Religious Right-Wing Group Infiltrates the Pentagon

[marmar]

via AlterNet:



Religious Right-Wing Group Infiltrates the Pentagon

Posted by Douglas MacKinnon, Huffington Post at 5:19 PM on July 29, 2008.

"When the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call labels your latest novel "a Christian Jihad," angry emails are sure to follow."




When the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call labels your latest novel "a Christian Jihad," angry emails are sure to follow.

My new novel entitled, The Apocalypse Directive, is out this week. Unfortunately, long before the book came out, I started to get emails from self-proclaimed Evangelicals who had seen the cover or a description of the book online, and based solely on that, decided to condemn me to the fires of Hell. Once the two-page Roll Call article came out, the hate emails increased in volume and creativity.

In a previous career, I spent three years working in a Joint Command at the Pentagon. I had gone there after a stint at the White House. About two years ago, two former colleagues of mine from the Pentagon called to warn me about a "right-wing Christian organization that was operating out of the Pentagon." Both of the people who called me would describe themselves as "conservative Christians." Knowing that, if this group scared these two individuals, then I felt a little more research was in order.

While doing some digging, I found out that The Washington Post had done two major editorials on this "right-wing Christian organization." The first editorial, entitled, "Questionable Mission," said in part:

"THERE ARE over 25,000 Department of Defense leaders working in the rings and corridors of the Pentagon. Through Bible study, discipleship, prayer breakfasts, and outreach events, Christian Embassy is mustering these men and women into an intentional relationship with Jesus Christ," a narrator explains toward the start of a promotional video for Christian Embassy, an offshoot of Campus Crusade for Christ that focuses on diplomats, government leaders and military officers. As a uniformed Air Force Maj. Gen. explains, "I found a wonderful opportunity as a director on the joint staff, as I meet the people that come into my directorate, and I tell them right up front ... my first priority is my faith in God, then my family and then country. I share my faith because it describes who I am."

Free exercise of religion doesn't stop at the entrance to the Pentagon or other government buildings, but when those in senior positions are moved to share their religious views with colleagues and subordinates, the tension between the twin constitutional guarantees -- the mandate of free exercise of and the prohibition against government establishment of religion -- comes into play. The Christian Embassy video suggests that such sensitivity has not always been present. With its extensive, inside-the-Pentagon footage and interviews with senior officials and high-ranking officers in uniform, the video conveys a sense that the group's mission has been endorsed by the Pentagon ... the video has been removed from Christian Embassy's Web site and the Pentagon is reviewing the matter. It would be wise to consider not only whether the video and the Christian Embassy's other activities comply with the letter of Pentagon rules but also with the spirit of the Constitution its personnel are sworn to protect. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/93205/religious_right-wing_group_infiltrates_the_pentagon/

[valerief]

1. We're gonna be praying to Branson every three hours in a few years.

Just you wait and see. Only we won't need prayer mats. They'll let us carry around folding chairs.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. The prospect of martial law alone is bad enough.

The prospect of martial law coordinated by Christians with guns is downright terrifying.