In Obama’s America “Army Values” Don’t Tolerate Christian Views on Marriage (Updated)

A few days ago, I reported on the shocking story about the Army instructor in Pennsylvania who labeled Evangelical Christians, Catholics, Orthodox Jews and Mormons “religious extremists” alongside Hamas and al Qaeda during an Army Reserve Equal Opportunity training brief on extremism. An Army spokesman told Todd Starnes of Fox News that this was an “isolated incident not condoned by the Dept. of the Army.”

Well it was assuredly not an isolated incident.

Today, Todd Starnes reported at Townhall that an Army officer at Ft. Campbell, KY  sent an email to subordinates using similar descriptions to describe two mainstream Christian ministries that were put in the same category as Neo-Nazis, Racist Skinheads, White Nationalists and the Ku Klux Klan.

A U.S. Army officer sent an email to dozens of subordinates listing the American Family Association and Family Research Council as “domestic hate groups” because they oppose homosexuality — and warned officers to monitor soldiers who might be supporters of the groups.

“Just want to ensure everyone is somewhat educated on some of the groups out there that do not share our Army Values,” read an email from LTC Jack Rich to three dozen subordinates at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. “When we see behaviors that are inconsistent with Army Values, don’t just walk by – do the right thing and address the concern before it becomes a problem.”

So— one has to wonder what “Army Values” are in Obama’s America? We know what they aren’t are:  traditional, conservative, Christian values. Like our parents and our parents’ parents had.  Those yucky, old-fashioned  “extremist” values are being drummed out of  our heads – whether it be in the public schools, throughout civil society and now even in the military – a  devout faith in secular humanism is not only strongly suggested – it’s aggressively  forced down everyone’s throats.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, told Fox News he was disturbed by the contents of the email.

“It’s very disturbing to see where the Obama Administration is taking the military and using it as a laboratory for social experimentation — and also as an instrument to fundamentally change the culture,” he said. “The message is very clear – if you are a Christian who believes in the Bible, who believes in transcendent truth, there is no place for you in the military.”

When Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty asked the Army instructor who conducted the briefing on religious extremism, where she got her information, he was told it was the Southern Poverty Law Center.

This latest Army email has all the markings of SPLC anti-Christian propaganda.

Last November, they came out with a report labeling the Family Research Council (FRC), the American Family Association and other family advocates as “hate” groups because of their stand on marriage.

The National Prayer Network reported that the SPLC’s 10-page attack was distributed to police officers all across America.

Called 18 Anti-Gay Groups and Their Propaganda, it encourages police to especially watch the hateful, violence-inciting propaganda from Christian/conservative “watchdog” organizations. These include the American Family Association, Concerned Women for America, Family Research Council, Coral Ridge Ministries, Liberty Council, and Traditional Values Coalition.

According to Dr. Gary Cass, who is affiliated with the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, “To say that anybody who has a principled objection to homosexuality [and warns of] the impact that that sinful lifestyle has on individuals and on society is somehow morally equivalent to overt racism and violence is absolutely defamatory.”

According to emails obtained by Judicial Watch, Attorney General Eric Holder’s Justice Dept. has worked closely with the SPLC, even inviting co-founder Morris Dees to appear as the featured speaker at a July 31, 2012, “Diversity Training Event” sponsored by the Civil Rights and Tax divisions of the DOJ, for which employees who were instructed qualified “for mandatory annual diversity training for supervisors.”

The demonization of the Christian right has apparently now spread to the US Army.

Perkins, a Marine Corps veteran, said it’s clear that “Army Values” have indeed changed.

“And it’s the values of Evangelicals and Catholics,” Perkins said. “It’s not the values of the vast majority of those serving in our nation’s military. I think it’s the values of this administration trying to superimpose upon our military.”

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, now an executive vice president of the FRC, told Fox News that all Americans should be concerned about the contents of the email.

“If this is the action of a single Army lieutenant colonel, it needs to be investigated,” he said. “On the other hand, if what he reflects is a shifting policy or attitude of the Army or DOD, then I think it is a much bigger issue.”

Boykin served more than 36 years in the military before retiring in 2007. Since 2008 he said he’s seen withering attacks on religious liberty.

Among the incidents:

-A War Games scenario at Fort Leavenworth that identified Christian groups and Evangelical groups as being potential threats;

-A 2009 Dept. of Homeland Security memorandum that identified future threats to national security coming from Evangelicals and pro-life groups;

-A West Point study released by the U.S. Military Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center that linked pro-lifers to terrorism;

-Evangelical leader Franklin Graham was disinvited from the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer service because of his comments about Islam;

-Christian prayers were banned at the funeral services for veterans at Houston’s National Cemetery;

-Bibles were banned at Walter Reed Army Medical Center – a decision that was later rescinded;

-Christian crosses and a steeple were removed from a chapel in Afghanistan because the military said the icons disrespected other religions;

-Catholic chaplains were told not to read a letter to parishioners from their archbishop related to Obamacare mandates. The Secretary of the Army feared the letter could be viewed as a call for civil disobedience.

