Commander who pushed “CRT” class — “CRT” Meaning “Christian Religion Truths”

Friday Evening, November 18, 2022

MRFF VICTORY!!!

MRFF's INTERVENTION RESULTS IN

COMMANDER'S PUNISHMENT FOR PUSHING

“CHRISTIAN RELIGION TRUTHS” (“CRT”)

CLASS ON SUBORDINATES

“It’s not mandatory,” began the commander at a mandatory

meeting of 200 service members, “but my wife and I are

hosting and sponsoring a gathering at our

residence in a couple of weeks to study CRT.”

The commander “let that sink in a while while everyone was confused that this man would have anything to do with

what we thought he meant as ‘Critical Race Theory.’”

Then he said, with a big smile: “No not the CRT you’re

thinking about but ‘Christian Religion Truths.’”

According to one MRFF client, “He then glared at us and

with a smirk said the following: ‘Hey I said it’s optional

if you wanna come. No one has to be there but all are

welcome to our CRT study session. Remember that

Jesus loves you all even if you don’t love him.’—

Then he paused again and yelled loudly ‘Yet!’”

MRFF Matters – 11/18/22 – MRFF Chastises Commander Pushing "Christian

Religion Truths" on Cadets

Click to Watch Video (2:07)

MRFF OP-ED

ON DAILY KOS

Trending story on Daily Kos

Trump-loving commander pushes

“CRT” class on subordinates — “CRT” for

“Christian Religion Truths”

By: MRFF Senior Research Director Chris Rodda

Friday, November 18, 2022

Last week, a military commander on a large military base, known for his proselytizing and pushing of Christian nationalist views as well as openly promoting Trump and retired Lt. General Michael Flynn and bashing President Biden and Speaker Pelosi at military events and meetings, extended an invitation to the 200 service members present at a mandatory meeting.

“It’s not mandatory,” began the commander, according to one of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation’s (MRFF) now twenty clients who were at this mandatory meeting, “but my wife and I are hosting and sponsoring a gathering at our residence in a couple of weeks to study CRT.”

According to MRFF’s client, the commander “let that sink in a while while everyone was confused that this man would have anything to do with what we thought he meant as ‘Critical Race Theory.’” Then, according to MRFF’s client, the commander said, with a big smile: “No not the CRT you’re thinking about but ‘Christian Religion Truths.’”

But this oh-so-clever-in-his-own-mind evangelist wasn’t quite done with his illicit invite. According to MRFF’s client, “He then glared at us and with a smirk said the following: ‘Hey I said it’s optional if you wanna come. No one has to be there but all are welcome to our CRT study session. Remember that Jesus loves you all even if you don’t love him.’—Then he paused again and yelled loudly ‘Yet!’”

As soon as the first of MRFF’s twenty clients — ten percent of the 200 service members in attendance at the meeting — contacted MRFF about this commander’s odious invitation, MRFF founder and president Mikey Weinstein contacted the office of a superior commander a few links up in the offending commander’s chain of command.

Now, with MRFF having been around as long as we have, we’ve had a number of incidents of second-generation clients — children of early MRFF clients who are now themselves in the military and running into the same kinds of issues that their parents did — but this was the first time that the officer who Mikey got on the phone to put a stop to some contemptible commander’s atrocious antics had been a MRFF client themselves early in their own career. Needless to say, this aide to the superior commander was very responsive to MRFF’s clients’ complaint, first verifying that the incident happened as reported, and then assuring MRFF in the following email that “senior leadership is taking swift actions of administrative punishment against this offending officer and others who also participated and bear responsibility.”

From: (Name, Rank, and Title of Aide to the Superior Ranking Commander withheld)

Subject: Commander Religious Proselytizing Infraction

Date: November 16, 2022 at 10:13:49 AM MST

To: Information Weinstein <mikey@militaryreligiousfreedom.org>

Mr. Weinstein,

This e-mail is to confirm our several telephone conversations of this morning regarding the actions of a(n) (military branch name withheld) commander in our (name of military unit withheld) a few days ago at a mandatory unit formation here at (name and location of military installation withheld).

As accurately reported to you by a number of your MRFF organization’s clients, and now confirmed by our own chain of command, one of our subordinate commanders made unauthorized comments to his (or her) unit that involved proselytizing the Christian faith in a manner which violated (military branch name withheld) regulations and other standards.

Our commander, (name and rank of Superior Ranking Commander withheld), appreciates MRFF providing us the opportunity to handle this unfortunate matter internally. We have been aware of the MRFF for some time and support its mandate to enforce constitutional rights for military members to be free from enforced religious worship by their chains of command.

Although we cannot provide specifics to you or your clients due to the Privacy Act etc., please advise your clients that our senior leadership is taking swift actions of administrative punishment against this offending officer and others who also participated and bear responsibility.

The (military branch name withheld) is completely committed to equal rights and opportunities for all of its members and this most certainly includes the right not to have one’s commanding officer clearly proselytize their own faith at mandatory formations.

As agreed in our calls this morning, we thank the MRFF for not disclosing the names, ranks, units and installation names and location pertinent to the matter at hand.

