U.S. Military to Rescind Policy Banning Bibles at Hospital

11/5/2011: Comment on this situation by Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Center, "While we're glad that hospital officials are working on changing the policy, the change has yet to be implemented. Given the recent track record of the Obama Administration's disrespect for religious liberty in the military, nothing is certain. We need your help to show military leaders that the American people will not stand for Bible bans such as the one at Walter Reed. Our brave wounded warriors are worthy of the same religious freedom that they themselves fought for.  Sign our petition today to help ensure that Bibles and other religious materials are not banned from Walter Reed Medical Center."
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Pix Via Cristi Li

ICYMI: The Obama Administration Was At It Again Ordering Families Not To Share Christian Bibles, Literature, and Artifacts With Their Wounded Veterans! However, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has now rescinded it's policy that prohibited family members of the wounded from bringing Bibles or any religious reading materials to their loved ones.

Thank the Lord for Rep. Steven King (R-IA) for speaking out and for those who were affected and spoke-out. The decision by Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was made one day after Congressman Steve King denounced the policy on the floor of the U.S. House and demanded President Obama change it at once. Excerpts are below.

Even with this reversal of position detailed below, it is hard to rejoice when we see the blatant continuous actions by the Obama Administration and liberals to remove all displays, acts or aspects of Christianity.

There have been other situations like a Texan Veteran Administration's official banning Christian prayers at the funerals of veterans - fortunately reversed. Then there is the new  Pagan Shrine (Circle) at the Air Force Academy with hopes for more at the other military academies (of course this is covered by the Constitution*).  In the past, we noted secular  liberalism moving through the military and even the Navy court-marshal and dismissal of Chaplain Gordon Klingensmith for "Praying in Jesus' Name". Christians need to wake up, pray, repent and stand forth and tell the government,  "enough is enough."

The First Amendment to the U.S. *Constitution says "Congress shall not make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . ." It appears, that under the leadership of Constitutional expert Barack Obama, the members of the Obama administration have determined that since they are not part of Congress, they do not have to comply with the 1st Amendment and may do and regulate anything they wish. As Rep. King says in the following article, "Americans must 'take a very strong stand.'”

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By Todd Starnes: U.S. Military to Rescind Policy Banning Bibles at Hospital - Excerpts Below - Click For Full Story

King spoke from the House floor Thursday blasting a policy memorandum from the commander of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center written by Chief of Staff C.W. Callahan. The September 14th memo covers guidelines for “wounded, ill, and injured partners in care.”

“No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit,” the policy states.

“That means you can’t bring in a Bible and read from it when you visit your son or your daughter, perhaps – or your wife or husband,” King said. “It means a priest that might be coming in to visit someone on their death bed couldn’t bring in the Eucharist, couldn’t offer Last Rites. This is the most outrageous affront.”

... Dean said the instruction was “in no way meant to prohibit family members from providing religious items to their loved ones at all.” If that’s the case, why is the policy being rescinded? . . .

“I don’t think there’s any excuse for it and there’s no talking it away,” King told Fox News. “The very existence of this, whether it’s enforced or not, tells you what kind of a mindset is there.”

“The idea that these soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that have fought to defend our Constitution, and that includes our First Amendment rights to religious liberty – would be denied that religious liberty when they are lying in a hospital bed recovering from wounds incurred while defending that liberty is the most bitter and offensive type of an irony that I can think of,” he said. . . .

“It flies in the face of not only the Bill of Rights, but 200 years of federal law,” said Ken Klukwoski, of the Family Research Council. “This current administration is showing unprecedented hostility towards those practicing the Christian faith.” “But beyond that,” he told Fox News, “We’ve also seen a militantly secular attitude of trying to sterilize the Defense Department of all references to faith.” . . .

King said Americans must “take a very strong stand.” “Christians are generally nice people and for that reason they can victimize the Christians in this country,” he said. “There was a reason that Christ gave us the demonstration of righteous anger when he threw the money changers out of the temple. It gives us some license to throw these kinds of people out of the military.”

King said he’s been alarmed at a trend he’s seen to scrub Christianity from the military – most recently the decision to remove a cross from an Army chapel in northern Afghanistan because it violated Army regulations.

He placed the blame on the Obama Administration.

“This is Orwellian,” he said. “Who would have believed even two or five years ago that the Executive branch of government led by our Commander in Chief Barack Obama would produce some kind of document that would prohibit family members coming into our military hospitals

Klukwoski said he’s noticed a similar trend in what he called “anti-faith measures.” “We are seeing a shocking level of hostility towards religious faith but beyond that – we’ve also seen a militantly secular attitude of trying to sterilize the defense department of all references to faith and references,” he said.

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