***

Crews said the military is getting their information on domestic hate groups from the Southern Poverty Law Center. And the email written by the lieutenant colonel referenced the organization.

“This is disturbing that the military would use this list composed by the Southern Poverty Law Center when these organizations that are highly esteemed and respected in the evangelical community,” he said.

The Chaplain Alliance filed a Freedom of Information Act request – asking if the SPLC list had been widely distributed in the military or if had been used in a formal manner.

The response they got from the Dept. of Defense left Crews troubled.

“They told us they had no record of the SPLC list being used,” he said – even though the email clearly proves otherwise.

So they’re lying – as all leftists do. Crews said what we’re seeing is part of a disturbing trend:  “We believe it is more widespread than the military is acknowledging. We keep getting calls from military personnel telling us of their issues.”

It should be noted that the anti-Christian propaganda found on the SPLC website incited Floyd Lee Corkins to attempt a mass shooting at the Family Research Council, last August.

There needs to be a House investigation on this anti-Christian poison that is being pushed on Americans throughout law enforcement and the military. These aren’t isolated incidents and it needs to be nipped in the bud, before it becomes more pervasive.

SEE ALSO:

Personal Liberty Digest:  DHS Suggests Christians, Constitutionalists Should Get Extra Surveillance From LEOs:

In a letter to a conservative blogger, Prowers County (Colo.) Undersheriff Ron Trowbridge revealed what he learned during a recent training course conducted by Colorado State Patrol (CSP) Trooper Joe Kluczynski, a CSP analyst for the Colorado Information Analysis Center, (CIAC). CIAC is funded by DHS and run by the CSP, and the training materials Kluczynski used came from DHS.

Here is the letter, unedited and in its entirety:

On April 1, 2013 I attended training in La Junta, Colorado hosted by the Colorado State Patrol (CSP).  The training was from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm and covered two topics, Sovereign Citizens, and Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs.  I was pretty familiar with motorcycle gangs but since we often deal with the so-called sovereign citizen groups I was interested to see what they had to say.  The group consisted of police officers, deputies, and CSP troopers.  There were about 20 people in attendance.

Trooper Joe Kluczynski taught a 2-hour section on sovereign citizens.  Kluczynski spent most of his two hours focusing on how, in his view and apparently the view of Homeland Security, people turn to the sovereign citizen movement.  Kluczynski started off by saying there are probably some sovereign citizens in this room and gave a generalized list of those groups that have sovereign citizen views.  Among those groups, Kluczynski had listed, were those who believe America was founded on godly principles, Christians who take the Bible literally, and “fundamentalists”.  Kluczynski did not explain what he meant by “fundamentalists” but from the context it was clear he was referring again to those who took the Bible literally or “too seriously.”

While Kluczynski emphasized that sovereign citizens have a right to their beliefs, he was clearly teaching that the groups he had listed should be watched by law enforcement and should be treated with caution because of their potential to assault law enforcement.  Kluczynski explained why he believed these groups were dangerous saying they were angry over the election of a black president.  When someone in the group suggested the failing economy was probably much more to blame, Kluczynski intimated that those who are not going along with the changes in America will need to be controlled by law enforcement.  Kluczynski even later questioned some of the troopers present if they were willing and prepared to confiscate “illegal” weapons if ordered to.

Kluczynski’s assignment with the CSP was an Analyst for the Colorado Information Analysis Center, (CIAC).  CIAC is funded by Homeland Security funds and run by the CSP.  Kluczynski said he gets his information from the Department of Homeland Security.  Kluczynski said he was leaving the CSP at the end of that week (March 29, 2013) to begin his new career with Homeland Security.  I thought he was perfect for the job.

Ron Trowbridge
Undersheriff
Prowers County Sheriff’s Office
April 5, 2013

Trowbridge’s boss, Sheriff Jim Faull, issued a news release Monday suggesting CSP suspend and re-evaluate the training program, because: “When an instructor with a state law enforcement agency is teaching their (sic) own employees and other law enforcement agencies that bible (sic) believing citizens and those that do not agree with current political trends are dangerous and should be under the scrutiny of law enforcement, then that agency needs to make some fundamental changes with that particular course.”

UPDATE: 

The Conversation:  Lawmakers Demand Apology From Army For Anti-Christian Briefing:

Fox News obtained a draft of the letter, reported Todd Starnes at Townhall:

“This is astonishing and offensive,” read a draft of the letter written by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO). “We call on you to rescind this briefing and apologize for its content and set the record straight on the Army’s view on these faith groups by providing a balanced briefing on religious extremism.”

Previously:

SHOCK: ARMY INSTRUCTOR LABELS CATHOLICS, EVANGELICALS, MORMONS AND JEWS ‘RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS’

Maybe it’s Time to Call The Southern Poverty Law Center a Hate Group

OH Natl. Guard Reacts to 2nd Amendment “Domestic Terrorists” in Mock Disaster Drill

Shock Claim: New Obama Litmus Test For Military Leaders: They Must Be Willing to Fire On US Citizens – UPDATE: Jim Garrow a Flake? UPDATE II: Garrow Interviewed