After initially agreeing with FFRF that stocking Christian bibles in every U.S. Navy-operated hotel was wrong, the Navy backed off and returned the bibles during a review process.
FFRF sent a complaint letter March 12 to the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM). On June 19, NEXCOM issued a directive stating that the “Navy Lodge General Manager should advise the Installation Commanding Officer of our intention to work through the chaplain’s office to determine what installation policy is and the method to remove religious material currently in guest rooms.” The directive said the action “is to be completed by 1 September 2014.”
When the decision was made public, the ensuing outcry put the ban on hold. Navy spokesman Ryan Perry said in a written statement that NEXCOM made the decision “without consultation of senior Navy leadership,” adding, “That decision and our religious accommodation policies with regard to the placement of religious materials are under review.”
Perry said that during the review the bibles would be returned.
