'U.S. Navy cancels Christmas in the Persian Gulf
- Posted by National Director, Dee on December 12, 2012 at 5:52pm in Faith
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Atheists force Navy to cave...
Calling itself the busiest 60 acres in the world, the Naval Support Activity Bahrain (or NSA Bahrain) is home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.
NSA Bahrain is also home to;
- Thousands of American troops.
- Hundreds of American military families.
- Hundreds of Allied military personnel.
What NSA Bahrain is not home to:
- The Holy Family.
- Three Wise Men.
- A singular Santa Claus.
- Assorted shepherds.
- A lone camel.
- A Christmas Tree.
As reported by Fox News, it's been a long standing tradition aboard the naval installation to host;
"A 'Live Nativity' that featured the children of military personnel dressed as shepherds, wise men, along with Mary and Joseph.
It was part of a larger festival that included a tree lighting, Christmas music and photographs with Santa Claus and a camel."
Manger Scene "Unconstitutional"...
Enter the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF), who objected to the Nativity scene and eventually filed a complaint with the Navy’s Inspector General (IG).
They argued the Nativity Scene promoted “Christianity as the official religion of the base.”
According to MAAF, the Nativity Scene puts service members in danger.
Per the written complaint to the Navy's IG;
"Also of concern is the likelihood that the predominantly Muslim local population will see the U.S. military as a Christian force rather than a secular military support U.S. – but not necessarily Christian values in their Muslim country.
This even threatens U.S. security and violates the Constitution as well as command policy."
As told by MAAF spokesman Jason Torpy to Fox News;
"It’s unconstitutional, it’s bad for the military and in a Muslim country it’s dangerous."
I Have Not Yet Begun To Give Up...
In a statement reportedly sent from the Navy to MAAF;
"Upon further review, the CRP (Command Religious Program) will be removing the Living Nativity Program from the general base secular holiday festivities and co-locating it more appropriately with some of our other private religious and faith-based observances at the chapel at a separate time."
Fox News reported that the cancellation was "heartbreaking" and that the "children who were supposed to act in the Nativity were devastated."
As on officer who remained anonymous stated;
"It was horrible, it was devastating.
Here we are serving in the Middle East, defending our country and other people’s religions and we couldn’t understand why we can’t enjoy our own religious freedoms."
Another unnamed Jack Tar stated;
"You can go outside the gate and hear Christmas music, but on the base you can’t have a Nativity
The sense of hypocrisy is overwhelming."
Work crews had already started building the Nativity Scene, but orders from higher-ups ensured it was quickly dismantled.
read more:
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(my comment; amongst many, shall I say, rather cruder; including one such in reply to mine:)
Permalink Reply by Stan Stanfield 1 hour ago
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I fail to see the logic in this complaint. It's not promoting Christianity "as the official religion of the base" - and even if it were, and even if every member of the military serving there was a Christian - so what?? They have a right to celebrate their religious holy day observances. Any Muslin could tell you that.
This is outrageous stuff. Wait until their Commander in Chief hears about -
no; on second thought, hold off on that observation.
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What would I have done, if I had been their Commander in Chief?? At this moment, what I feel I would do/have done is to reply to the MAAF thusly:
'Dear MAAF,
Bollocks.
Sincerely,' etc.
Let me clarify something here. The Christian religion is not something that I personally subscribe to.1 But I will defend to the death people's right to celebrate their religion's holy observances.
Also, I accept that sometimes a majority culture can be insensitive to the feelings of minorities amongst them, and it would pay for them - even in just general awareness-raising - to look at things out of more than just their own (current) eyes. But having given that caveat: I am incensed at people trying to run other peoples's lives for them. This is despotism in the making. And I will will have none of it.2
As for the general idea of 'the nation's majority religion' (being Judeo-Christian): I have read the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 (as seen through the astute eyes of Catherine Drinker Bowen), and it is very clear that the Framers steered well clear of any idea of a theocratical element to the republic they were deeply embarked on creating; to the point of making sure that there would be no religious test to hold federal office.3 But they were, by and large, a very religious bunch; and that sentiment got carried over in any number of personal observations, from them and the Founding Fathers of the Revolution itself.4
And we have certainly seen the wisdom of all that good advice in our basically secular day and age, with corruption running rampant in the political scene in America today. It would seem as though the secular humanists are wrong, and people, by and large, will NOT be 'good' without a reason to be, rather than trying to live by a series of 'what ifs': What if we were nice to each other. What if we were honest with each other. What if. What if. What if. Wouldn't that be nice??
Well; yes. And, it's still nothing but a bunch of - what ifs; with no basis in the reality of a life with no meaning other than in and for itself only. Where the more powerful would always rule. And often mercilessly.
And that's why the likes of constitutions were created: to keep humans living within the rule of law.
And you disregard them at your peril.
Now, on the other hand: where there IS reason for being; where life HAS meaning, beyond just in and for itself only…ah. That can make all the difference.
And welcome to that New World; coming up to its Ascension.
Where everything changes. And we live by higher consciousness. Not rules. As souls, on the return path to their Home. And capable of demonstrating virtue. Because it is in their makeup. And acknowledged as such. As 'spiritual beings having a human experience'.
