Pastor: Pagan Circle at AF Academy Bodes Ill for Nation

By The Christian Post on February 5th, 2010

imagesbannerscp_150x601Reprinted by permission of the Christian Post

By Nathan Black|Christian Post Reporter

A new Earth-centered worship area at the Air Force Academy has generated wide attention and discussion over religious freedom and political correctness.

While officers say the site for pagans, Wiccans, Druids and other Earth-centered believers is in congruence with their duty to defend freedom for all Americans, including the freedom to practice religion, one Baptist pastor condemned it as idolatry.

“What we label today as ‘pluralism,’ God called ‘idolatry,’” said Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, in a commentary in The Washington Post. “The first commandment from God was, ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.’

“To openly violate this most basic law is to invite God’s judgment upon our nation.”

United States Air Force Academy's Cadet Chapel

United States Air Force Academy's Cadet Chapel (Photo Credit: A Hodges)

The Air Force Academy, located near Colorado Springs, currently has worship areas accommodating Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists. The Earth-centered worship area – located atop the hill overlooking the Cadet Chapel and designated with a circle of stones – is scheduled to be dedicated next month.

The Earth-centered worship circle was added in response to the request of cadets and active duty personnel who asked that “their religion be accommodated” by the Air Force Academy chaplaincy, explained Lt. Gen. Michael C. Gould, superintendent of the academy, in an op-ed featured in The Gazette.

He stressed that the U.S. Air Force “remains neutral regarding religious beliefs and will not officially endorse nor disapprove of any faith, belief or absence of belief.”

More than accommodation, however, the issue of religion is about “religious respect,” Gould stated.

“Cadets learn that to succeed as an Air Force officer they must be able to support and respect the people who we lead, serve with and fight alongside even if they do not share our personal beliefs,” he noted. “At the Air Force Academy we focus and will continue to focus on respect for human dignity to ensure all personnel respect the spirit and intent of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”

Megachurch pastor Jeffress acknowledged the Constitutional provision guaranteeing every American freedom of religion and worship. But he said the First Amendment “does not require government to provide a stone monument to facilitate that worship – even if the same government provides a chapel for Christians.”

Recently a large wooden cross made of railroad ties was found leaning on one of the rocks at the Earth-centered worship site. Some, including Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, a pagan who helped create the new worship area, have called it a hate crime. The incident is being investigated.

Earth-centered believers meet every Monday night and have representation on the Cadet Interfaith Council. According to Longcrier, Earth-centered spirituality is relatively new, but traces its roots to pre-Christian Europe. Some traditions involve the worship of gods and goddesses, whereas others may involve only one deity or none at all.

Copyright 2009 The Christian Post. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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  • Marc
    Typical small-minded bigotry. so your g*d can't handle the competition? Look at the size of that chapel. So a little circle of stones is that threatening? Or is it the challenge to your authoritarian dogma, threatening to expose the lies you spread in the name of a great man who preached peace, while you preach war?
  • J. Madison
    That settles it!! Time to get rid of this "freedom of religion" nonsense. After all, the U.S. Constitution says that only Christians are allowed to live and work in this great nation! Uh... doesn't it?? What?
    What do you talking about? What the hell is this "First Amendment" thingie?? Never heard of it.
  • Brian Rutledge
    It seems to me there is a bigger question here. That is ' when you enter the military, do you lose some rights afforded you by the Constitution'. You certainly lose many of your personal freedoms.Exactly which freedoms are lost and how far they extend is a question I certainly can't answer.
  • Rev Stormy Monday
    I, sir, am a Pagan....and I consider myself a right wing Pagan. I have no doubt that the God you believe in is truly your God. And if you truly are a religious person, you should have no doubt that the Goddess and Gods I believe in are truly my Deities. Unless you foolishly believe that this world is only 2000 years old, you know Pagans were around long before Christians. But I dont waste my time putting down Christians, I am happy you believe what you do. But dont ever doubt that a Pagan is not a feirce warrior, Pagans won many a war in their time.
  • Rain Dove
    My dear "Pastor Jeffress" ,
    I am a Witch and a Pagan. And I am utterly amazed at your comment about the AF Academy providing a place of worship for Earth Based Worship for our young men and women.
    First and foremost , let me remind you .. that while your bible states "there shall be no other gods before me" .. it is also YOUR bible. It is something YOU believe in. Not all people follow the "bible" and you along with your most prejudiced and judgemental congregation need to try and remember that your book ALSO STATES "do not judge , lest you be judged".
    I find it so very contradicting of you to make the kind of statement you have about this , especially knowing that your book is not LAW. You claim that the bible and what it says .. is LAW. It is NOT LAW. The LAW is FREEDOM OF RELIGION. This does not mean freedom of YOUR religion , but freedom of ANY RELIGION.
    Go back and do some more soul searching and do your homework before you come to places like the media to vent your judgement , your religious intolerances and your discriminations.
    Suzy Smith, Carrollton , Georgia
    Witch, Healer, Pagan, Polytheist, Priestess, Mother, Sister, Wife and Grandmother.
  • WXRGina
    Well, it seems to me that the bottom line here is that we're dealing with the United States of America's once-great military. I don't know how many of you strangers that have posted here will come back and read this, but, in case you haven't noticed, we're dealing with some brutal enemies of our country nowadays. Now, if you are for a bunch of activist, wack-job "witches," "wiccans," or whatever you call your selves in this century, perhaps you might step off and try to appreciate what the purpose of our military is - to protect and defend our homeland.

