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Pentagon Defends Unconstitutional Policy Against Soldiers Sharing Faith
Breitbart ^ | 3 May 2013 | Ken Klukowski

Posted on 05/03/2013 6:13:45 AM PDT by Freeport

Pentagon personnel responded to Breitbart News’ report about court-martialing service members who share their faith in the military, which the Pentagon confirmed on May 1, and the Air Force on May 2 separately confirmed a second time. Now the Pentagon claims the opposite. But these new statements instead only compound the problem, as the Pentagon’s new definitions for terms squarely contradict what the dictionary says those terms mean. All this has taken place as the first flag officer in the military has stepped forward to defy the unconstitutional policy.

In an official statement yesterday, Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a spokesman for the Pentagon’s Defense Press Office, responded to Breitbart News’ reports by saying, “Service members can share their faith (evangelize), but must not force unwanted, intrusive attempts to convert others of any faith to one’s beliefs (proselytization).”

Unfortunately for the Obama administration’s leaders in the Pentagon, those definitions are absurdly false, and only confirm a central concern in the earlier columns. These definitions of evangelizing and proselytizing are contradicted by (1) general dictionaries, (2) legal dictionaries, and (3) theological dictionaries. We have not located any dictionary that supports the Pentagon’s novel and unprecedented definitions for these well-known words.

Evidently it all depends on what the meaning of the word “is” is, which is a debate the country thought was resolved in 2000. Even so, when trying to say the press is wrong, don’t do it by inventing new definitions that anyone with a sixth-grade education and access to a dictionary can confirm are utterly false.

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: 666; dod; evangelize; mikeyweinstein; pentagonreligion; proselytization; religioustolerance; waronchristianity; waronchristians
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1 posted on 05/03/2013 6:13:45 AM PDT by Freeport
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To: Freeport
Welcome to the USSA, Comrades!

A new 6-minute YouTube video by yours truly and Mark P. Ferri, about the loss of freedom in America.


2 posted on 05/03/2013 6:15:39 AM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Travis McGee

Ping to watch latter......


3 posted on 05/03/2013 6:22:00 AM PDT by basil (basil --Second Amendment Sisters.org)
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To: Freeport

Turn about is fair play. As a Catholic my tax money should not go to any entity that persecute Christians.


4 posted on 05/03/2013 6:24:30 AM PDT by mardi59 (IMPEACH OBAMA NOW!!!!!)
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To: Freeport

Can one proselytize on the subjects of, say, the Dallas Cowboys, green coffee beans, Chevy Corvettes, and anything other than Christianity?


5 posted on 05/03/2013 6:24:42 AM PDT by mbarker12474 (If thine enemy offend thee, give his childe a drum.)
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To: xzins

They are trying to fill all the foxholes with sodomizing atheists. There shall be no believers in foxholes. That is the order from CentCom.

FWIW God has commanded all Christians to violate this rule.

Preach the Gospel Soldiers! Preach it!


6 posted on 05/03/2013 6:26:21 AM PDT by P-Marlowe (There can be no Victory without a fight and no battle without wounds.)
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To: Freeport
Can Obama as Commander in Chief be the first person prosecuted for sharing his religous faith?
7 posted on 05/03/2013 6:26:47 AM PDT by Freedom of Speech Wins
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To: Freeport

Definition of PROSELYTIZE
intransitive verb
1
: to induce someone to convert to one’s faith
2
: to recruit someone to join one’s party, institution, or cause
transitive verb
: to recruit or convert especially to a new faith, institution, or cause


I take it folks in here would have no problem whatsoever with muslim troops trying to convert Christian troops to islam?


8 posted on 05/03/2013 6:33:05 AM PDT by chessplayer
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To: chessplayer

I would have no problem with that. It is all part of existing under a Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech and religion.


9 posted on 05/03/2013 6:35:34 AM PDT by P-Marlowe (There can be no Victory without a fight and no battle without wounds.)
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To: chessplayer

Nope. Not at all. They should be free to try. They should also be free to accept the result of their effort.


10 posted on 05/03/2013 6:36:42 AM PDT by Norm Lenhart
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To: Freeport

I’ve always thought the rules were pretty straightforward, but the Pentagon is making a mess of it. As a Christian in the military, I could not discriminate against anyone based on their religion (to include treating atheists differently than fellow Christians), and I could not use my authority to force my subordinates to participate in religious activities. On the other hand, I could freely discuss my religious beliefs to anyone I wanted.

I think not being able to discriminate is pretty clear. As for using my authority to force participation in religious events, I could ask people to join me in prayer at official events so long as their participation (in the prayer) wasn’t mandatory, and the primary purpose of the event wasn’t religious in nature. I could even hold prayer meetings so long as participation was voluntary.

There’s a general rule against doing things that go against good order and discipline. I think one needs to be aware of that when bringing up religion in the military work environment, but I never heard it was against the rules to share my religion with anyone. I did have a case once where a commander told me I couldn’t read the Bible at work. I told him unless he was prepared to ban everyone from reading anything that wasn’t work related, I wouldn’t comply with a rule singling out the Bible as I thought that was an unlawful order.


11 posted on 05/03/2013 6:37:55 AM PDT by CitizenUSA (Why celebrate evil? Evil is easy. Good is the goal worth striving for.)
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To: Freeport

Another obvious policy designed to demoralize and destroy the military.

Can you imagine coming through a hellacious firefight in one piece and when you get back to camp and say “Thank God”, the “Political liason” has you arrested?


12 posted on 05/03/2013 6:39:21 AM PDT by Usagi_yo
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To: CitizenUSA
I’ve always thought the rules were pretty straightforward, but the Pentagon is making a mess of it.

If how the rule is being enforced isn't changing to intimate Christians into suppressing their beliefs, why did the Pentagon feel the need to bring the issue up?

13 posted on 05/03/2013 6:48:05 AM PDT by Kazan
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To: chessplayer
I take it folks in here would have no problem whatsoever with muslim troops trying to convert Christian troops to islam?

Sure so long as we end Muslim immigration.

14 posted on 05/03/2013 6:49:18 AM PDT by Kazan
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To: Freeport

Marker


15 posted on 05/03/2013 6:57:02 AM PDT by kinsman redeemer (The real enemy seeks to devour what is good.)
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To: Freeport

Damn, I’m glad I’m not on active-duty anymore....


16 posted on 05/03/2013 7:09:18 AM PDT by ScottinVA ( Liberal is to patriotism as Kermit Gosnell is to neonatal care.)
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To: Usagi_yo
Can you imagine coming through a hellacious firefight in one piece and when you get back to camp and say “Thank God”, the “Political liason” has you arrested?

Or, "God Bless you" to someone who sneezes.

17 posted on 05/03/2013 7:10:48 AM PDT by ScottinVA ( Liberal is to patriotism as Kermit Gosnell is to neonatal care.)
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To: basil
While you are over at YouTube, check this one we made out too:

"Democide: Socialism, Tyranny, Guns and Freedom"


18 posted on 05/03/2013 7:13:33 AM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Freeport

Time for God to push the Pentagon into the ground like He did to Jericho.


19 posted on 05/03/2013 7:28:00 AM PDT by DonkeyBonker (Hard to paddle against the flow of sewage coming out of the White House.)
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To: DonkeyBonker

Good News!

Shouldn’t this mean that Nidal Malik Hasanu shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ could be used to court martial him.

Since this has been declared a “work place” incident, it would seem to qualify.

I have no hope he will be convicted of anything more serious.


20 posted on 05/03/2013 7:46:26 AM PDT by Gadsden1st
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