In a recent guest article for the Washington Post, [Air Force's pagan mistake] Robert Jeffress,Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas uses a bit of "logic" that I find a bit difficult to follow.
Jeffress claims to have ".... denounced televangelist Pat Robertson for claiming the Haitian earthquake was the result of God's judgment ....." yet, he then turns around and says that a decision of the Air Force Academy to allow an outdoor worship area for followers of Earth-centered (Pagan) religions will bring down God's wrath upon the United States. No, according to Jeffress, God did not punish the people of Haiti for any pact with the Devil or their use of Voodoo, but He will punish us because the Air Force is permitting Druids, Wiccans and an assortment of other neopagans to worship "idols" on Air Force Academy property.
In a piece for catholic.org [Air Force Academy Recognizes Paganism:] contributor Michael Terheyden also criticizes the decision. Terheyden writes that the Air Force is wrong to put paganism and other Earth based religions on an equal footing with Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism.
The argument put forward by the Air Force is that our Constitution allows freedom of religion for all of us. Earth-centered worship falls within the definition of religion as defined in the United States Air Force. ( See Instruction 36-2706.)
I admit that, in my view, Earth-centered religions are not equal to the teachings of the Catholic Church. But, then again, neither are Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and the thousands of Protestant denominations recognized by the Air Force. I consider Protestantism to be a dangerous belief system. It may not be politically correct to say this, but, if we are to recognize the Protestants, then, by all means, allow the Pagans their worship areas too.
Oh, by the way; the photo to the left is of Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier "consecrating" the pagans' worship circle with white sage and not a ginormous doobie.
other links:
Earth religions get worship area at AF Academy.
Academy chapel to add outdoor circle to worship areas.
Cross Placed at Air Force Pagan Circle Prompts Probe.
