Air Force Academy Sued Over Prayer Luncheon Speaker

The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs is being sued for its decision to invite a controversial conservative speaker to a voluntary prayer event.

The Academy, which has taken criticism in recent years for forcing religious beliefs on students, invited Marine 1st Lt. Clebe McClary--a nationally-known motivational speaker--to speak at a voluntary National Prayer Luncheon scheduled for Feb. 10.

The academy's decision to host McClary, whose website declares "U.C.M.C. will always mean a U.S. Marine for Christ," has drawn harsh criticism from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and activist that has long been a thorn in the side of the Academy's leadership.

In January, the group called for Superintendent Mike Gould's resignation.

Now, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation--along with 5 Air Force faculty members--is suing to stop the prayer luncheon, calling it "a blatant violation of the plaintiffs' Constitutional rights as guaranteed by the First Amendment."

The formal complaint (PDF) alleges that hosting a speaker as outspoken McClary is "a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution."

The complaint notes that "the invitation [to the the luncheon] describes keynote speaker Lt. McClary only as an "Inspirational Speaker/Author and Highly Decorated Vietnam War Veteran," with no mention that he is a fundamentalist Christian speaker.

The Air Force Academy defended the Luncheon on Monday, telling the Colorado Springs Gazette "This is a multifaith prayer luncheon. Similar events are held every year at every military installation around the country. It's not new."

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has hired David Lane, the famous Denver Civil Rights Attorney who defended Ward Churchill and Richard Heene. He told the Gazette he hopes to have a hearing by Friday.

Comments

[raimius]

03:03 PM on 02/10/2011

UPDATE: The case was dismissed due to a lack of standing.

[rpr]

03:01 PM on 02/04/2011

So are they going to invite a fundamentalist Jew or Muslim next time?

[palisades02]

09:46 AM on 02/06/2011

Let me be clear. Obviously, individuals are entitled to their own religious beliefs, whatever they are. But religious individuals bound by an oath to the Constitution of the United States are not entitled to think they get to determine what the Constitution means according to their own religiously-informed lights. Not to put too fine a point on it: what the Consitution means today is what the Supreme Court says it does – not what the David Bartons of the world would prefer it means. Respect for individuals’ sincere religious convictions does not extend to their individual right to determine what loyalty to the Constitution means in these areas.

[jay1975]

04:05 PM on 02/03/2011

I have served in the Army (now National Guard) for over 14 years, with a break in service. My time has seen three Presidents and several commanders. I am agnostic at best, but I have never been ordered, officially or unofficially, to attend a religious service. I have never been passed up for a promotion or been given an unfavorable evaluation or assignment for not attending religion events. Many here speak while looking in from the outside and have no idea what the military is really like. There is a bond and a brotherhood that most civilians will never have the pleasure of knowing. That is why so many of us do not like the civilian world, too much of "me" mentality.

[SteveDenver]

01:22 AM on 02/04/2011

I'm glad you've escaped the bullying, hazing and beatings (resulting in hospitalization) endured by recruits at the Colorado Springs Academy at the hands of evangelical zealots. There are several lawsuits by Jewish and non-religious recruits whose complaints to commanders went uninvestigated.

It is now known that there is a growing corps of aggressive evangelicals within the U.S. armed forces who seek to bring "biblical wrath" on evil nations. Soldiers are being coerced into adopting evangelicalism: http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/20061212_evangelical_military_video/

[cargofuzz]

03:49 PM on 02/03/2011

I just have to say that picture of the clouds is awesome.

[sarabee1321]

02:39 PM on 02/03/2011

All if this ignores another problem at the academies. In spite of the clear dominance by conservative christianity, rape of female cadets is a problem. I personally know a young man, a conservative christian, who left the air force academy because he was aware of rape. Failure to act bordered on sanction, in his opinion. He supported one young woman and he felt they were both marked as trouble makers as a result. This young man is not given to fantasy.

Rape is a big problem in the military generally. It is difficult to square the dominance of conservative christianity with the fact that incidences of rape are twice that of civilian life. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1968110,00.html

The military is different. Soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are subjected to requirements to conform unheard of in civilian life. Questioning authority is not approved.

[Retrofuturistic]

10:41 PM on 02/02/2011

Christian fundamentalism plus the military is a bad combination, one that most taxpayers would not choose to support. Combining religion with government always results in fascism. Always. No exceptions.

