Mikey Weinstein: Enlisting Christ: Not on my Watch
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Thu, 07/05/2007 - 10:26am.
A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Mikey Weinstein


It is with profound sadness that I approach this Fourth of July. Coming from
a long line of veterans and speaking as an Honor Graduate from the U.S. Air
Force Academy, my decision to challenge our nation's armed forces has been a
painful one.

Through my children, three of whom are U.S. Air Force Academy graduates,
along with thousands of other military personnel and chaplains, I have
learned firsthand of aggressive internal efforts to evangelize our fighting
men and women into a narrow branch of Christianity that claims salvation
only for the "born-again" few. Having once sworn to defend and protect our
constitution, I had no choice but to found the Military Religious Freedom
Foundation and mount a full-frontal legal attack against these forces of
intolerance waging war on our foundational freedoms.

In the hierarchical subculture of the military, when your immediate superior
tells you to fall in line for Christ or face the consequences, responding
with "get out of my face, sir or ma'am" is simply not an option. Imagine
then how a young soldier might respond to a multiple-star general ordering
his staff to create a PowerPoint presentation showing a direct parallel
between the Book of Revelation and our movements in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or
a four-star general distributing a flyer "urging" attendance at a religious
class at a church outside the base, entitled "Jesus Versus Mohammad: an
examination of the life of both prophets and why Jesus is superior to all."

Soldiers and chaplains contact me from the frontlines on a daily basis
telling of troops who refuse to be evangelized and are then sent to combat
zones with higher concentrations of insurrectionists, jihadists, and IEDs.
Many battle staff meetings conducted by commanders begin with evangelical
prayers. When a captain confronted his full colonel about one such
exclusionary prayer, the colonel grabbed his uniform and said, "Captain, you
better get this down right now, boy! We're here to spread American democracy
and the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ!" Rather than exceptions, these seem
to be the rule.

Today, 12 percent of Americans are Dominionists. This subset of Christianity
is dedicated to enforcing a literalist reading of the Bible, and is our own
home-grown band of religious fundamentalists. For decades, they have sought
to influence government officials, institutions, and policy, with the stated
goal of returning our nation, and the world, to Christ. Over the past 6
years with George W. Bush in office, they have made significant inroads into
the upper echelons of the Pentagon and rank-and-file, fueling the
crusader-like mentality that lies behind the debacle we face in Iraq and
beyond.

On every one of the 737 U.S. military installations in 132 countries across
the globe, there is now an "Officers Christian Fellowship" for officers, and
a "Christian Military Fellowship" for the enlisted, the goal of both being
to "Carry the gospel through the medium of ordinary relationships among the
entire military community: all services, all ranks, all Christian
traditions, and all searchers. There are other well-funded groups such the
Military Ministry, a division of Campus Crusades for Christ, that
specifically targets basic training installations to convert vulnerable new
recruits, and Cadence Ministries, whose "Strategic Ministry" includes
preying on those facing the possibility of "deployment and deadly combat"
because "shaken people are usually more ready to hear about God than those
who are at ease, making them more responsive to the gospel."

America now has a radicalized version of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that
revels in the imminence of End Times, engaging "the machinery of the state,"
which includes weapons of mass destruction. The goals of Dominionist
Christians run counter to everything for which our nation stands. Their
vision of a spiritually transformed U.S. military, with Ambassadors for
Christ in uniform, "empowered by the Holy Spirit," is not one wit the
religious freedom our founding fathers intended.

The First Amendment is under attack and if the wall separating church and
state crumbles, nothing else will matter. It won't matter how the Dallas
Cowboys do or if Intelligent Design is taught in Kansas. Nothing will matter
if we lose the U.S. military to this toxic brand of fundamentalism. On this
July 4th, instead of fireworks, I'll be hearing Sinclair Lewis' words
thundering in my head, "Let me tell you something. I've seen fascism up
close and personal. . . . Not if, but when, it comes to America, fascism
will be wrapped in the American flag carrying a cross."

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION


Michael L. "Mikey" Weinstein is founder and president of the Military
Religious Freedom Foundation. He was formerly Assistant General Counsel in
the Reagan White House and later served as General Counsel for H. Ross Perot
and Perot Systems Corporation. For 10 years, he was a Judge Advocate General
in the U.S. Air Force.