Expert: Falsehoods fuel debate about the role of faith in the military

By Tom Roeder, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colorado), May 11, 2006

A perceived war on Christians in America is a myth driven by politics, a top official from the American Civil Liberties Union told cadets and professors at the Air Force Academy on Thursday.

Addressing an issue that has generated controversy at the academy, including allegations of discrimination against non-Christians, Jeremy Gunn said many falsehoods are fueling a pro-Christian backlash.

"A lot of this is sincerely believed, but it is self-intoxicating rhetoric," said Gunn, director of the ACLU's program on religious freedom.

A lawsuit against the Air Force based on the alleged academy discrimination has elicited legal arguments from religious groups, including the National Association of Evangelicals in Colorado Springs, that regulation of religious speech in the military tramples the rights of the faithful.

Gunn said instead that religion has never enjoyed a time of greater freedom and public discussion in America.

"If you don't see it, it's because you're too close to it," he said.

Gunn sounded themes that echoed those of the plaintiff in the religion lawsuit against the Air Force, academy graduate Mikey Weinstein, saying that religion is fine, but government support of religion is troublesome if not illegal.

Gunn said evangelicals, rather than seeking freedom to practice their faith, are seeking a government endorsement of their practices, including proselytizing.

"The question is what role should the government play in supporting, promoting and endorsing religion," he said.

In February, the Air Force issued new guidelines for religious speech in the service, aimed at balancing the rights of those who profess no faith against those of evangelicals who see it as their religious duties to share their faith.

Evangelical groups have applauded the new rules, while some civil rights groups called them an endorsement of proselytizing. The ACLU has taken no official stance.

The Air Force's chief chaplain, Maj. Gen. Charles C. Baldwin, said earlier this year that the rules limit chaplains to evangelizing only those who seek their counsel.

Gunn challenged the role of chaplains in the military, saying that they need to balance their faith against the needs of the service.

Those who put evangelism first, he said, "need to find another career."

Col. James Cook, a philosophy professor who invited Gunn to speak at the academy, said the ongoing debate over the role of faith in the military has driven the school to seek out a variety of opinions to address the issue. He said Gunn's speech will help show that the academy isn't taking sides.

"One of the ways it helps is showing that we are open," Cook said.

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