Post by lovelace on Feb 13, 2006 16:24:01 GMT -5
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Newly Revised Air Force Religious Guidelines Get Mixed Reviews
The revised guidelines would affect a couple of swirling issues that have becoming increasingly controversial during the past year, including allegations that Air Force officers harass and proselytize non-Christian cadets.
Friday, Feb. 10, 2006 Posted: 8:48:21AM EST
Newly revised Air Force guidelines on religious freedom released Thursday are getting mixed reviews.
While some say the guidelines – which are not yet final and open to additional input – are constitutional and appropriate for guaranteeing religious freedom in the Air Force for all, others are not satisfied and say various matters have not been resolved.
The revised guidelines would affect a couple of swirling issues that have becoming increasingly controversial during the past year, including allegations that Air Force officers harass and proselytize non-Christian cadets, and claims that the freedom to end prayers in Jesus’ name are being curtailed.
The guidelines address "superior/subordinate relationships," stating that "superiors need to be sensitive to the potential that personal expressions may appear to be official, or have undue influence on their subordinates."
Focus on the Family, an evangelical ministry with numerous radio and other media outlets, had called on its supporters to urge the president to repeal the previous guidelines released in August. Now, “we applaud the guidelines,” the ministry stated yesterday.
"The guidelines appropriately caution superiors against making comments that could appear to subordinates to be official policy. With that in mind, they properly state that 'superiors enjoy the same free exercise rights as all other airmen,’” said Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy for Focus.
The guidelines also address the prayer issue, which had prompted the Washington-based American Center for Law and Justice to collect over 200,000 signatures through a petition campaign asking President Bush to issue an executive order affirming military chaplains’ right to pray according to their faith.
The new guidelines state that the Air Force “will respect the rights of chaplains to adhere to the tenets of their religious faiths and they will not be required to participate in religious activities, including public prayer, inconsistent with their faiths."
"This is an important move by the Air Force to protect the free speech rights of chaplains to pray according to their faith," said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. "We are delighted that the Air Force has clarified this issue and has moved to protect the rights of chaplains in a manner that is both appropriate and constitutional.
While agreeing that there had been some improvements, some say other issues remained unresolved, especially in the freedom to pray.
Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), who had led a drive together with 70 other Congressional representatives, called the new guidelines an improvement but said more needed to be done.
“The problems are still primarily in the area of freedom to pray. We’re not going to let this go until chaplains’ First Amendment rights are upheld,” he said, according to Stars and Stripes, a Department of Defense publication which is editorially independent.
The Rev. Billy Baugham, executive director of the International Conference of Evangelical Chaplain Endorsers, said that the wording of the guidelines was clearer but did not address the prayer issue.
“The only thing favorable about this version is that it’s shorter,” he said according to Stars and Stripes. “This simply does not come to grips with the issue.
“The Air Force has a mind-set that because my chaplains pray in the name of Christ that it constitutes recruiting. But that’s nonsense. That is how we believe we must pray,” he added.>
Jason Davis
jason@christianpost.com
Newly Revised Air Force Religious Guidelines Get Mixed Reviews
The revised guidelines would affect a couple of swirling issues that have becoming increasingly controversial during the past year, including allegations that Air Force officers harass and proselytize non-Christian cadets.
Friday, Feb. 10, 2006 Posted: 8:48:21AM EST
Newly revised Air Force guidelines on religious freedom released Thursday are getting mixed reviews.
While some say the guidelines – which are not yet final and open to additional input – are constitutional and appropriate for guaranteeing religious freedom in the Air Force for all, others are not satisfied and say various matters have not been resolved.
The revised guidelines would affect a couple of swirling issues that have becoming increasingly controversial during the past year, including allegations that Air Force officers harass and proselytize non-Christian cadets, and claims that the freedom to end prayers in Jesus’ name are being curtailed.
The guidelines address "superior/subordinate relationships," stating that "superiors need to be sensitive to the potential that personal expressions may appear to be official, or have undue influence on their subordinates."
Focus on the Family, an evangelical ministry with numerous radio and other media outlets, had called on its supporters to urge the president to repeal the previous guidelines released in August. Now, “we applaud the guidelines,” the ministry stated yesterday.
"The guidelines appropriately caution superiors against making comments that could appear to subordinates to be official policy. With that in mind, they properly state that 'superiors enjoy the same free exercise rights as all other airmen,’” said Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy for Focus.
The guidelines also address the prayer issue, which had prompted the Washington-based American Center for Law and Justice to collect over 200,000 signatures through a petition campaign asking President Bush to issue an executive order affirming military chaplains’ right to pray according to their faith.
The new guidelines state that the Air Force “will respect the rights of chaplains to adhere to the tenets of their religious faiths and they will not be required to participate in religious activities, including public prayer, inconsistent with their faiths."
"This is an important move by the Air Force to protect the free speech rights of chaplains to pray according to their faith," said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. "We are delighted that the Air Force has clarified this issue and has moved to protect the rights of chaplains in a manner that is both appropriate and constitutional.
While agreeing that there had been some improvements, some say other issues remained unresolved, especially in the freedom to pray.
Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), who had led a drive together with 70 other Congressional representatives, called the new guidelines an improvement but said more needed to be done.
“The problems are still primarily in the area of freedom to pray. We’re not going to let this go until chaplains’ First Amendment rights are upheld,” he said, according to Stars and Stripes, a Department of Defense publication which is editorially independent.
The Rev. Billy Baugham, executive director of the International Conference of Evangelical Chaplain Endorsers, said that the wording of the guidelines was clearer but did not address the prayer issue.
“The only thing favorable about this version is that it’s shorter,” he said according to Stars and Stripes. “This simply does not come to grips with the issue.
“The Air Force has a mind-set that because my chaplains pray in the name of Christ that it constitutes recruiting. But that’s nonsense. That is how we believe we must pray,” he added.>
Jason Davis
jason@christianpost.com
