Thursday Afternoon, August 29, 2024 | |
MRFF DEMANDS EQUAL ADVERTISING OF
COURSES ON NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS
AFTER USAFA HAWKS COURSE DEVOTED
TO CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST C.S. LEWIS
“The Air Force Academy last week published an article
focusing on a Philosophy Department course that teaches based
on the non-fiction works of Christian apologist C.S. Lewis,
featuring such works as ‘The Abolition of Man,’ which is
popular among politically conservative circles.
“It's telling that the academy's public affairs team chooses to cover this course in particular without mentioning the diversity
of courses offered by the Philosophy Department or other departments in the institution that focus on non-Christian faiths
that might have a more liberal worldview. The article is effectively virtue signaling to the dominionist factions within the academy's staff and graduate communities, saying, ‘We're a safe place for
you to practice the belief that Christians are morally
superior to members of other faiths.’”
— U.S. Air Force Academy MRFF client
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PHOTO AND CAPTION FROM ARTICLE ON AIR FORCE ACADEMY WEBSITE:
Cadet 2nd Class Grace Dailey displays a copy of C.S. Lewis’s “The Abolition of Man”
Aug. 20, 2024. The book is one of many Dr. Adam Pelser uses to teach his
“C.S. Lewis and Philosophy” course at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)
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MRFF OP-ED ON
DAILY KOS
Trending story on Daily Kos
Of all its courses, Air Force Academy hawks course devoted to Christian apologist C.S. Lewis
By: MRFF Senior Research Director Chris Rodda
Thursday, August 29, 2024
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Just like civilian colleges and universities, the U.S military’s service academies offer a well-rounded education that includes the humanities and philosophy along with the kind of courses you’d expect at institutions whose job it is to prepare future military officers for their military careers.
At the Air Force Academy, some two dozen courses are offered by the Philosophy Department, and one of these courses — or, more specifically, the Academy’s promotion of this one course to the exclusion of all others — has raised the ire of 62 Academy cadets, faculty, staff, and 10th ABW (Air Base Wing) personnel.
The course is “C.S. Lewis and Philosophy,” taught by Dr. Adam Pelser.
On August 7, U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications published an article titled “Examining the works of C.S. Lewis: critical thinking and ethics,” which was (and still is at the time of this writing) promoted as “Featured News” on the homepage of the Academy’s website.
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Now, C.S. Lewis is known for two things — The Chronicles of Narnia and being a Christian apologist, with works such as The Case for Christianity and Mere Christianity.
But only one of C.S. Lewis’s books is shown in the photos of the smiling cadets in the U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications “Featured News” article about the Academy’s “C.S. Lewis and Philosophy” course. That book is The Abolition of Man, which, unlike C.S. Lewis’s numerous other non-fiction works, is not a work of Christian apologetics or even a religious book per se. As Lewis says near the beginning of the book, which was essentially his criticism of an English book being used in England’s schools at the time, “I may add that though I myself am a Theist, and indeed a Christian, I am not here attempting any indirect argument for Theism.” The book also quotes from a wide range of philosophies and belief systems including ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Chines, Greek, and Roman, Old Norse, Hindu, and even Australian Aborigine.
But, as the caption below the photo of the smiling cadet joyously holding up her copy of The Abolition of Man in the U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications “Featured News” article says, “The book is one of many Dr. Adam Pelser uses to teach his ‘C.S. Lewis and Philosophy’ course.” Since this “one of many” of C.S. Lewis’s books is a rare departure from Christian apologetics among his non-fiction works, it stands to reason that the “many” other C.S. Lewis books used in the course are indeed Christian apologetics books, i.e. books written to convert people to Christianity.
As one member of the group of 62 Academy cadets, faculty, staff, and 10th ABW personnel that has come to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) with serious objections to the Academy’s hawking of this particular course as “Featured News” on its homepage wrote in an e-mail to MRFF (emphasis added):
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“It's telling that the academy's public affairs team chooses to cover this course in particular without mentioning the diversity of courses offered by the Philosophy Department or other departments in the institution that focus on non-Christian faiths that might have a more liberal worldview. The article is effectively virtue signaling to the dominionist factions within the academy's staff and graduate communities, saying, ‘We're a safe place for you to practice the belief that Christians are morally superior to members of other faiths.’”
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“Delighted to see the USAF Academy returning to classic philosophy and virtues from its descent into modern wokery.”
“This is the ‘crticial’ theory the USAF academy needs to be teaching.”
“Delighted to see my alma mater continuing to teach the timeless truths grounded in the fertile soil of Christianity.”
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Among the Academy’s Philosophy Department course offerings, no other philosopher besides Christian apologist C.S. Lewis gets an entire course devoted just to them. Additionally, the C.S. Lewis course is not the only one to elevate the Academy’s preferred religion of Christianity above all other belief systems. While all the “lesser” religions are lumped together in courses such as “Comparative Religion,” Christianity gets its whole own course, “Philosophy and Christian Thought.” (We’ll just hope that one isn’t taught by the member of the Academy’s Philosophy Department who got their masters in theology from Liberty University.)
