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In the Navy -- Once again the Navy Chaplain Corps’ is showing its hostility toward evangelicals. The Navy is investigating a chaplain's allegations he was punished for theological disagreements with superior officers, including his objections to requiring sailors to participate in services at a church that accepts homosexuality

Joe is indulging in the cult of Christian victim-hood again. We already know that under pressure he "squeals like a little schoolgirl" as he has put it. However, must he and other Christians now add whining like petulant children to the sound mix too?

Christians should relax, You've beaten the evil homosexuals back from their quest for recognition of their inherent human dignity. You have banished evolution and the discussion of birth control methods other than abstinence from the classroom in large areas of the country. And you own the House, Senate and Executive branches of Government, with the Judicial soon to fall. And you have even made it politically incorrect to openly call religion-based prejudice toward others such as gays, atheists, less fanatical believers, etc. well, prejudice. Instead it is just "sticking up for for traditional values".

Meanwhile at the Air Force Academy in CO.-

Write-in remarks on religion prompted officials to conduct focus groups during the summer. The academy’s superintendent, Lt. Gen. John Rosa, told the school’s civilian oversight board last month that those yielded complaints of 55 instances of religious bias in the past five years, including proselytizing by Christians, use of Bible quotes in official e-mail and an ad promoting Jesus in the base newspaper, signed by 200 academy leaders.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-825950.php

As George Will points out,

Some Christians should practice the magnanimity of the strong rather than cultivate the grievances of the weak. But many Christians are joining today's scramble for the status of victims. There is much lamentation about various "assaults" on "people of faith." Christians are indeed experiencing some petty insults and indignities concerning things such as restrictions on school Christmas observances. But their persecution complex is unbecoming because it is unrealistic........

Religion is today banished from the public square? John Kennedy finished his first report to the nation on the Soviet missiles in Cuba with these words: "Thank you and good night." It would be a rash president who today did not conclude a major address by saying, as President Ronald Reagan began the custom of doing, something very like "God bless America."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/04/AR2005050402050.html/?nav=pq

And of course, although the Constitution says: "No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust."

It would be difficult to see how any politician could ever win office in the current climate of sanctimonious moralistic oneupmanship without loudly proclaiming a belief in God, if not Jesus Christ himself.

And as far as the prejudiced chaplain goes, does he think sailors will get gay cooties from having to sit next to them in a pew in church? Do you think it's even possible to go to a church in San Francisco without possibly sitting next to a gay or lesbian person? whom otherwise used to be known as a "fellow sinners"? What a Jackass. Besides, why were sailors being required to participate in a religious service in the first place?

Perhaps James Madison was right, that there shouldn't even be military chaplains in the first place.

So enough with the Christian whining already!

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Patrick,

I truly do try to respect your point of view but this constant whining about how homosexuals are treated like sub-humans is growing rather tiresome. It's like having our own Andrew Sullivan-clone in the comment section. Why does every issue have to revolve around sexual identity? You're gay, we get that. As an evangelical I view that just as I would other sexual sins. But no one is demeaning your "human dignity" by disagreeing with your lifestyle. And don't you have any opinions that have nothing to do with being a homosexual?

Also, you really should follow the links before you comment. The dispute is not between secularists and Christians but about a bias toward mainline and Catholic chaplains in the Navy.

Personally, I would have preferred that the chaplain be a bit less reactionary about the incident. But he was certainly being consistent with Navy policy. Sailors can't go to gay bars so wouldn't it be a bit hypocritical to have them showing up in pro-gay churches?

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Regarding IVCF's "emerging scholars network," you should know that Campus Crusade has a similar effort going called Academic Initiative.

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I truly do try to respect your point of view but this constant whining about how homosexuals are treated like sub-humans is growing rather tiresome. It's like having our own Andrew Sullivan-clone in the comment section. Why does every issue have to revolve around sexual identity? ...

In my post I referred to the elimination of:

A).the right to have an abortion.
B). The teaching of Creationism and the banishment of Evolution from classrooms.
C). Abstinence only programs.
D).The social conservative take over of most branches of government,
E). Intolerance toward Atheists, and other people of with different religious values.
F). And oh yes, gay and lesbian people.

Which must come as a shock seeing as it was in reference to a post of yours that specifically refers to homosexuality being part of the offending issue.

So to sum up:

1. Most of my post did not refer to homosexuality at all, but rather to the successful gains of Christian conservatives in politics and in social policy. (And the whining, of course)
2. A large part of my post was actually quoted text from George Will.

In light of the above, Joe, I put to you that I am not obsessed with homosexuality, but you are. You are the one picking it out, ignoring all the other issues I brought up. Including the important question of why sailors were being required to attend a particular Church service in the first place. I would think that we would be able to agree that this was a bad idea.

If Mumon or some of the other presumably heterosexual dissenters had posted what I wrote I doubt your reaction would have been quite the same, would it? You read my name attached to a post, and you automatically assigned a whole range of motivations and ideologies to me that may or may not be accurate. In other words, you stereotyped my writing. Now everybody does this of course, but in this case, I don't think I can quite live up to your expectations.

Look, even you have mentioned that Christians spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about such things as gay marriage instead of Christian divorce rates. It's a hot button, emotional issue for many people, but for Christians in particular. You might want to think about why that is so. Especially since apparently you are not immune to this tendency.

I will confess to a certain Coyote/Trickster-like delight in pressing those emotional buttons. It's just soooo easy...;-)

And as for the side issue regarding homosexuality that once again, YOU have brought up, namely:

Sailors can't go to gay bars so wouldn't it be a bit hypocritical to have them showing up in pro-gay churches?

Actually, yes they can, and they do. This was changed under the freedom of association reforms put through by Congress and the Pentagon during Clinton's second term. Gay bars are no longer officially forbidden. Granted, it may not be wise for them to visit, but by itself it is not a crime under the UCMJ.

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What would the Stag-Headed Fertility God do?

The reason no one refers to the non-Christian Left (or Right, for that matter) as the "Pagan Left" (or Right), is because they're not.

Heck, I haven't been to a Black Mass in ages, and when I did go it was pretty much just a Beltain and Samhain thing anyway.

This persecution complex (hat tips to George Will and Partick) that Evangelicals seem to have inherited from their Puritan forbearers never ceases to amaze. Being prevented from forcing your beliefs on others is not a form of oppression, and being refered to by the monikers you so greefully self-apply, "Christian" and "Religious", is not perjorative labeling.

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Yet another sad case of Christians being persecuted for their beliefs.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/07/church.politics.ap/index.html