Airmen say Air Force is punishing Christians who oppose homosexuality

[Wolseley]

Well, well, well; what a surprise.

Evangelical Christian airmen at Lackland Air Force Base are facing severe threats and retribution for their religious beliefs and some personnel have been ordered to publicly express their position on gay marriage.

“There is an atmosphere of intimidation at Lackland Air Force Base,” said Steve Branson, the pastor of Village Parkway Baptist Church in San Antonio. “Gay commanders and officers are pushing their agenda on the airmen. There is a culture of fear in the military and it’s gone to a new level with the issue of homosexuality.....Gay and lesbian airmen can talk about their lifestyle, but the rest have to stay completely quiet about what they believe.”

One airman was told that even thinking that homosexuality is a sin is discriminatory.

A colonel told the pastor that officers are being ordered to publicly affirm and promote homosexuality.

“The colonel told me he hasn’t been asked to do so, but if it did, he would refuse the order,” the pastor said.

Gen. Jerry Boykin (ret.) told me he’s not surprised to hear about the assault on religious liberty within the Armed Forces.

“It reinforces what we’ve been saying,” Boykin told me. “There is an orchestrated attack on Christians in the military and at this stage the Air Force is the worst.”

Pastor Branson told me he fears there may soon be a mass exodus of Christians from the military. “The consensus at our meeting was that if things don’t change, good men will be leaving the military,” he said. “It will be a tragedy for our country and our military.”

Airmen say Air Force is punishing evangelical Christians | Fox News

I said way back at the start of this whole thing that it would lead to people leaving the military, and I was mocked and laughed at.

Of course, for Our Many Detractors, this story will be easily and airily dismissed, and I can practically quote verbatim what will be said: "Todd Starnes is a well-known liar and a homophobic bigot, and there is no proof to anything in this story--it's all second-hand hearsay."

 

[IanCG]

Funny, when I was at Lackland 9 years ago for basic, I was given the choice of going to Church or washing the barracks under the direct supervision of a MTI. I find it hard to believe the trend of discrimination reversed so quickly.

Also, your story has no first hand accounts of discrimination, just "someone told me, trust me I'm a pastor" and Boykin, a lunatic. I would address the content of their arguments instead of the individuals making the argument if their argument consisted of anything but "trust me, it's happening."

 

[Supreme]

If it is happening, then it needs to be addressed as it's a very serious issue- Christian Airmen should be able to view their opinions just as freely as gay airmen. I do doubt that it is happening, however, and am quite sceptical on the story...

 

[Autumnleaf]

If it is happening, then it needs to be addressed as it's a very serious issue- Christian Airmen should be able to view their opinions just as freely as gay airmen. I do doubt that it is happening, however, and am quite sceptical on the story...

CNNABCCIAFBI don't seem to be reporting such stories. Wonder why.

Airman won’t support same-sex marriage, punished by commandrix | Fr. Z's Blog

There is bias. Its part of a trend where sin is made legally and socially acceptable. First it was tolerance and now they are going for acceptance and support of.

Its not gay people pushing this either. The money is coming from the same bozos getting rich for the interest on the world's mortgage. They're playing the divide and conquer method of dividing society so it can't stand together to pick off the leeches stuck to our wallets.

 

[Supreme]

CNNABCCIAFBI don't seem to be reporting such stories. Wonder why.

Airman won’t support same-sex marriage, punished by commandrix | Fr. Z's Blog

There is bias. Its part of a trend where sin is made legally and socially acceptable. First it was tolerance and now they are going for acceptance and support of.

Its not gay people pushing this either. The money is coming from the same bozos getting rich for the interest on the world's mortgage. They're playing the divide and conquer method of dividing society so it can't stand together to pick off the leeches stuck to our wallets.

I'll still be reserving judgement until another reputable source comes along with the same story. Surely there's many more than one conservative news outlet in the US who would have picked up on such a practice, even if it wasn't widespread.

 

[Wolseley]

Also, your story has no first hand accounts of discrimination, just "someone told me, trust me I'm a pastor" and Boykin, a lunatic. I would address the content of their arguments instead of the individuals making the argument if their argument consisted of anything but "trust me, it's happening."

I do doubt that it is happening, however, and am quite sceptical on the story...

Q.E.D.

Didn't I tell you?

 

[OllieFranz]

The only story I can find anywhere is the commentary piece from FoxNews that was linked in the OP. There are no news articles at all, not even from FoxNews. Could it be because their news division has to report facts (they can spin those facts, but there have to be facts to spin) , while the political commentators are "entertainment," and can get away with broadcasting fiction?

 

[katautumn]

Funny, when I was at Lackland 9 years ago for basic, I was given the choice of going to Church or washing the barracks under the direct supervision of a MTI. I find it hard to believe the trend of discrimination reversed so quickly.

It doesn't take long for something like this to happen. It only took a few short years between when I was in school and the worst thing that would happen would be a fist fight in the locker room to school shootings being nearly an epidemic (the Columbine massacre happened after I was already finished with high school). We had fire drills and tornado drills in school. One of the girls in my Sunday school class said they have lockdown drills for shootings, and have for as long as she can remember.