    If your purpose is to disrupt the order of our military and gain "special rights" to practice your twisted, freakish "religion" within our military, perhaps you're better off just practicing your "craft" in your barns at midnight and leaving our American military alone. You wanna go at me on this? Bring it on.
  • Brian Rutledge
    Gina

    Your argument is similiar to the argument when people were saying women shouldn't serve in the military.Where will they shower. Where will they go to the restroom. The young men and women of the military that I have talked to don't care if a comrade is female, black, Jewish, Wiccam, atheist etc as long as they follow strict military code and stand by their side in battle.

    If the miltary offers a synagogue, a Unitarian edifice etc. is secondary to the fighting men and women.They want a well grounded soldier by their side who will follow code. You don't ask philosophyical questions when in battle
  • WXRGina
    Brian, the women in the military argument is one where I fall in the "women should not be in combat" camp. There are many jobs women can do in the military, but fighting in the trenches should not be one of them.

    Our military is under assault from within our own country. The top-level power men are turning on our soldiers and marines, charging them with crimes and locking them up for doing their jobs, and then treating foreign enemy combatants as mirandized civilian criminals. This evil administration is working to force our military to accept the open display of homosexuality in its ranks. The Muslims have infiltrated and are working their devilish plans like they did at Fort Hood. Oh, and of course, the military accommodates the Muslims with their "religious needs" as well. This pagan garbage is just one more assault. It is not something that builds up the military and helps people work together; it is a demoralizer and a divider, and that's by design. I don't believe the military should accomodate every "religion" that walks in the door; where would you draw the line?

    I'm telling you, this is all the work of the enemies within. That's why my last post was such an angry one. I feel very strongly about what's happening to our military, and I really want it stopped, but it seems like a steamroller that just keeps on coming!
  • Brian Rutledge
    Gina,

    Lets look at what this article says. It starts with ONE Baptist preacher objecting to religious pluralism in the military because he says it is idolatry( serving false gods) and will bring the wrath of God down on us. Well there goes the Jews (whose God isn't Jesus) and all other religions except Christianity, right out of the military. Idiocy and un-Constitutional.

    The Superintendant of the Air Force Academy said the Academy already has separate sites for Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists etc and that the military is neutral about religion. Then LT. Gen Gould, the Superintendant, hit home the essence of the military. He said it isn't about 'accomodating' but it is about 'respect' and I quote

    "Cadets learn that to succeed as an Air Force officer, they must be able to support and
    respect the people we lead.serve with and fight alongside, even if they do not share our
    personal beliefs.At the Air Force Academy, we focus and will continue to focus on
    respect for human dignity to ensure all personal respect...to the First Amendment to the
    Constitution"

    It isn't about accomodating some pagans and atheists who gather once a week around a circle of rocks. It is about showing respect and dignity for your comrade, no matter personal beliefs, who is there for the same reason you are-protect our country and take a bullet for the other if called for.

