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MRRF Complains About Army Chaplains’ Prayer Videos on Facebook; Claims They Amount to “Illicit Proselytizing” of Christianity
Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRRF) complained that the prayer videos comprised of “illicit proselytizing” of Christianity. After this, military chaplain videos that offer prayer during the COVID-19 pandemic have been removed from Facebook.
According to Fox News, MRFF founder and president Mikey Weinstein sent a demand letter. In it, he claims that the videos violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Consequently, this led to the removal of recent videos involving chaplains Cpt. Amy Smith and Maj. Scott Ingram. The Army's 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade at Fort Drum, N.Y. posted the said videos on their Facebook page.
“These videos belong only on a chapel page, not on a base’s or unit’s main page,” MRFF's Chris Rodda wrote. The group “has been seeing an uptick in a particular type of complaint, Rodda added. He described them as “overt proselyting videos on official military Facebook pages.”
Prayer Videos: Proselytizing or A Form of Expression?
https://twitter.com/JudiBUSA/status/1253768658842763264
One of the videos had Smith discussing the Fort Drum Spiritual Fitness Trail. “You are invited to pray, to pray for the family, to pray for the sick, and to pray for our leaders.”
“God encourages us not to be dismayed by what we see around us, things we cannot control,” Ingram said. “We can, however, with the best intel in this moment, place our trust in him, walk forward in his strength, and treat others with kindness.”
Also, according to MRFF, the army division removed the videos a few hours after they sent the demand letter.
“I personally spoke on the phone this morning to the senior leadership staff of [Maj. Gen.] Brian Mennes, the 10th’s Commanding General, as well as subordinate senior staff of [Col.] Matt Bresko, the Commander of the 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade,” Weinstein also said in a statement.
“These senior Fort Drum staffers were professional and courteous and seemed to understand well the position of MRFF in advocating for our active duty Army clients under their command.”
His group had “to make these obviously valid demands to ensure church-state separation,” according to Weinstein. He then said the move was made on behalf of personnel who are afraid to bring these issues up. More specifically, they did it “on behalf of aggrieved Army personnel who justly fear reprisal, retribution, revenge, and retaliation for taking their grievances up the chain of command.”
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6 Comments
MRRF did this because they are a terrorist outfit allowed to function in this country. They don’t protect anything but their own agenda: To destroy America.
Kay… you are 100% correct. This groups name is so misleading… they want the Military Free From (all) Religious expressions and practises but only have the balls to attack repeatedly the turn the other cheek Christians in the military.
Kay, I agree!
There goes freedom of speech, again…you don’t HAVE to read it, just ignore it like I do the fake news about Trump.
Screw them and their separation of Church and State the problem with this Country AND World is God is shut out of everything. If they want to pray let them. Oh yeah I forgot only Muslims are allow to pray if you are Cristian then you can’t. Fuck them for even saying anything about the prayer.
As a Veteran and a past college instructor I have to side with the chaplains here. There is NO separation of church and state in the US Constitution. It states very clearly that Congress shall make NO law regarding religion. Full Stop. That means that it cannot make any law either for OR against religion of the free exercise thereof which these chaplains are doing. NO ONE is FORCING anyone to watch the videos OR requiring them NOT to watch them with the sole exception of these God hating imbeciles. The base commander should have told these idiots to go pound sand preferably in an islamic country where they have ample supplies of sand for pounding. I did not nor will I ever capitalize islam as it is NOT a religion but is instead a sociological and political ideology based on oppression, hatred and the desire to totally control all in it’s thrall. There is NO religion on earth that professes to desire the death of everyone that refuses to believe it’s tenets. NOT ONE!!! These people and their mirror reflection the freedom from religion foundation both need to be disbanded and declared hate groups. Not wanting or wanting to believe in God is a personal choice and should never be forced on another as these folk desire to do which makes me wonder just where their funding comes from. Someone might want to look into that aspect of these folks. The results of the investigation just might be an eye opener!! Also while the U S Military may be under the auspices of the government they are not THE government nor are they Congress and therefore have no such mandate as to religious freedom that constrains the Congress and are then free to do as they like regarding the promotion or lack thereof of religion but I would caution that that also places a burden of being evenhanded with that power so as not to give the impression of being overbearing going either way to an extreme which this commander has just done.