Cadets instructed by USAFA leadership not to use words like "Mom" and "Dad"

Per Grizzly's post regarding religious bias:

www.csindy.com

Opinion: âReligious bias at the Academy

Not all religious groups benefit from the Pentagon’s updated religious liberty policies, and at the Air Force Academy, Protestants rule.
www.csindy.com www.csindy.com


This article is only a year old. The concerns outlined are with leadership decisions and funding not student issues. However, as a Catholic, this bothers me.
 
hopefulmom1972 said:
Per Grizzly's post regarding religious bias:

www.csindy.com

Opinion: âReligious bias at the Academy

Not all religious groups benefit from the Pentagon’s updated religious liberty policies, and at the Air Force Academy, Protestants rule.
www.csindy.com www.csindy.com


This article is only a year old. The concerns outlined are with leadership decisions and funding not student issues. However, as a Catholic, this bothers me.
Click to expand...
Just for some background information in general, I know it’s been a struggle to get enough Catholic priests into the military over the past several years, mirroring the demand for priests in the community. There is a process for priests to become military chaplains, and similar to other chaplains, they have to meet the criteria for service as an officer. In the armed forces, priority for staffing will almost always be given to operating units over administrative commands. Ditto support staff. There are many demands for appropriated funds, especially funding for military and civilian billets.

This is just provided as context, not content particularly pointed at anything in the discussion.

This site may also be helpful:

Home - Archdiocese for the Military, USA

www.milarch.org www.milarch.org
 
USAFA_86 said:
Yeah this is a flat-out lie. I have no doubt that a few incidents have happened in the past, but if something like that happened today there would be immediate consequences and numerous cadets, religious and non-religious, would stick up for the individual being harassed.
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Not a flat out lie at all.

Maybe it’s not going on now. Maybe it’s not going on a lot. But it did go on at the USAFA and not all that long ago,

the school had a well earned reputation as an institution that pushed born again Christian beliefs on its students.

On it’s students of other religions or no religion. Senior officers or those who held the power of grades over the students pushing a born again approach to life. And it was not just “a few instances”

This was studied, confirmed, and condemned.

And this was an ongoing much complained about problem not , one slide out of many slides , that was taken out of context , and made a big deal by Fox and its devotees.
 
www.csindy.com

Opinion: âReligious bias at the Academy

Not all religious groups benefit from the Pentagon’s updated religious liberty policies, and at the Air Force Academy, Protestants rule.
www.csindy.com www.csindy.com

And this posted above would suggest, at least in the opinion of one Catholic worker at the USAFA, that the problem has not been fully corrected but continues.
 
Small Team Bacsi said:
Not a flat out lie at all.

Maybe it’s not going on now. Maybe it’s not going on a lot. But it did go on at the USAFA and not all that long ago,

the school had a well earned reputation as an institution that pushed born again Christian beliefs on its students.

On it’s students of other religions or no religion. Senior officers or those who held the power of grades over the students pushing a born again approach to life. And it was not just “a few instances”

This was studied, confirmed, and condemned.

And this was an ongoing much complained about problem not , one slide out of many slides , that was taken out of context , and made a big deal by Fox and its devotees.
Click to expand...
I was addressing their assertion that religious cadets are going around harassing non-religious cadets. The article you posed seems to talk more about the chaplain program, and I don't know enough about the chaplain program and how they are funded to speak on that. What I do know is that if someone was being harassed over their religious views (or lack thereof), there would be immediate consequences and I would bet that a lot of cadets would stand up for the person being harassed.
 
USAFA_86 said:
I was addressing their assertion that religious cadets are going around harassing non-religious cadets.
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The issue as I understand it was never cadets trying to recruit other cadets into their religion. That sort of recruiting or harassment would be stopped quickly by the students at any SA.

At the USAFA it was Officers and instructors , doing the asking about Jesus In the life of a struggling cadet. People who had significant power over the struggling cadet asking this question

I doubt anyone knows for sure if this quiet friendly counseling has entirely stopped at the USAFA.

Good though if it has
 
If I am not mistaken, a pentagon committee found there was no discrimination in the mid 2000s regarding the religious issue.

I am sure most would gladly accept the SAs not discussing religion in exchange for the elimination of crt and gender ideology.

A similar issue came up with satanists and USNA a few years back. The issue died down.
 
FalconDad2026 said:
A voice of reason...

A Message from Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark '86, Superintendent, USAFA | US Air Force Academy AOG & Foundation

Serving the Long Blue Line - Alumni Association for the U.S. Air Force Academy
www.usafa.org www.usafa.org
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I encourage everyone to read this.

