Teddy James
AFA Journal staff writer
January 2014 – Each military generation has a defining moment – that battle, that mission, that period of overcoming impossible obstacles – to emerge as a new generation of heroes. In the beginning of U.S. history, the Continental Army overcame the superior British forces. During the Civil War, men laid their lives on the field in Gettysburg. In World War II, soldiers survived harsh weather, poor rations and low morale during the Battle of the Bulge.
Today U.S. soldiers face a new battle. This battle is silent, happening in front of the eyes of the nation, but too few can see it. Those who fight and die for freedom are slowly having their religious freedom taken away from them. Should they heroically step out and speak up, they risk losing everything.
The soldier’s silent skirmish
Camp Shelby, Mississippi, is a training ground for many soldiers preparing for engagements across the globe. Soldiers enter the area prepared to endure tough training they know can save their lives and the other lives in their unit.
Fox News reporter Todd Starnes said that during training at Camp Shelby, First Army soldiers were taught about the most dangerous threats to America.
American Family Association was listed among domestic hate groups such as the Klu Klux Klan, Westboro Baptist Church and the Black Panthers. When challenged by evangelical soldiers and a chaplain about the validity of the claim against AFA, the trainer reportedly stated that support of any organization mentioned during the presentation could result in military discipline.
The news was only made public because one soldier decided to risk his livelihood and career by letting America know what soldiers are currently being taught. After a wave of backlash, the Army released a statement declaring that the training was an isolated incident and was not in line with military policy.
Trainers in Fort Hood, Texas, apparently didn’t get the memo on official policy. Trainers there were conducting a briefing similar to that in Camp Shelby. However, this time, the counterintelligence agent responsible for instruction spent 30 minutes teaching soldiers that evangelical Christians were “tearing the country apart.” But, according to this trainer, Christians were not the only threat. Political conservatives such as those belonging to the Tea Party also pose a national security threat.
Again, military representatives stated the trainer was out of line with official policy and that the military does not view Christians, conservatives or organizations that fall in line with similar worldviews as threats.
In both cases, Army representatives stated the information used in training was obtained by personal Internet searches of trainers. The Army said the sources trainers used, specifically the Southern Poverty Law Center, which originally labeled AFA and Family Research Council hate groups, were not vetted by official Army channels.
However, a Freedom of Information Act request from Judicial Watch secured a training manual from the Department of Defense and reported that the manual states it “provides information that describes sources of extremism information, definitions, recruitment and DOD personnel, common themes in extremist ideologies, common characteristics of extremist organizations, DOD policies and command functions regarding extremist activities.” Later on the same page, the manual lists approved sources for trainers to gain additional information about extremist organizations. Southern Poverty Law Center is listed as a trusted source.
Beyond listing SPLC, which is overtly hostile to Christian organizations, as a trusted source on extremists, the manual states that service members cannot participate in such organizations, raise funds for them, encourage others to support them, or attend public rallies organized by them. It later says, “Furthering the objectives of extremist organizations is viewed as detrimental to the good order, discipline or mission accomplishment of the unit and is, therefore, subject to appropriate disciplinary action.”
Chaplains’ concurrent conflict
Veteran Affairs-Department of Defense Pastoral Education Center program is a one-year program required for those wanting to minister vocationally to soldiers in VA hospitals. According to two Baptist chaplains, the San Diego, California, program would ask more than they could answer.
It started when their instructor, Nancy Dietsch, said the policy of VA is that chaplains should not pray in the name of Jesus. In a later discussion on faith, one of the chaplains quoted a portion of Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Dietsch told him he was not allowed to quote Scripture in class.
In the later stage of the class, Dietsch said, “There is no room in the program for those who believe they are right and everybody else is wrong.” She later came back to that idea, saying there are many ways to heaven. When one of the chaplains confronted her with Jesus’ statement in John 14:6 that He is “the way, the truth and the life,” she said, “If you believe your beliefs are right, and everyone else’s are wrong, you do not belong in this program.”
The anti-Christian attitude of the trainer eventually led to one chaplain leaving the program and another being dismissed.
It is human nature to desire to find the one person, one policy, one cause of any problem. But like so many things in life, religious persecution in the American military cannot truly be attributed to any one thing. The military is a reflection of a culture that has turned its back on the Judeo-Christian values it was built upon. That is why those vehemently opposed to Christianity can act so boldly. To remove a person or a policy from the equation would be akin to a person losing a limb in battle. The soldier feels the loss certainly, but he can continue to function with his other limbs picking up extra weight.
Does that mean all hope is lost? No. It just means that hope must be placed outside a man, a policy or even a culture. Our hope must be placed in the power of Jesus and the cultural change revival brings.
For generations, soldiers have carried the weight of America’s freedom to the battlefield, regardless of the personal cost to them. It is now time for citizens to carry the weight of soldiers’ spiritual needs to the altar. 
How to pray for our soldiers
▶ Salvation for lost soldiers and strength for believers to walk closely with God.
▶ Relationship issues. Deployments strain any relationship.
▶ Patience for soldiers and their families. It is frustrating when loved ones miss important events.
▶ In the military soldiers can find discipline, purpose and camaraderie. But military life can also include addiction and emotional pro-blems. Pray for the wisdom of soldiers and their leaders.
▶ Safety for soldiers and their families.Few things make a soldier feel more helpless than being disconnected from loved ones who need help.
____________________________________
AFA has partnered with several organizations to form the Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition. The coalition recently ran an ad on the website MilitaryTimes.com, a news source for military personnel across the globe. For more information or to get involved in fighting for soldiers’ religious freedoms, visit militaryfreedom.org.