In this case, MRFF is not demanding that the Air Force Academy’s article about the “C.S. Lewis and Philosophy” course be taken down, but that the Academy’s Office of Strategic Communications:
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“… immediately provide another comparable news article from USAFA’s Office of Strategic Communications. This subsequent article will profile USAFA curriculum classes devoted to other religious faiths and non-faith traditions, besides Christianity, and will be composed and distributed in the very same fashion as the current promotional story on C.S. Lewis and Christian apologetics published with all too obvious great glee by USAFA.”
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Below is the entire e-mail from one of the group of 62 Academy cadets, faculty, staff, and 10th ABW personnel who have sought MRFF’s help in getting the Academy to “do a better job of conveying the diversity of beliefs and faiths of its student body,” followed by MRFF Founder and President Mikey Weinstein’s demand letter to the Superintendent of the Academy. | |
From: (MRFF USAFA Client’s e-mail address withheld)
Subject: USAFA's Christian Apologetics Course
Date: August 27, 2024 at 4:14:05 AM MDT
To: Mikey Weinstein <mikey@militaryreligiousfreedom.org>
Mikey --
The Air Force Academy last week published an article focusing on a Philosophy Department course that teaches based on the non-fiction works of Christian apologist C.S. Lewis, featuring such works as “The Abolition of Man,” which is popular among politically conservative circles.
It's telling that the academy's public affairs team chooses to cover this course in particular without mentioning the diversity of courses offered by the Philosophy Department or other departments in the institution that focus on non-Christian faiths that might have a more liberal worldview. The article is effectively virtue signaling to the dominionist factions within the academy's staff and graduate communities, saying, “We're a safe place for you to practice the belief that Christians are morally superior to members of other faiths.“
Comments on the academy's LinkedIn post pointing to the story reflect the effect of this story, with many conservative commenters leaving such notes as:
* “Delighted to see the USAF Academy returning to classic philosophy and virtues from its descent into modern wokery.”
* “This is the ‘crticial’ theory the USAF academy needs to be teaching.”
* “Delighted to see my alma mater continuing to teach the timeless truths grounded in the fertile soil of Christianity.”
The public affairs office must do a better job of conveying the diversity of beliefs and faiths of its student body. If Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts are “absolutely vital to USAFA's mission of developing leaders of character,” as its chief diversity officer said in 2021, then public affairs efforts must reflect that by alternating its focus on groups other than the majority. Otherwise the academy's student body will continue to reflect the dominionist influences that jeopardize freedom of worship in this country.
(Name, title, and all other identifiers withheld)
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MRFF Founder and President Mikey Weinstein’s demand letter to Air Force Academy Superintendent
Lieutenant General Tony D. Bauernfiend
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August 29, 2024
Lt. General Tony D. Bauernfiend
Superintendent
United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)
RE: MRFF Demand Letter to Rectify Yet Another Repugnant Example of USAFA’s Fundamentalist Christian Nationalism
Sir, by way of introduction, I am the Founder and President of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF.org). MRFF has currently provided vigorous, civil rights First Amendment advocacy to just under 90,000 Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard United States armed forces clients, including many veterans. About 95% of MRFF’s clients are in fact practicing Christians. Specifically, MRFF has several hundred clients under your command at USAFA from among the Air Force Academy faculty, staff, and Cadet Wing, and the 10th Air Base Wing (ABW).
I know that you are very new to your current job as the Superintendent of USAFA (August 2, 2024), but, unfortunately, we have yet ANOTHER bad fundamentalist, Christian supremacy situation at USAFA. Sadly, this present matter only adds to many disgraceful years of USAFA’s well-established and chronicled outrageous, unconstitutional Christian oppression, exclusivity, triumphalism, and tyranny.
Lt. General Bauernfiend, as if your unfounded assertion “There are perfect spiritual beings” at your recent introductory Commander's Call as the brand new USAFA Superintendent was not enough to cause enormous concern, the article released on August 7, 2024, from your Office of Strategic Communications at USAFA confirms that fundamentalist Christianity will continue to be, as it always has been, the illicit and unconstitutional “USAFA approved solution” under your command.
Indeed, General, to this ignominious end, please see the USAFA-damning news article directly below, which is just now breaking:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/8/29/2266297/-Of-all-its-courses-Air-Force-Academy-hawks-course-devoted-to-Christian-apologist-C-S-Lewis
Why, of the hundreds of academic courses at USAFA you are responsible to the American taxpayers for, did your Public Affairs office choose to solely highlight the ONLY course dedicated to Christian apologetics? Why, for that matter, is C.S. Lewis the ONLY individual who gets an ENTIRE semester course to himself, while Plato, Aristotle, and other incontrovertible giants in the history of philosophical ideas get lumped together in the bargain bin of “Ancient Western Philosophy”? Where, for that matter, is the course dedicated to Moses Mendelssohn, the Jewish apologist famous throughout Europe in his day? Or Katip Celebi, the 17th-century Muslim philosopher and scholar? Oh, there are innumerable more salient examples, sir!