Some key takeaways. Cadets were the drivers behind the training. Words such as dignity, respect, honor, inclusion. A main argument is, are the cadets being instilled a “warfighter” mentality and the answer is yes! Both can exist in tandem.
 
The Pentagon report from 2005 did find examples of religious discrimination and bias but determined it was not a systemic problem. I believe that diversity/inclusion is more than just using the correct words. Giving financial preference to one group over others does not demonstrate inclusion or diversity. Non inclusive actions render inclusive words meaningless. For some cadets a life of faith is an important part of the warrior mentality. Giving one faith group financial priority over others is not inclusive. As the article was a year old, this situation may have been resolved. I hope so.
 
These things tend to get blown out of proportion.

There were some instances of overzealous people pushing their religion. There was also the leader of MRFF claiming that cadets holding a Bible while walking across the T-zo, in civis, after duty hours, violated the 1st Amendment rights of all the other cadets...(couldn't roll my eyes hard enough)
 
A1Janitor said:
If I am not mistaken, a pentagon committee found there was no discrimination in the mid 2000s regarding the religious issue.

I am sure most would gladly accept the SAs not discussing religion in exchange for the elimination of crt and gender ideology.

A similar issue came up with satanists and USNA a few years back. The issue died down.
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Whitewash of Christian fundamentalist bigotry at US Air Force Academy

A US Air Force panel sent to investigate charges of religious promotion and discrimination at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has issued a report that amounts to a whitewash of the systematic Christian fundamentalist bigotry promoted at the officer training...
www.wsws.org

A report that showed significant problems with religious pressure at the USAFA but then claimed no overt religious pressure. Many disagree . It was not just students complaining about this born again pressure it was Chaplains as well.

the issue with the followers of satan at the USNA was solved with a satan room on the Yard for them to gather.

I assume this satan stuff is less an issue now at the USNA because the satan devotees no doubt all left for the Basic school after graduation,.
 
Small Team Bacsi said:

Whitewash of Christian fundamentalist bigotry at US Air Force Academy

A US Air Force panel sent to investigate charges of religious promotion and discrimination at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has issued a report that amounts to a whitewash of the systematic Christian fundamentalist bigotry promoted at the officer training...
www.wsws.org

A report that showed significant problems with religious pressure at the USAFA but then claimed no overt religious pressure. Many disagree . It was not just students complaining about this born again pressure it was Chaplains as well.

the issue with the followers of satan at the USNA was solved with a satan room on the Yard for them to gather.

I assume this satan stuff is less an issue now at the USNA because the satan devotees no doubt all left for the Basic school after graduation,.
Click to expand...
Fox news is questionable, but we can freely cite the world socialist website?!?
 
A1Janitor said:
Fox news is questionable, but we can freely cite the world socialist website?!?
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I love how the article doesn't hold anything back at the end:

"It is an indication of the type of military officer corps that is being trained—one accountable not to civilian authority and constitutional principles, but based on the most backward of ideologies. The education of a military leadership “accountable first to God”—placed at the head of US imperialism’s destructive arsenal of weaponry—poses ominous implications for both democratic rights and the safety of the world’s population."
 
Times are changing and the military is changing with it. Glad to see it to be honest.

We've come a long way from the days of barring women or people of color from entering the military at ALL, banning women from combat arms, don't ask don't tell etc..

If it upsets you that your "conservative values" go against inclusion and diversity, you're part of the problem.

You're all getting upset about the wrong thing. I'm mostly upset about soldiers with poor access to healthcare, decent food, decent living conditions and access to suicide prevention resources. But sure, being advised "hey, some cadets have parents who aren't traditionally just a mom and dad, so be mindful when you open your mouth" is the real problem here.
 
USAFA_86 said:
accountable first to God
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*or lack thereof. An atheist can serve, a christian can serve, a muslim can serve, a pagan and a member of the satanic temple can serve.

There's a seperation of church and state for a reason. I am accountable to the U.S. government, but the government does NOT hold me accountable to my God. That's between me and whoever I choose to believe in.
 
A1Janitor said:
Fox news is questionable, but we can freely cite the world socialist website?!?
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I expect, no matter the source, if they are quoting people from the USAFA who have had direct experiences , including chaplains, the words socialist or Fox will not scare me.

Both of them a bit extreme both driving a political agenda? Sure

But even with the more extreme we can find nuggets of truth.

At least as far as the peoples direct experiences.

conclusions are another matter
 
At my church I know at least two of the kids live with grandparents, not mom & Dad. One at least because the parents are in the military.
so our Pastor dismisses the kids after the children's sermon and says "You can go to Sundsay School or back to the pews with your Mom and Dad or Grandma or Grandpa." Not everyone has a Mom & Dad. Not everyone lives with their mom and Dad. Why is being inclusive Democrat or Republican?
 
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