Air Force Removes Chaplain From Post-Officer Decried Evangelicals' Influen

[Pirate Smile]

Air Force Removes Chaplain From Post
Officer Decried Evangelicals' Influence

By T.R. Reid
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 13, 2005; Page A04

DENVER, May 12 -- An Air Force chaplain who complained that evangelical Christians were trying to "subvert the system" by winning converts among cadets at the Air Force Academy was removed from administrative duties last week, just as the Pentagon began an in-depth study of alleged religious intolerance among cadets and commanders at the school.

"They fired me," said Capt. MeLinda Morton, a Lutheran minister who was removed as executive officer of the chaplain unit on May 4. "They said I should be angry about these outside groups who reported on the strident evangelicalism at the academy. The problem is, I agreed with those reports."

-snip-
One staff chaplain reportedly told newly arrived freshmen last summer that anyone not born again "will burn in the fires of hell."
Such slurs have been heard for decades on the campus, according to Mikey Weinstein of Albuquerque, a 1977 academy graduate who said he has repeatedly complained to the Air Force brass about the "religious pressure" on cadets. "This is not Christian versus Jew," Weinstein said. "This is the evangelical Christians against everybody else."

-snip-
"The evangelicals want to subvert the system," Morton said. "They have a very clear social and political agenda. The evangelical tone is pervasive at the academy, and it's aimed at converting these young people who are under intense pressure anyway."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/12/AR2005051201740.html

She agreed there was a problem so she is fired. Typical day in BushCo's America.

[xray s]

1. No one expects...

HE SPANISH INQUISITION!!!

[PartyPooper]

2. You're either "born again" or you're "to rot-in-hell garbage".

I've personally known these fanatical types. They're liars, cheaters, and hypocrites.

I want my country back!

O8)

[Pirate Smile]

4. I haven't had much personal interaction with this type until they rang

my doorbell in Law School. They asked about my faith and I said I was Catholic. They pushed and I said I was happy with what I was, goodbye. I was polite. They kept coming back and I had to get progressively ruder in response to their aggressiveness - essentially slamming the door in their face and not answering the door.

Growing up Catholic, surrounded by Catholics, these was just bizarre to me - starting off with approaching a complete stranger and quizzing them about their religion.

A month or two ago someone approached me in the parking lot of the grocery store as I was loading my stuff into the minivan. "Are you a believer?" My response, eloquent, of course - "huh?". He repeats, I say yes. He starts babbling. I just hurry to get out of there. He was a very, elderly man and I wasn't in the mood for a confrontation. I was actually rather stunned.

Aggressive? They are unbelievably aggressive.

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. They've lost their entire personalities to the MEME

[Hekate]

15. I never paid much attention to them until Bush

Liberals tend to be "live and let live" types, after all -- unless someone's getting hurt, and boy howdy are people getting hurt now! These extremist wingnuts have got to be stopped before they wreck our country.

When I was in college I got proselytized by the Jehovah's Witnesses every Sunday morning while I was trying to get ready for work. I finally learned to shut the door in their faces, but I figured it would be better karma if I added "Go in peace," and I say it to religious door-to-door "salesmen" to this day. That was my experience, and obviously not too bad. As it happens, JWs have a tradition of being non-political because they don't believe in earthly kingdoms -- they are often persecuted in repressive regimes for not rendering as much to the state as the state would prefer, like loyalty oaths. In our current circumstances, I think the JWs are probably harmless.

It was my husband who first pointed out to me the sincerity and persistance of the "you'll burn in hell" message. He's Jewish, and amiable, and says over his lifetime he's been befriended by many a fundie at work. Says they want to have lunch with him, and they want to talk about the Bible. This lasts right up until the point (days, weeks, months) they try to bring him over to their way of believing -- and shortly after that these friendly people inform him that now that he's been shown the "right way" and has rejected it, he can count on burning in hell for eternity. Ewww -- not nice.

Not a worldview I'm comfortable with giving a lot of secular power to. No way should they be running any branch of our military. There should be a big flashing warning sign up: "This way to the Christian jihad."

Hekate
Yeeehaw! Jiiiihad!

[Blue Gardener]

18. Pretending to be your friend

Just to try and convert you is just sick. I find it very hard to trust the friendly words of talibornagains. It's always in the back of their minds to try and convert you to their cult. I'm sure they sucker a lot of people that way, but I'm not falling for it.

[bobthedrummer]

3. Well I'd rather take my chances on burning in hell then being cluster

bombed by a RW zealot wearing a service uniform of the United States of America but thinking they are doing God's will.

[bobthedrummer]

6. Here's a strange religious USAF case, it's about Capt. Craig Button

who, on his first LIVE BOMB exercise broke formation over Arizona and headed to Colorado in his A-10 with 2,000 pounds of LIVE BOMBS over America.
http://www.rickross.com/reference/jw/jw1.html

[RamboLiberal]

11. Imagine a B-52 crew of fundies wtih nuclear bombs

The next Dr. Strangelove? Slim Pickens character is now a fundie who praises Jeezus as he rides the big one in to The Rapture.

[Maat]

5. Yep, I heard that she was fired, and the officer-in-charge,

who was/is a fundie, was promoted.

I grew with a few of these types around, but, apparently, in the old days, they weren't taken that seriously, and they especially weren't put in any position of power (at least not in Southern California).

