Mikey Weinstein, director of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, told me 29 cadets and four faculty and staff members contacted his organization to complain about the Christian passage.
"Had it been in his room - not a problem," Weinstein told me. "It's not about the belief. It's about the time, the place and the manner."
He said the Bible verse on the cadet's personal whiteboard created a hostile environment at the academy.
"It clearly elevated one religious faith (fundamentalist Christianity) over all others at an already virulently hyper-fundamentalist Christian institution," he said. "It massively poured fundamentalist Christian gasoline on an already raging out-of-control conflagration of fundamentalist Christian tyranny, exceptionalism and supremacy at USAFA."
Who knew that a Bible verse posted on a whiteboard could generate such outrage?
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USAFA made a smart decision: outside whiteboards are for official business only. Religious neutral decision and doesn't target any group. Inside the cadet's room, they can feel free to put quotes on their backboard.
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Let's get real. This cadet has not been prohibited from worshipping, speaking with friends and family about their religion, keeping religious symbols in their room, or reading the bible. They are being told to stop behavior that could be considered coercive to other subordinate cadets. And that policy is being EQUALLY enforced across all cadets regardless of religious affiliation. .
Supposedly there have been issues in the past with fundamentalist and evangelical Christians at USAFA. As you can see from the quote above it didn't take long for those cadets, faculty and staff members that were recently offended by the bible verse on the whiteboard to express their displeasure and for USAFA to respond.Mikey Weinstein, director of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, told me 29 cadets and four faculty and staff members contacted his organization to complain about the Christian passage.
YES.....USAFA has a large number of cadets that are fundamentalist and evangelical Christians. I think you need to understand that if you receive (and accept) an Appointment to USAFA that you will be attending USAFA with quite a few people that will differ with your religious (or lack of) beliefs. Of course as an atheist in a predominantly Christian country that would be true of almost ANY college you attend. Fortunately (IMHO) USAFA (thanks to Mr Weinstein and others) has cracked down on the issues/problems of the past and is making a serious attempt at eliminating any pressure you might feel at USAFA from other cadets or cadre as an atheist.Part of why I ask is because of the religious turn I have seen a few threads go here lately.
Was there a reason, personal or otherwise that the first cadet posted the bible quote? Has he been doing that before and that particular quote was just a little too Christian, or was he/she struggling with something that prompted the passage, maybe a death in the family or something?
At a time when the military is proposing allowing turbans as part of the uniform dress code cadets are not allowed to write a bible verse? Diversity means living with others from different back grounds and beliefs. This is one of the goals of a diverse group. Live and let live. No Yamakas on your head while you walk to Temple ? No turbans worn until you are in the Mosque. Careful you might offend others
I'll disagree with this. Any "respectful" conversation with another cadet concerning your being offended by their religious or sexual expressions is exposing you to some very bad possible consequences. These subjects are also not something that the chain of command has a history of handling very well. Especially at USAFA. The Mikey Weinstein option might be considered a "nuclear approach", but it is in place because in the past cadets had few/no other GOOD options. Supposedly 29 cadets and four faculty and staff members chose this approach. Wonder how many thought it was a good idea to have a respectful conversation with the cadet that posted on the whiteboard? If any....it didn't seem to "resolve" the problem.A respectful conversation between cadets would likely have solved the issue before it became a controversy.
If the person who wanted this taken down views the bible as a book and not real (aka human thoughts), then why would this be wrong compared to an inspirational quote from Shakespeare or Ralph Waldo Emerson(aka human thoughts) written on a whiteboard?