Group criticizes blessing of 'official Bible' for Space Force

[left-of-center2012]

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) condemned the blessing of an "official Bible" for the swearing-in of commanders of the newly created Space Force.

The group issued its statement after Washington National Cathedral held a ceremony to bless an “official” King James Bible on Sunday and tweeted that it “will be used to swear in all commanders of America’s newest military branch.” A spokesperson for the cathedral told The Hill that the Bible, donated by the Museum of the Bible in Washington, will be used to swear in Gen. John Raymond as the first chief of space operations.

It was unclear if the Bible is to be used for every commander in the branch or just its top leaders, Military.com noted. But the ceremony included mentions of blessing Trump, Raymond and “all the men and women of the newly created United States Space Force, wherever they may go.”

Several people as well as the MRFF denounced the designation, saying officers are not usually required to use religious texts to take an oath of office and that the move could ostracize non-Christians. The MRFF has promised to take the matter to federal court in Northern Virginia if it cannot settle it through the Defense Department’s “administrative remedies.”

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/478049-group-criticizes-space-force-for-blessing-official-bible-for-new-military

[lapfog_1]

1. The Air Force has been ridled with evangelicals

for decades now... since the mid 1980's when I lived near there.
C-springs is a rathole of fundies.

[mindem]

2. All this crap

is getting over the top creepy.

[louis-t]

3. Hey MRFF, you don't get it?

There will be no mooslims or furriners in the Space Force!!1!!1!!

[HAB911]

4. When I have to use Amazon

I use Amazon Smile and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation receives a donation

About AmazonSmile
AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice.

Every item available for purchase on www.amazon.com is also available on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com) at the same price. You will see eligible products marked "Eligible for AmazonSmile donation" on their product detail pages.

If you represent a charitable organization and you would like to learn more about registering your organization to receive AmazonSmile donations, go to org.amazon.com .

For more information about the AmazonSmile program, go to https://smile.amazon.com/about


Just an FYI

[left-of-center2012]

7. "go to http://smile.amazon.com/about" ???

[HAB911]

9. try

https://smile.amazon.com/about


seems to work for me

[LuvNewcastle]

5. Is that Gen. Raymond in the photo?

I can't tell in which branch of the military he is. I swear, if the Space Force wear capes and death's heads on their hats, I'm getting the hell out of here. Sad to say that at this point I wouldn't be totally surprised.

[hurple]

6. Perfect example

To use for all those "christians" who don't want vhurch-state separation... but also don't think the KJV is the "correct" Bible.

"This is why we have church state separation to stop that Christian sect from pushing their views on your sect."

[Newest Reality]

8. Where does one sign up for this "Space Force"?

Where do people sign up for this "Space Force"? Do they issue you a laser, fazer or light saber? I imagine you get a cloaking device and a tricorder.

Oh, by the way, in the Holy Book of Spaces it says:

"And he said unto them, I shall move the space! But lo, the space did not move. So, he said, if the space will not move, then we shall go to the space with a great force and move it!" And thus was decreed the Great Space Force of the Altered Snakes for the War Beyond the deepest state, for no one is able to conquer the space of spaces that we possess.



On a more serious note, you don't have to be sworn in on a bible or any other religious text. It can be another text, if you like, or an affirmation, etc.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

11. All inquiries may be made in the direction of Chief Commander Spiff.

[Dr. Strange]

10. I hope it's the Orange Catholic Bible.

"All men seek to be enlightened. Religion is but the most ancient and honorable way in which men have striven to make sense out of God's universe. Scientists seek the lawfulness of events. It is the task of Religion to fit man into this lawfulness."

[xocet]

12. If they have to swear on a book to feel good, perhaps they should swear on Newton's Principia (1687)

They should recite and promise to obey the following oath:

"Corpus omne perseverare in statu suo quiescendi vel movendi uniformiter in directum, nisi quatenus a viribus impressis cogitur statum illum mutare.

Mutationem motus proportionalem esse vi motrici impressæ, & fieri secundum lineam rectam qua vis illa imprimitur.

Actioni contrariam semper & æqualem esse reactionem: sive corporum duorum actiones in se mutuo semper esse æquales & in partes contrarias dirigi."

The Latin should appease their need to feel a sense of mystery. The content, at least, reflects a reasonable approximation of reality. To improve, they would need to recite an oath in German, but that might not create the right sense of mystery.

See http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28233/28233-h/28233-h.htm for the text of the Principia.

[NCLefty]

13. They "blessed" the bible to get it ready? How do they know if it worked, since I assume they were

asking god to bless it?