse more than two-thirds of the 5,500 military chaplains serving in the Armed Forces.
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