
Rep. Alan Nunnelee, a Member of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, recently led 22 Members of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta calling on him to explain the removal of branch emblems from military-themed Bibles. In 2003, Holman Bible Publishers obtained permission from each branch of the military to use their official emblems on the Bibles. The “Soldier’s Bible,” “Sailor’s Bible,” “Marine’s Bible,” and “Airman’s Bible” displayed the official emblems, and in addition to the Biblical text, contained items such as patriotic quotes and historic prayers. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) recently claimed responsibility for convincing the branches to revoke authorization for Holman Bible Publishers to use the emblems. From the Members’ letter:
“Enshrined in the First Amendment is the right for Americans to worship our creator without the obstruction of the government. The brave men and women who have committed their lives to protect and defend the Constitution should surely be granted this fundamental opportunity. We are frustrated by outside groups aiming to limit these protections, but we are troubled by the fact that the Department of Defense has not clearly renounced these attempts and stated its intentions to preserve religious freedom in the military.”
The letter echoes concerns voiced by 66 Members of Congress in a letter recently sent to Secretary Panetta on the troubling pattern of hostility towards faith in the United States Air Force. It is crucial that the leaders of our nation’s armed forces carefully analyze issues involving the First Amendment rights of our service members. Complex decisions concerning these “first freedoms” must not be dictated by outside groups that seek to remove faith from the public square. Members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus will continue calling on the leaders of our armed services to refrain from capitulating to the demands of these groups.
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Congressman J. Randy Forbes, Founder
& Co-Chairman
Congressman Mike McIntyre, Co-Chairman
For a complete list of Members of the Congressional
Prayer Caucus, click here.
Contact the Congressional Prayer Caucus Amy Vitale, Amy.Vitale@mail.house.gov