Freethought Today
Vol. 26 No. 4 - Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. -
May 2009
View the Table of Contents for this issue
It Pays to Complain
Complaint Ends Abuse, FFRF Dismisses Rio Case
A lawsuit filed last year by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, challenging a Wisconsin school for hosting events for the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) of Wisconsin, was dismissed on March 20, 2009, because the violation ceased. The school district in Rio, Wis., was not charging rent to the CEF, which describes itself as “a Bible-centered, worldwide organization composed of born-again believers whose purpose is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, disciple them in the Word of God and establish them in a Bible believing church for Christian living.”
The CEF has aggressively sought entrée into public schools. It has won a Supreme Court ruling in its favor (Good News Club v. Milford Central School, 533 U.S. 98, 2001), permitting it to rent elementary school classrooms for regular child evangelism events immediately after the school bell rings at the end of the day. However, the Wisconsin Constitution, which was amended in the 1970s at the behest of religious organizations to permit them to meet in schools, requires that “reasonable compensation” be paid by religious and community groups using public schools.
After fruitless negotiations with the obdurate Rio school district, the Foundation filed suit in April 2008 in state court in Dane County, Wis., against the Wisconsin Department of Instruction and the Rio School District. The elementary school not only permitted the club to meet for free, but also placed posters advertising its club and after-school treats, placed at child level by water coolers and lockers.
Following the filing of the Foundation lawsuit, the CEF stopped holding its monthly meetings in the schools.
The Foundation, with the help of its local complainants, will monitor the situation, and is prepared to return to court if the violation recurs.
FFRF Objects to Bible Transport to Iraq
The Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote the Armed Services Chaplains board in January, objecting to the military transportation of at least 40,000 bibles to troops in Iraq on behalf of Revival Fire Ministry, based in Missouri. The Foundation learned about the violation from a Missouri member, who read a news article reporting the transportation.
As of January, at least 20,000 bibles had already been delivered.
“The practice of free military transport of religious materials is an egregious and unacceptable violation of the separation of state and church,” wrote Rebecca Kratz, Foundation staff attorney.
She sought assurances that no taxpayer funds or equipment is used to deliver and distribute bibles to U.S. troops in Iran: “The U.S. military should not act as a conduit for Christian ministries.”
Kratz also requested a copy of any Department of Defense policies or guidelines which would allow privately donated religious materials to be shipped to U.S. troops using federally funded transport; verification on who authorized the shipment, who claimed them when the bibles arrived in Iraq and where the bibles went. Her letter sought figures on the costs to taxpayers to transport the bibles, and assurances that the military would seek reimbursement from Revival Fire Ministries.
“Furthermore, we take this opportunity to remind your office that while the U.S. military may provide chaplains to serve the religious needs of military personnel who wish to use them, no chaplain is authorized to proselytize soldiers or their families.”
She noted that it was her understanding that Lieutenant Bill K. Waite, Command Chaplain, wrote a letter of appreciation to Revival Fire Ministries, in which he spoke of the goal “to distribute bibles to every Marine, Sailor, Soldier, Airman or Coast Guardsman who is in harm’s way.” He further boasted that as “a result of these bibles being distributed and the power of the Word of God, I saw more than 60 combat-hardened men come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In fact, I had the privilege of baptizing them in the Tigris River on Easter Sunday.”
The response from the Department of Navy (pdf), more than three months after FFRF’s complaint is “wholly unsatisfactory,” said Foundation co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor.
“Not only does the Navy insist it may transport donated bibles, but it is even saying it may purchase them for distribution,” she noted. Nor did the Navy respond to any of Kratz’ specific requests for information. Stay tuned!
Military “Hunts People for Jesus”
Al-Jazeera TV released a chilling news story with TV footage in early May documenting how U.S. soldiers have been encouraged to spread the Christian faith in Muslim Afghanistan.
Military chaplains stationed at the U.S. air base in Bagram were filmed in possession of bibles printed in Pashto and Dari–Afghanistan’s primary languages. The TV story, by journalist James Bays, released a recorded sermon by Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hansley, chief of the U.S. military chaplains in Afghanistan, telling soldiers that as followers of Jesus Christ, they all have a responsibility to “be witnesses for him. The special forces guys–they hunt men basically. We do the same things as Christians; we hunt people for Jesus. We do, we hunt them down. Get the hound of heaven after them, so we get them into the kingdom. That’s what we do, that’s our business.”
The footage was shot about a year ago by Brian Hughes, a documentary maker and former member of the U.S. military. The U.S. military’s Central Command regulations expressly forbid “proselytizing of any religion, faith or practice.” The footage shows a chaplain suggesting that chaplains “get around” the prohibition by “giving gifts”–of bibles: “Share the word of God, but be smart about it.”
Watch the Al-Jazeera piece.
Sharlet Exposé in Harper’s
Journalist Jeff Sharlet’s 10-page investigative article, “Jesus Killed Mohammed: the Crusade for a Christian military,” is featured in the May Harper’s Magazine. Tune in the May 16 Freethought Radio to hear an interview with him on the subject.
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
The satisfactory response (pdf) is a reply to an April 21 complaint by Foundation staff attorney Rebecca Kratz, on behalf of Foundation members who found religious literature set out at a state rest area on the interstate near Portage, Wis., in the same area as maps, tourist attraction leaflets and similar information. “Project Restore” publications that appeared to be government handouts discussing “God’s Law,” placing a religious slant on American landmarks, were posted as if part of the state display with no disclaimers.
May 2009 Excerpts |
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News |
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