 

[muslimsoldier4life]

I won't necessarily say it's directed towards Christians; however discrimination period if completely frowned upon in the military today. We have Equal Opportunity representatives at ever level in the Chain of Command, and best believe if there is an EO complaint against you, you are in some serious trouble. We are talking career ending trouble. If a homosexual says you are speaking out against his decision to take it up the butt, and finds it offensive, you can bet you will be forced to apologize, have to go through sensitivity training and will likely be moved to another unit to prevent friction within the command.

 

[Wolseley]

The only story I can find anywhere is the commentary piece from FoxNews that was linked in the OP. There are no news articles at all, not even from FoxNews. Could it be because their news division has to report facts (they can spin those facts, but there have to be facts to spin) , while the political commentators are "entertainment," and can get away with broadcasting fiction?

I think it's highly more likely that the major news networks are refusing to touch this because it flies in the face of one of their sacred cows, i.e., "homosexuality is good and will never cause problems for anyone if they are treated equal".

They choose what they report just as much as FOX does; and there are certain things they won't go anywhere near.

 

[wing2000]

I think it's highly more likely Fox News is deliberately playing to the Christian persecution complex...again.

[Todd Starnes wrote the piece....]

 

[Wolseley]

I think it's highly more likely Fox News is deliberately playing to the Christian persecution complex...again.

[Todd Starnes wrote the piece....]

Q.E.D. again!

So far, I'm batting 1000.

 

[revanneosl]

What if the military just made a rule where commanding officers were forbidden to ask airmen about their views on homosexuality, and airmen were forbidden to tell anybody about their views on homosexuality.

We could call it "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

 

[GenetoJean]

Q.E.D. again!

So far, I'm batting 1000.

Doesnt make it any less true.

 

[OllieFranz]

I think it's highly more likely that the major news networks are refusing to touch this because it flies in the face of one of their sacred cows, i.e., "homosexuality is good and will never cause problems for anyone if they are treated equal".

They choose what they report just as much as FOX does; and there are certain things they won't go anywhere near.

That still does not explain why FoxNews' own news division has never reported on it, which is what I noted and you ignored. The ONLY one who has reported it is Todd Starnes, who is NOT a newsman but a commentator, an entertainer, who is not held to the same standards of truth as the News division. Unlike Starnes, newsmen cannot make things up.

 

[TravelerFarAwayFromHome]

Well, well, well; what a surprise.



I said way back at the start of this whole thing that it would lead to people leaving the military, and I was mocked and laughed at.

Of course, for Our Many Detractors, this story will be easily and airily dismissed, and I can practically quote verbatim what will be said: "Todd Starnes is a well-known liar and a homophobic bigot, and there is no proof to anything in this story--it's all second-hand hearsay."

huh?

another wonderful bunch of garbage from the most reliable news source of them all, FOX?

Gay commander? in the military is able to persecute Christians?

wow, US military certainly has became very very enlightened in a very very short period of time!

anyway, there is a clear difference between stating your belief vs intimidating and make gays feel uncomfortable, this is certainly the case with many so called Christian high school kids are doing.

while I do think homosexual lifestyle is a sin and don't support gay marriage.

I also think using the scripture as the way to intimidate others is not OK either.

if it were up to me, i would make sure all those so called Christian kids in high school face suspension for their bully tactics!

and the good thing is, the world is certainly moving towards the trend where the non Christian majority is begin to have less tolerance for this type of self righteous BS from bunch of self proclaimed Christians, so that is a good thing

 

[USincognito]

I can practically quote verbatim what will be said: "Todd Starnes is a well-known liar..."

There's a reason why he's a well known liar.

And I suspect that this is a case of mealy mouthed individuals being told to stop saying things like "It sickens me that they let Sodomites and perverts blah blah". I doubt it's something merely as innocuous as "personally I disagree with homosexuality".

Interesting how Lackland is San Francisco on the Riverwalk (supposedly) while the AFA is Bob Jones U in the Rockys (supposedly).

 

[Paradoxum]

I agree that Christians shouldn't be bullied like that. It's disrespectful and anti-liberal. Just like LGBT rights and liberties should be respected, so should the religious freedom of Christians.

I think it's highly more likely that the major news networks are refusing to touch this because it flies in the face of one of their sacred cows, i.e., "homosexuality is good and will never cause problems for anyone if they are treated equal".

They choose what they report just as much as FOX does; and there are certain things they won't go anywhere near.

But homosexuality or the allowance of it isn't causing the problem. The problem is people forcing their view on others. Discrimination against homosexuals and Christians are just two sides of the same bad coin.

 

[IanCG]

CNNABCCIAFBI don't seem to be reporting such stories. Wonder why.

Airman won’t support same-sex marriage, punished by commandrix | Fr. Z's Blog

There is bias. Its part of a trend where sin is made legally and socially acceptable. First it was tolerance and now they are going for acceptance and support of.

Its not gay people pushing this either. The money is coming from the same bozos getting rich for the interest on the world's mortgage. They're playing the divide and conquer method of dividing society so it can't stand together to pick off the leeches stuck to our wallets.

We've already been over this case in another thread. He was not relieved of duty, he was transferred because he was in conflict with the commander, something you can't have as a first sergeant.

 

[IanCG]

Q.E.D.

Didn't I tell you?

Just because you called something in advance doesn't make what we said wrong. Perhaps your "many detractors" are right and you know it?