    That Gina, is the essence of the military
  • WXRGina
    Brian, this article is one example, and it cites this one Baptist preacher, but it is just one part of a larger movement within the military. Like I said, there are enemies within our country who seek to fracture our traditional American institutions. They're going for the military through the Muslim/homosexual/pagan assault, plus they're treating our soldiers and Marines as criminals with these wicked prosecutions and outrageous rules of engagement.

    Our troops have always known how to "respect others," and work as a team, so there is no need for this "lesson." We have, in the past, always had the highest-quality people in our armed forces. This is simply another battle front in the attempt to deconstruct America and our military.

    This is not an isolated incident. Here are a few titles from a recent WND Whistleblower magazine issue titled "Witchcraft in America:"
    -"Wiccans meet on Air Force base" by Ron Strom, on how witches' gatherings get the military's blessing as long as they're not contrary to "good order."
    -"Witches persuade government to fund pentacles on headstones."
    -"Witchcraft in the military" by Brooks Alexander, an in-depth and shocking look at how and why pagan religion has taken root in the U.S. armed forces.
  • Brian Rutledge
    Gina,

    When you speak of 'traditional American institutions' (like the military), just who do you then think should be serving in that 'traditional institution' ?
  • WXRGina
    Brian, my answer to that question is that I would love for our military to be made up of deep lovers of the United States of America. They would be people with clear heads and a disdain for the enemies of our country, and they would be Christian, not Muslim.

    I know you'll disagree with me on this, but people with earth-worship, Satan-worship and other pagan-type ideas floating around in their heads are not what I would consider up to the standards of our military. These witchy people are not right-thinking and stable-minded. You'll have a field-day with this, I know, but those are my thoughts on your question.
  • Brian Rutledge
    Gina

    No I admire your rare honesty and respect your right to believe that and will let it lay there. I would just point out that your view is deeply, deeply un-Constitutional to the core i.e. the government can't discriminate on a religious basis. The only thing I am curious about is how do you reconcile your belief to yourself if it is un-Constitutional ? That is my only question
  • WXRGina
    Brian, there is nothing unconstitutional about my desiring our military be filled with upstanding, moral, right-thinking men. I wouldn't be surprised if there are not some old military codes of standards for troops that say about the same thing. Of course, I'm sure that by now the political cowardice police have forced the watering down of the old, high standards.

    Our founding fathers never imagined the rabidly anti-Christian forces that would be at work in our country today. When they created the Constitution, they understood that they were writing it for a PREDOMINANTLY Christian nation. They never intended our government to be purged of any vestige of Christianity. Their concern was ensuring that the government would never ESTABLISH a mandatory state church, like they had in England. The fictional "separation of church and state" is what is not constitutional.
  • Brian rutledge
    Oh gosh, of course you 'desiring' an all Christian military isn't un-Constitutional. I was just pointing out that actually enacting this belief, which must be dear to your heart, is deeply un-Constitutional.

    Also, if you read Madison's ( considered the main author of the constitution) letters, he directly mentions this fictional( as you call it) separation of church and state over and over and says the more they remain separate, the better each will do. He might indeed however be surprised at some recent goings on.

    But Madison, Jefferson etc were not naive and they knew that the men in the Revolutionary Army were not all devout Christians and some even atheist(pagan). But as long as they fought brilliantly , bravely, obeyed orders and were willing to put a bullet in a Redcoats head, they gladly welcomed them

    The General of the Air force Academy said ' the military does not fight for God. It fights for our Nations freedom. When you enter the military, there is only one religion-Patriotism '
  • WXRGina
    So, the religion of Patriotism is being established by our government? Ha. I kinda wish...

    Brian, there is no "separation of church and state" in our Constitution. There is only the "establishment clause" of the first amendment. That is what the founders were concerned with: that the government not establish an "official" state church, as was done in England. And, thus, it has never happened here in America. Our nation's history is full of acknowledgement of God's grace and mercy on our country by our governmental leaders, the courts, the universities, and all other major institutions (even Hollywood, back in the day!). The revisionist historians can pound sand. We are, and have always been, a Christian nation, but thanks to those evil forces I keep harping on, we are fast turning into something completely different. I, for one, will not stop fighting against those forces of hell while I still live.
  • Brian Rutledge
    Gina,

    I think you are wrong about one thing and that is about women not serving on the front line. I can't imagine any soldier on the front line, myself included if in that position, who wouldn't want you at their side. That isn't B.S. either.
  • WXRGina
    By the way, Brian, I hope you know that if we were in that horrible battle position together, I would back you 'til your belly was blue - all the way!
  • Brian rutledge
    HOO WAH !
  • WXRGina
    Awwwwww! :-)
  • Interestingly, one of the first acts of General Washington was to establish military chaplains (Christian ones), and one of his first general orders was that all troops were to be in church unless they were actually on guard duty, etc.