Gosh, I hope Capt. Morton gets through this O.K.

[Mairead]

28. "I hope Capt. Morton gets through this O.K."

No hope. She's already totally screwed--try to find any other 48-y.o. Captains. She should be a Lt Col or Colonel at her time of life.

[IndianaGreen]

8. The chaplain is also a woman, which is a No-No to fundamentalists

who believe that women should never be in authority above men, or teach men. They love to quote the homophobic and mysoginist Paul of Tarsus when he told women to sit quietly in church and only ask questions from their husbands. What a wonderful religion!

What's next? Burn at the stake those Christians that do not roll on the aisles babbling incoherently, "speaking in tongues" they call it?

[0007]

19. Colorado Springs is ripe for a Jerry Boykin

[Fire Walk With Me]

9. 1. She was a woman. 2. She didn't exclude. Who needs three strikes?

Can't have all people and all philosophies equal in the world. Someone's gotta WIN to prove that they're right, and not actually terrified of being wrong, so strongly they'll hurt others in their pursuit of proof that they're right.

[Az_lefty]

10. I've been around these fundies too.

in the past they were pretty much ignored but today their running the show. Pretty scary bunch, combining ignorance with power.

[Singular73]

12. Im sorry, but born-agains are fucked in the head

We had these guys on campus at our uni...screaming "FORNICATORS" at random women passing by...I have never met a born-again that I've had any respect for.

[Zorra]

13. I am not a violent person, but IMO, these are bullies, and they need

to get their asses kicked.

[MaryBear]

14. This is very, very disturbing!

The idea of a US military with a religious ideology is bizarre, dangerous, and scary.

[magellan]

16. Remember Bush**'s crusade

And now we have Koran-burnings in Gitmo and cadets steeped in the evangelical gospel. What better to fight Islamic militants than Christian militants?

Now raise your hand if you believed BushCo when they insisted this was not a religious war.

[leftchick]

17. Buy this month's Harper's if you can...

I just read it month and It will be available online when June's issue comes out. It addressed this topic of the Evangelicals and the AFA with interviews with Pastor Ted (pres. of American Evangelical Assoc.) who, it just so happens, calls and chats with the chimp** every Monday morning.

It is indeed VERY scary shit....



http://www.harpers.org/MostRecentCover.html

[MountainLaurel]

29. You've got it

As a DUer posted a couple weeks ago when this story broke: "Religious fanatics flying planes: where have I heard that one before?"

We should be really, really scared about people this fucked up holding the key to nuclear annihilation and a military, theocratic takeover.

[Pirate Smile]

20. kick

[DeepModem Mom]

21. kick

[Moderator]

22. kick

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

23. Air Force Academy Removes Chaplain After Officer's Criticism (!!!!)

Denver — An Air Force chaplain who complained that evangelical Christians were trying to “subvert the system” by winning converts among cadets at the Air Force Academy was removed from administrative duties last week, just as the Pentagon began an in-depth study of alleged religious intolerance among cadets and commanders at the school.

“They fired me,” said Capt. MeLinda Morton, a Lutheran minister who was removed as executive officer of the chaplain unit on May 4. “They said I should be angry about these outside groups who reported on the strident evangelicalism at the academy. The problem is, I agreed with those reports.”

“The choice of a new executive officer was a standard transition,” said Lt. Col. Laurent Fox, an academy spokesman. “The situation is, both the commanding officer (of the chaplain unit) and the executive officer are scheduled to leave this post in a couple of months. It was decided to replace the executive officer now for reasons of continuity.”

<snip>

Morton, who was executive officer of the squadron of 16 chaplains at the academy, said she shared the concerns expressed by the study group from Yale. “The evangelicals want to subvert the system,” Morton said. “They have a very clear social and political agenda. The evangelical tone is pervasive at the academy, and it's aimed at converting these young people who are under intense pressure anyway.”

more: http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=A403FE51-0B08-4913-AA83-6CA211630520

[Media_Lies_Daily]

24. Brave lady....and she paid the price for voicing her opinion.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

25. Welcome to the United Theocracy of America...

Toe the line, chappie!

[leftchick]

26. She is being sent to Iraq

according to her on CNN yesterday. :(

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

27. Thanks, Mods! I missed this somehow!

:toast:

[Auntie Bush]

30. They are indoctrinating the Military to become Evangelical Christians

so when we have Civil War II then they will not only be in the south..but think like a Southerner. That's another reason to have bases in the south. They will be surrounded by Fundamentalists and separated from hearing any secular or Left leaning opinion...in their own little bubble so to speak. This whole thing is getting really scary!
I see evil planning behind this. :scared:

[jaxx]

31. They should fire all the top dogs who go along with this

The academy's No. 2 officer, Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida, is a self-described born-again Christian, and critics say he frequently mixes religion with his official duties.

In an e-mail in May 2003 he urged cadets to "ask the Lord to give us the wisdom to discover the right. ... The Lord is in control. He has a plan for ... every one of us." Later he issued a memo stating that cadets are accountable first to their God.

Academy spokesman Johnny Whitaker said Weida now runs his messages by several other commanders before sending them. Weida did not immediately respond to a request for an interview Tuesday. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0504-10.htm

Why is it the whistleblower always gets the ax, while the perps squeeze by and continue on their merry way? It's fundamentally fucked up.