Dobson's World (Air Force edition)

The Christian Right's attempts to influence the military get hardly any coverage in the mainstream press. There has been a controversy about Air Force officers using their positions to improperly proselytize enlisted men and women to convert to a conservative version of Protestant Christianity.

The Air Force responded with revised rules, which set the fundis to foaming at the mouth. Now they've been revised again, and Brother Dobson's organization approves of the new proposed rules: Newly Revised Air Force Religious Guidelines Get Mixed Reviews Christian Post 02/10/06.

Focus on the Family, an evangelical ministry with numerous radio and other media outlets, had called on its supporters to urge the president to repeal the previous guidelines released in August. Now, “we applaud the guidelines,” the ministry stated yesterday.

"The guidelines appropriately caution superiors against making comments that could appear to subordinates to be official policy. With that in mind, they properly state that 'superiors enjoy the same free exercise rights as all other airmen,’" said Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy for Focus.

The Focus on the Family Web site reports on this under their "Family News" section: New Guidelines Clarify Religious Expression for Airmen by Wendy Cloyd 02/09/06.

Check out how both articles, particalarly the latter one, frame the issue: as freedom of speech for officers and chaplains. The issue, of course, is officers misusing their official position to engage in forms of coercive proselytizing. Which practice is fine by the Christian Right. I mean, if they don't convert, they'll go to Hail, won't they?

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