Written by Don Byrd
Earlier this year, the U.S. Military revoked a license granted in 2003 allowing LifeWay Publishing to sell Bibles targeting military personnel with the official seal of each branch engraved on the front. It makes sense to discard this policy, right? The use of military seals to promote a particular religious text smacks of favoritism. At the very least, they would have to permit sacred text publishers of all faiths the same license.
Several members of Congress don’t see it that way, however. In their view, the Department of Defense has succumbed to the pressures of…. you guessed it, atheism, whose broad powers within the halls of the Pentagon are well established (sarcasm). In a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, they seek answers.
The lawmakers cite “religious freedom” and the First Amendment right “to worship our creator without the obstruction of the government” in urging Panetta to clarify the decision to reverse a 2003 decision authorizing use of the official trademarked symbols of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
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In a statement accompanying the letter, U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee, R-Miss., refers to the MRFF as an “atheist group” and writes “the military should not be succumbing to pressure from outside groups to alter longstanding policy.”
You can read the letter for yourself at Alan Nunnelee’s (R-MS) congressional site here.