    Military members have the freedom to worship as they see fit, as they should. But our nation and our nation's leaders have long recognized that we owe all that we have and all that we are to God. It is sad to see the day when that recognition is facing such hostility, especially knowing that the more this nation turns its back on God, the less he will bless and protect us.
  • WXRGina
    General Washington, our last, best president...
  • Brian Rutledge
    Bob

    You are right about Washington and thus right that he would probably be drummed out of todays military if he insisted on such an order. The military leaders know today that, excepting the nut jobs that get by, if a person makes it through basic training, then their followup training and behavior is in code, that religion is not a determining factor in what kind of soldier they make. Washington wasn't privy to that. His perspective was narrow and greatly limited, at no fault of his own.

    But your second paragraph implores me to ask you 'if we were overtaken by...oh say...Xanado...but all 300 million of us then accepted Jesus as our savior, that God would care one bit about our Constitution or our nation of the United states' ?
  • It is not true that religion is not a determining factor in the kind of soldier a recruit will make. Certain factors about religion--especially Christianity--produce better soldiers than others. A soldier who believes he is fighting for values grounded in transcendent truths will undoubtedly be far more committed and reliable than one who believe he is fighting for values that are, well, the best thing for him at this particular time in his life. A soldier who believes in the transcendent rightness of duty, honor, integrity and such will also perform much better than one who sees these things as transient and ephemeral concepts that really have no meaning beyond what we choose to give them. And a soldier who is committed to the relativistic values of doing what is right for him at any given moment is far less reliable than one who believes in unchanging values.

    So no, our basic philosophical/religious beliefs have everything to do with the quality of soldier you will get. I don't know about today, but when I joined the military 25 years ago, recruiters and trainers would tell you that up front.

    But many people today--especially those who have not served in the military--don't consider such things important, much to their own jeopardy and that of our nation.

    I'm not completely sure I follow your final paragraph. But if I do, then yes, God cares quite a bit about our Constitution and our United States. Not in and of themselves, but as expressions of our faith in him, and as tools that can be used to further his will here on earth. Our Constitution, while not directly mentioning our fealty to God, is grounded in the Judeo-Christian worldview, including but not limited to the fallen state of man and man's propensity to sin (thus the separation of powers, the checks and balances, etc). The Constitution also recognizes Sunday as the Christian holy day.

    The United States was undeniably (by all but the ignorant and the deceptive, that is) founded on Christian principles, personified by the Declaration, the Constitution, and the stated philosophies of the founders that went into everything that formed this nation. Never before in history--not even the ancient state of Israel--or since has a nation so deliberately sought to create a government and a society based on God's instructions for how human beings should live. And never before or since in human history has a nation so openly and unabashedly declared its dependence on God and sought his favor so fervently. And God has rewarded that imperfect but sincere loyalty to him by making the United States the most free, most prosperous, most domestically tranquil, most powerful nation in all of history. There is NO coincidence between our Christian heritage and the unparalleled blessings American has enjoyed.

    And as we turn our backs on that heritage and that loyalty to God, we are already seeing those blessings start to slip away. We must turn back before they all slip away...and we are left surrounded by a world of hungry, vengeful wolves eager for a bite of the prize they have envied and hated for so long.
  • dcm
    Religious pluralism may be a well-intentioned effort at maintaining peace between people, but peace at the expense of truth is always a false peace.

    The thing about religions is this: Either one is basically true, or none of them are. There is no other option. It's always interesting to see how Christianity, when push comes to shove, ends up being the only one that will not deny that simple truth -- and, thus, the only one that truly offends people's "I want a god who serves me, not the other way around" pride.

    The historical foundation of Judeo-Christian truth, so popularly denied by all kinds of pseudo-scholarship, has no remotely close rival among other belief systems. Call it just "YOUR bible" and "something YOU believe in" -- always a nice fallacious logic trick -- but you can't hide the fact that it's so much more than that, and always has been.
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