home

Air Force Sued For Religious Intolerance

By TChris, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Fri Oct 07, 2005 at 08:32:19 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

by TChris

Contending that the Air Force Academy has encouraged evangelical Christians to impose their religious viewpoints on cadets in a coercive fashion, Academy graduate Mikey Weinstein filed suit against the Air Force yesterday to end the school’s tolerance of religious proselytizing.

Over the past decade or more, the suit claims, academy leaders have fostered an environment of religious intolerance at the Colorado school, in violation of the First Amendment.

Among the complaints:

[A] Jewish cadet was told the Holocaust was revenge for the death of Jesus and that another Jew was called a Christ killer by a fellow cadet. A banner in the football team's locker room read: "I am a Christian first and last ... I am a member of Team Jesus Christ."

Also, there have been complaints that cadets were pressured to attend chapel, that academy staffers put New Testament verses in government e-mail, and that cadets used the e-mail system to encourage others to see the Mel Gibson movie "The Passion of the Christ."

An Air Force review concluded that no overt religious discrimination occurred, but “a team from the Yale Divinity School issued a report last month saying it found lingering problems among the academy's chaplains.” TalkLeft background on the dispute can be found here, here, here, here and here.

< Dem. Report Advises Centrism Over Liberalism | Clemency Urged for Lovitt >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    Air Force Sued For Religious Intolerance | 6 comments (6 topical)
    Re: Air Force Sued For Religious Intolerance (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:45 PM EST
    I have to wonder where all of these fanatically religious cadets are coming from. Is there something in the selection process that favors them? On the other hand, if they're a minority, where is the leadership among the rest of these budding officers that would stiffen their backs and enlarge their cojones sufficiently to stand up and call out the witch-burners among them? Between this stuff and the widespread and well-founded charges of sexual misconduct, I'm not feeling optimistic about the future of the officer corps in the US military.

    Re: Air Force Sued For Religious Intolerance (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:46 PM EST
    I wonder if this will have mootness problems, since the plaintiff is a graduate. Though I can't imagine how tough it would be as an enrolled student to bring this suit--if that's how tactfully they treat their students when they're silent, I would expect there would be all manner of ill treatment against those who speak out.

    Re: Air Force Sued For Religious Intolerance (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:46 PM EST
    Jim - I think it illustrates the scary idea that there are a lot of religious zealots in this country. If you become aware that certain segments of the country and the government support your lifeview, you of course are going to congregate there. I think that explains why so many are in the academy.

    Re: Air Force Sued For Religious Intolerance (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:46 PM EST
    kmg: Only a mootness problem if they are not seeking monetary damages. If they are only seeking injunctive relief there is a mootness and standing issue. - k

    Re: Air Force Sued For Religious Intolerance (none / 0) (#5)
    by roger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:46 PM EST
    Admission to military academies are by congressional appointment. If I remember correctly, each congressperson can nominate two people. The increase in "born agains" would be a direct result of who congress is accepting.

    Re: Air Force Sued For Religious Intolerance (none / 0) (#6)
    by The Heretik on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:47 PM EST
    Long overdue.

    Air Force Sued For Religious Intolerance | 6 comments (6 topical)