V/R

(Name, Rank, and Title of Aide to the Superior Ranking Commander withheld)

After seeing the email from the superior commander’s aide, and being assured that “Captain CRT” was not going to get away with his pernicious proselytizing this time, the MRFF client quoted earlier in this post, an NCO who was present at the meeting, sent MRFF this email confirming all the details of the episode:

From: (Active Duty U.S. Military NCO/MRFF Client’s E-mail Address Withheld)

Subject: Our Commander wants us to all be Christians like him

Date: November 16, 2022 at 5:22:17 PM MST

To: Information Weinstein <mikey@militaryreligiousfreedom.org>

Dear Mr. Mikey Weinstein and the MRFF,

First off, thank you to the MRFF for expertly handling this wrongful incident on behalf of myself and the other MRFF clients with me.

I have carefully read the e-mail from the “Aide to the Superior Ranking Commander” which was sent to Mr. Weinstein earlier this morning concerning an ugly incident of Christian proselytizing by our immediate unit commander at a mandatory attendance unit event held last week here at (name and location of military installation withheld).

I want to state that I am one of the MRFF’s clients in this same matter and in that capacity I am also representing 18 other unit members who have requested the MRFF’s intervention.

I am a Protestant and most of our group are also Christians though not all of us are. We have Jews and Moslems and atheists with us as well. And maybe other non-Christians but I am not sure?

I am an NCO and am proud of my service to our country. I have been in numerous combat engagements downrange and have been both decorated and wounded in more than a few of them.

I was present at this very recent event and can confirm the following for the record:

—Our commander already had a pretty bad reputation for pushing his Christian faith on subordinates before what happened here.

—Our commander has often in the past said negative things about President Biden and Speaker Pelosi at military events and meetings. I have been in so many of them where he has done this. He has also promoted Trump and retired Lt. General Michael Flynn as well.

—Our commander has repeatedly said stuff in meetings like “I love everybody but it’s just a fact that America was founded by devout Christians to be a Christian nation." And “I mean there is no record at all of Jews or Moslems helping to form this nation.” And many other things just the same. Totally divisive. But none of us did anything until what just happened last week.

—At the mandatory meeting last week with about 200 of us in attendance he actually said the following to all of us:

“It’s not mandatory but my wife and I are hosting and sponsoring a gathering at our residence in a couple of weeks to study CRT”. Now he let that sink in a while while everyone was confused that this man would have anything to do with what we thought he meant as "Critical Race Theory"?

—Then he said the following with a big smile: “No not the CRT you’re thinking about but ‘Christian Religion Truths’”. In other words a bible study at his on installation house.

—He then glared at us and with a smirk said the following: “Hey I said it’s optional if you wanna come. No one has to be there but all are welcome to our CRT study session. Remember that Jesus loves you all even if you don’t love him.”---Then he paused again and yelled loudly “Yet!”. The meeting was then adjourned. Many of us were shocked.

—You could hear a pin drop.

—A bunch of us were pissed by what happened. Me and a few others went to talk to the First Shirt but he just told us we were "overreacting woke wimps“. With that statement the fire was lit!

—Oh I forgot that the commander’s own boss was also at this mandatory meeting and sat on the speakers stage doing nothing at all about what our own commander had just done.

We contacted the MRFF shortly thereafter and Mr. Weinstein and they took our cause up immediately.

Cannot thank the MRFF and Mr. Weinstein enough for what you all did to totally have our backs.

Just hope that there is justice here for those of us who have been forced to live in our commander’s alternate Christian totalitarian reality.

(Name, rank, title, unit and installation of Active Duty U. S. Military NCO/MRFF Client Withheld)

MRFF commends the senior leadership at this base for their swift response and promise of punishment for this miscreant of a military officer.

Click to read on Daily Kos

A few other recent incidents of commanders illicitly attempting to lure subordinates to Christianity

8/3/22 – MRFF’s Demand, on Behalf of 16 Clients, Swiftly Ends Hyper-Sectarian Religious Proselytizing at Mandatory Military Formation

6/21/22 – MRFF Succeeds in Getting Punishment for Officer Using Baffling Brownies to Lure his Unit into Becoming “Witness Bearing Christians”

4/21/21 – “Bagel Dogs for the Chosen People” Offered to Jewish Soldiers to Attend Military Boss’s Bible Study

MRFF Advisory Board Member Pedro Irigonegraray responds to “USAFA Concocts Idiotic Lie MRFF

Exposed” – “I applaud your courageous and consistent commitment to protect our constitutional rights”

"Re: USAFA Concocts Idiotic Lie to Explain

MRFF-Exposed 'John 3:16' Proselytizing

on Soccer Field Banner"

From: Pedro L Irigonegaray, MRFF Advisory Board Member

Subject: Re: USAFA Concocts Idiotic Lie to Explain MRFF-Exposed “John 3:16” Proselytizing on Soccer Field Banner

Date: November 3, 2022 at 2:51:41 PM MDT

To: Mikey Weinstein <info@militaryreligiousfreedom.org>

Good afternoon Mikey,

I applaud your courageous and consistent commitment to protect our constitutional rights.

USAFA’s offensive disregard of their sworn duty to uphold the United States‘ Constitution is all the more offensive by their ludicrous attempt to cover up their blatant disregard of our rule of law.

It is inconceivable USAFA’s agents were not aware of the Christian religious implications their chosen numerical order clearly signaled.

USAFA’s response should have been an acceptance of responsibility and a promise to hold accountable those individuals responsible to avoid this type of inexcusable behavior from occurring in the future.

Unfortunately USAFA chose to offer a patently offensive, obviously inaccurate and willfully ignorant attempt at an excuse.

I am very proud of you and the MRFF; keep up your invaluably important work.

Pedro Luis Irigonegaray,

MRFF Advisory Board Member