Military Hospital Bans Bibles & Religious Materials
By many accounts, anti-faith sentiment has been working its way into the U.S. military this year. While the examples are anecdotal, they are collectively creating some angst in religious circles.
Atheists are battling over a cross that was placed at Camp Pendleton in California, there is a continued push for non-believing chaplains, a cross has been removed from an interfaith military chapel in Afghanistan and the U.S. Air Force Academy backed out of a toy drive (because it’s sponsored by a Christian group). And these are just a few of the examples.
Now, those who are worried about the continued erosion of faith and values in the U.S. military have another example to add to their roster. Fox News’ Todd Starnes is reporting that the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center implemented a policy that prevented family members of wounded military soldiers from bringing Bibles and other religious materials to their loved ones.
The policy was apparently set in a memorandum from the medical center’s commander, Chief of Staff C.W. Callahan. On September 14, the guidelines were issued for “wounded, ill, and injured partners in care.” It states, “No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit.”
This policy — which led Rep. Steve King (R-IA) to give an impassioned speech on the House floor asking the president to intervene — has now been overturned. But the fact that it was implemented in the first place only adds fuel to the fire when it comes to questions about the military’s take on faith. Link