Not a species of animal, trained by its Keepers to respond to conditioned commands. And kept under mental leash, in case it tries to escape its cage, in 3D 'life'. Such as it is.
No. We have a better destiny than that, to inherit.
A higher destiny.
Coming up; as we speak.
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footnotes:
1) because I feel that it needs to take a closer look at at itself, in the light of modern - and some not-so modern - research.
2 It is the same as all the other 'politically correct' crap going on these days: a single mother taking her daughter's school to court - and winning - because her daughter couldn't go to a father-daughter dance the school was sponsoring; and so forth and so bloody on. My message to such people: Get a life. But whatever you do: stop trying to run other people's lives for them. It is unseemly; and conducive to a totalitarian mindset.
3 and as got carried over into the final version, after the document went through the states's ratifying processes and close scrutiny; to wit: Art. VI, para 3: "…no religious Test shall ever be required to any Office or public Trust under the United States".
4 Look up such quotes of the likes of John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to this effect, and 'its' - i.e., a virtuous life's - importance to the success of their experiment in self-government. I was going to post some of such thoughts here; but on second thought, why should I do all your work for you?? You may get lazy. -
precisely as many American citizens have in these sort of matters. Lazy about their roots. Both secular. And spiritual. And here we are, deep into Crisis, as a consequence.
(But, as to Crisis, and the positive side of the coin thereof (of Opportunity): see my just-previous blog.)
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P.S. In reading over some 'spiritual' blogs today, I am reminded that one of the most important qualities that we can connect with and embody is forgiveness - of ourselves, and others. One of my 'biggies' - actually, now that I think of it, I feel that it is THE biggie - has to do with the man who calls himself Barack Hussein Obama, and his purloining (with the help of others; and in both of the main political parties) of the American presidency - of MY country; and the general corruption and theft surrounding that whole process and state of being. It is, simply, an ignoble situation.
Even with my strong feelings regarding it, and wishing for justice to be served regarding it (instead of continually being denied, by the judicial branch of government; tip-toeing around the truth of the too-hot-to-handle matter, and even engaging in outright chicanery regarding the law), I still found myself, last night, 'realizing' that if he would just make an announcement to the American people, confessing all, and apologize to them for what he did, and asking for their forgiveness as he vacates the office voluntarily, I would/could accept that, and say 'Go, and sin no more'. And then the snake creeps back into the picture, with the likes, today, of my coming across a video of the man where he called people like me - who have serious issue with him regarding his birth ineligibility status for that particular office - the equivalent of 'silly': whereby the American public and he should not be "distracted by side shows and carnival barkers".
Side shows? Carnival barkers?? And I am supposed to forgive this guy???...
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P.S. In reading over some 'spiritual' blogs today, I am reminded that one of the most important qualities that we can connect with and embody is forgiveness - of ourselves, and others. One of my 'biggies' - actually, now that I think of it, I feel that it is THE biggie - has to do with the man who calls himself Barack Hussein Obama, and his purloining (with the help of others; and in both of the main political parties) of the American presidency - of MY country; and the general corruption and theft surrounding that whole process and state of being. It is, simply, an ignoble situation.
Even with my strong feelings regarding it, and wishing for justice to be served regarding it (instead of continually being denied, by the judicial branch of government; tip-toeing around the truth of the too-hot-to-handle matter, and even engaging in outright chicanery regarding the law), I still found myself, last night, 'realizing' that if he would just make an announcement to the American people, confessing all, and apologize to them for what he did, and asking for their forgiveness as he vacates the office voluntarily, I would/could accept that, and say 'Go, and sin no more'. And then the snake creeps back into the picture, with the likes, today, of my coming across a video of the man where he called people like me - who have serious issue with him regarding his birth ineligibility status for that particular office - the equivalent of 'silly': whereby the American public and he should not be "distracted by side shows and carnival barkers".
Side shows? Carnival barkers?? And I am supposed to forgive this guy???...
I presume - because I want to rise to my highest potential; and wish that outcome for all of my brothers and sisters in incarnation - that I will, sooner or later; and have to - for it to be 'real' - regardless of what he does about his crime. But, really. Carnival barkers...
Maybe someday I will laugh about all this.
But that is not happening right now. Or even close to happening.
So - here I remain. Stuck.
Yes; I'll get over it. That has to happen, for me - and, each for our own reasons, for all of us - to progress.
But it would help me dearly if two things happened. Yes yes; unconditional loves, and all that. But I need to put it out; in all honesty's sake. The two things:
1) that Obama would do the 'honors' of confessing his sin; and
2) that America would stand tall again, in the minds of men; for having, and living, honorable values.
Is that - these two things - too much to ask??????
Maybe someday I will laugh about all this.
But that is not happening right now. Or even close to happening.
So - here I remain. Stuck.
Yes; I'll get over it. That has to happen, for me - and, each for our own reasons, for all of us - to progress.
But it would help me dearly if two things happened. Yes yes; unconditional loves, and all that. But I need to put it out; in all honesty's sake. The two things:
1) that Obama would do the 'honors' of confessing his sin; and
2) that America would stand tall again, in the minds of men; for having, and living, honorable values.
Is that - these two things - too much to ask??????
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