[SteveDenver]

01:25 AM on 02/04/2011

Senior officers are coercing recruits into adopting evangelicalism
http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/20061212_evangelical_military_video/

[Shukr]

05:29 AM on 02/02/2011

Military and Christianity is basically the army of the united states of America.

[traceymarie]

07:58 PM on 02/04/2011

lol, what?

[Babele]

08:19 PM on 02/01/2011

test.

[juzcuz]

07:22 PM on 02/01/2011

Bigoted christian(?) group Focus on the Family is headquartered in Colorado Springs.. seems they're trying to infiltrate our military along with everyone else in this country. Glad they're being sued; hit them in the pocket and maybe they'll learn to keep their 'religion' to themselves - out of government, out of military and out of people's personal lives.

[Yikesits]

03:52 PM on 02/01/2011

It is "mulifaith' as long as you are christian.

[GinnyW]

04:15 PM on 02/02/2011

Well no, if you are Khristian you would go to . . . I meant "too"

[media4me]

02:16 PM on 02/01/2011

If you don't like it, don't go.

[Yellowbird]

04:56 PM on 02/01/2011

The truth is that if we don't like it we shouldn't have to PAY for it. Anyone wanting to be a Christian First Fundie should not expect the public coffers to support them. They should go to work for the church of their choice. The US Military is NOT A CHURCH.

[raimius]

11:05 PM on 02/01/2011

This event is privately funded.

[GinnyW]

04:24 PM on 02/02/2011

You, apparently, have never served in the military!  Commanding officers can "urge" you to attend with strong emphasis and repeatedly.  My atheistic Jewish son finally had to tell his staff sergeant that he was Jewish to get him off his back about not attending "voluntary" religious services.  It did get him off the base and out of basic training rigor for 6 hours every Friday to attend "voluntary" services at a nearby Naval base with a rabbi.  The rabbi told him that he absolutely was NOT required to attend his services, so he got to go clubbing in town, and told his sergeant, when asked, that the services were just fine and his spirit was uplifted (every time he raised his drink to his lips).

[Steven Youell]

09:07 PM on 02/03/2011

I've served in the Military. AND I've attended USMA.

How does it figure that one example (your son) autmoatically means that's the way the entire military is.

[jokerdanny]

02:04 PM on 02/01/2011

maybe dilusional beliefs should be a disqualifier for military service.....it would have saved millions over millenia

[JoeMentia]

01:38 PM on 02/01/2011

Good. The legal system must be used to combat Creeping Theocracy at ever possible junction, because we can't depend on political will to get the job done.

[dengal]

12:23 AM on 02/04/2011

amen!

[cuddles89]

01:21 PM on 02/01/2011

Maybe it's just because I'm a cadet. But I hear people say stuff about the religious slant of the air force academy, and while I know there are a lot of outside groups coming in to campus, I have never felt pressure by permanent party or anyone else to attend these events. So while I agree that hosting a national prayer luncheon is completely inappropriate for this school, I disagree that the Superintendent, Commandant, or any other permanent party is pressuring everyone to convert to any religion. We have had briefing upon briefing about mutual respect, and they stood us up one day at lunch when the desecration of the rock prayer circle occurred and told us that was not acceptable. Again, this is my own opinion and observation.

[media4me]

02:17 PM on 02/01/2011

Thanks for your service to our country.

[Chris Caudill]

04:46 PM on 02/01/2011

Hey cuddles, if you don't pray with them now, you won't fly with them later. They remember who's in the church and who's out of the church. So will you when you receive assignments where it's cold and lonely. You'll know when you are passed over for promotion time and again. Sorry son, it's either you get reborn or rejected. And remember, they are the ones who hire for the Beltway Bandits after you retire. If you are looking to double-dip, you better make peace with your maker, Mike Gould.

[Melissa McKibben]

06:46 PM on 02/02/2011

Unfortunately, I have heard several first-hand accounts from current and former cadets about Fundamentalist superiors who singled them out for severe harassment because they weren't Christian or, in some cases, weren't 'Christian enough'.

Thank you for your service, and for your honesty. Hopefully your experience is evidence that these transgressions are becoming rare.

[beartrack]

01:19 PM on 02/01/2011

If you truly feel that there should be a seperation of church and state, there should be no churches on military bases at all. They should be allowed to freely attend a church of their choice off base.