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“Earlier this week the Air Force announced the course called ‘Christian Just War Theory’ had been indefinitely suspended,” writes Michael Stone for the Humanist Examiner. ”The course had been part of the curriculum for future nuclear launch officers for more than 20 years.”
“Taught by chaplains at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the course used scripture from both the Old and New Testament to demonstrate that nuclear war can be a moral enterprise.
“The Air Force suspended the controversial course after the publication of an exclusive report by Truthout,” reports Stone. “Immediately following publication of the report, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation filed a complaint on behalf of Air Force missile launch officers claiming the course violates constitutional protections guaranteeing separation of church and state. Subsequent to the complaint, the course was suspended.”
“Of course the course wasn’t controversial until a tiny minority made it so,” notes Jay Tower of Christian Echoes. “However, they know in these politically correct times, the slightest complaint will silence Christians — even if it’s an optional course that’s been offered to our military for 20 years.”
The humanists are proclaiming the banning of the course a dramatic victory.
“Atheists, agnostics, freethinkers and others who value secular society and respect the Constitution’s demand for a separation of church and state were pleased with the decision,” writes Stone.
“Never mind that 224 million Americans — that’s 85 percent of the population — identify themselves as Christians, according to adherents.com,” writes Tower. “These activist groups know that Christians can be counted on to be intimidated. Christian Americans are generally complacent, tend to turn the other cheek — and have been conditioned to giving up their rights whenever a small but vocal minority begins shouting that they are offended.”
posted August 4, 2011 at 2:32 pm
No believer has a “right” over any believer of another faith. I presume that most Christians would be displeased if an optional course teaching Muslim holy war theory was offered, even though it would be nearly identical in aims to the Christian course referenced above. The first amendment is thoroughly blind to percentages of followers. In fact, it exists precisely so that the majority cannot unduly influence the minority.
Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Non-believers, etc. are well within their rights of course to promote their respective views on war. But the government must be thoroughly impartial.
posted August 5, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Truth Hurts, doesn’t it?
posted August 6, 2011 at 2:51 am
I’d be interested in hearing a Christian justification for nuclear war. How does that work?