Perhaps you’re now getting the concept of our USAFA clients’ righteous fury here, General?
Of all the Academy classes to highlight, your Public Affairs office's choice of a course on the most popular Christian apologist of modern times, to the exclusion of all other germane topics, is both repugnant and odious. From the comments we are seeing on social media, it seems that this sectarian, literally in-your-face article promoting nonsecular, Christian apologetics greatly pleased its intended audience of extremist, right wing, ultra-conservative USAFA grads and related partisan allies.
**FYI, sir: MRFF is representing 62 USAFA cadets, faculty, staff and 10th ABW personnel on this matter, 47 of whom also practice Christianity, either Protestant or Roman Catholic. The remaining MRFF clients come from an array of other faith and non-faith traditions.
To be clear, MRFF and its clients are not just infuriated about the fact of this article being published per se. Indeed, sir, rather, their wrath is focused on the atrocious fact that it was published to the utter exclusion of all or any other religious or non-faith philosophies, their traditions, and their respective well-known promoters, just as C.S. Lewis is vis-a-vis Christianity.
The fact that this article was published and heavily promoted by USAFA is particularly egregious given USAFA’s well-deserved wretched reputation for shamelessly promulgating fundamentalist Christian nationalism for decades. Thus, MRFF and its 62 USAFA clients see clearly malevolent malfeasance, vice mere misfeasance, in its nefarious production and distribution beginning on August 7, 2024 and continuing thereafter on social media et al under your direct auspices as the new USAFA Superintendent.
MRFF’s Demand:
On behalf of its 62 USAFA clients on this sordid matter, and in the interest of promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Constitutional mandate of church-state separation, and in accordance with the UCMJ, and numerous Directives, Instructions and Regulations of DoD and the Dept. of the Air Force (see specifically Air Force Instruction 1-1, Section 2.16), MRFF demands that you immediately provide another comparable news article from USAFA’s Office of Strategic Communications. This subsequent article will profile USAFA curriculum classes devoted to other religious faiths and non-faith traditions, besides Christianity, and will be composed and distributed in the very same fashion as the current promotional story on C.S. Lewis and Christian apologetics published with all too obvious great glee by USAFA.
Standing by, Lt. General Bauernfiend, to have you confirm your compliance with MRFF’s demands on behalf of its 62 USAFA clients under your direct command herewith.
Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein, Esq.
Founder and President
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
505-250-7727
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For a two-decade history of MRFF’s numerous battles against outrageous Christian proselytizing and Christian nationalism at the Air Force Academy, visit: | |
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“Civil rights organizations like MRFF are essential in
a voluntary military within a democracy, and your unwavering presence has rectified numerous
injustices by religious extremists”
From: (Name withheld)
Subject: RE: In Memoriam
Date: August 27, 2024 at 1:24:56 PM MDT
To: info@militaryreligiousfreedom.org
Mikey,
First, it's inspiring to see the incredible individuals highlighted in your latest article, "In Memoriam," who dared to stand up despite the significant pressures, especially considering how sensitive the topic of religion is in our society.
Second, thank you for the critical work you do at MRFF. Throughout my military career, I've faced several issues where you responded within hours, sometimes even minutes. The overwhelming Christian majority often struggles to comprehend the inappropriate, and sometimes illegal, imposition of their beliefs on other service members. For many service members, particularly those in subordinate roles, this can seem like an impossible situation, with the potential to ruin careers or lead to even more tragic consequences. MRFF serves as a beacon of hope for those unable to effect change on their own. Civil rights organizations like MRFF are essential in a voluntary military within a democracy, and your unwavering presence has rectified numerous injustices by religious extremists who often fail to recognize the harm in their actions.
I was reminded of the insidious religious pressures that exist on LinkedIn recently. A USAFA graduate congratulated the Philosophy Department for a course on C.S. Lewis and Philosophy, which he hailed as a return to Christian values, saying, 'Delighted to see my alma mater continuing to teach the timeless truths grounded in the fertile soil of Christianity.' This post received 35 likes, and numerous people defended the sentiment vehemently. Imagine, however, the uproar that would ensue if a course on Al-Farabi were introduced with the express purpose of pushing Islamic values. The same individuals who praised the promotion of Christian values would likely denounce such a course as an affront to American ideals. This double standard starkly illustrates the privilege and entitlement that often go unchecked in a predominantly Christian environment, and it underscores the critical need for organizations like MRFF to advocate for true religious neutrality and protect the rights of all service members, regardless of their faith—or lack thereof.
I fully support the work MRFF does and give permission to use my name in any context that could help further the cause. At the same time, I deeply appreciate and commend the organization's dedication to keeping the anonymity of others sacrosanct, as this protection is vital for those who might otherwise face severe repercussions for speaking out.
Thank you!
(Name withheld) (all opinions given are my own and do not reflect the opinions/stances of the USAF)
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