The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), founded in 2005, a group that fights against proselytizing in the military, made possibly the most offensive statement against the U.S. military in recent history, asserting that the “optics” of Air Force Academy football players praying before games could be used for propaganda by ISIS.
MRFF founder and president Mikey Weinstein, who has attacked Christians proselytizing in the military for years, mouthed off:
This end zone praying is just another territorial conquest of the religious Christian right. This stands in a long line of conservative Christian acts like this. It’s a disgrace. It’s a putrid example of fundamentalist Christian supremacy, triumphalism and exceptionalism and it has to stop. Those individuals that are dressed in the Air Force uniform; that’s their uniform of the day. They’re members of the military and they are under different rules than the civilian counterparts they’re playing on the field.
The foundation launched its latest objection after the Falcons prayed following their victory over New Mexico on November 28.
Air Force Academy spokesman Meade Warthen emailed the Air Force Times, “The Air Force Academy Inspector General opened a third-party complaint and referred the issue to the athletic department for an informal inquiry. Friday morning we received an opposing viewpoint requesting cadets continue to be afforded the right to pray. Thus, we are being prudent and deliberate in our review of this issue. The Air Force is dedicated to maintaining an environment in which people can realize their highest potential regardless of personal religious or other beliefs.”
The Falcons refused to capitulate, praying again before their Dec. 5 loss to San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference Championship Game.
Weinstein huffed, “Allowing the Air Force Academy to investigate itself — this is simply the fox investigating the henhouse. We expect that we’ll get nothing positive out of this and we’ll continue to take a look at whether our clients could possibly get ‘John’ and ‘Jane Doe’ protections to go into federal court to seek an injunction.”
Weinstein is the same guy who protested after Nidal Hassan shot up Fort Hood:
But the shootings at Fort Hood should be an important wake up call to the continuing religious intolerance that has been allowed to blatantly and systemically manifest in our nation’s armed forces. Too often, honorable men and women who have joined our military are comprehensively denigrated and made to feel worthless because, although they wear the same uniform, they do not pray in the “approved” church or to the “correct” God or to no God at all.
Weinstein also has referred to some Christian members of the Air Force as the “Christian Taliban” in his writings. A letter he wrote to General Mark A. Welsh III, Chief of Staff, United States Air Force, was titled, “Propaganda Bonanza For ISIS: Air Force General Defies Law By Witnessing for Jesus in Full Uniform on Worldwide TV and Internet.”
“Propaganda Bonanza For ISIS: Air Force General Defies Law By Witnessing for Jesus in Full Uniform on Worldwide TV and Internet.”
Title of article from The Military Religious Freedom Foundation
Weinstein cannot distinguish between Christians brandishing a book to convert others to worshiping God and those who wish to slaughter others in the name of their god. If anything can be described as “putrid,” its Weinstein’s attempts to malign a peaceful religion and whitewash fanatics who wish to end Western civilization.