Complaint filed over religious event near post
By John Milburn - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 23, 2008 21:10:48 EDT
TOPEKA, Kan. - A national group alleged Wednesday that Fort Leonard Wood,
Mo., is forcing soldiers to participate in a weekly religious event, a
program that has been mentioned in a federal lawsuit in Kansas.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent a letter to the
Department of Defense's inspector general, asking for an investigation
into
the Sunday evening event, whose name was recently changed from "Free Day
Away" to "Tabernacle Baptist Church Retreat Program." The Tabernacle
Baptist
Church in Lebanon, Mo., has hosted the event for soldiers from the
Missouri
post since 1971.
A Fort Leonard Wood spokesman said the program is voluntary, and the
church's
pastor said it has taken steps to ensure that soldiers know they will hear
a
religious message if they attend.
But Americans United's executive director, the Rev. Barry Lynn, said
*soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood must either attend the program or stay on
post*.
"That's not the kind of choice that ought be to be given to soldiers,"
said
Lynn, who described the practice as "coercive evangelism."
In the letter to the Defense Department, Lynn's group said its request was
prompted by complaints from an unnamed soldier assigned to Fort Leonard
Wood.
A spokesman for the Department of Defense, Cmdr. Darryn James, said he
didn't
know whether the inspector general had received the letter and declined
further comment.
Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation,
applauded the request for an investigation. Still, Weinstein said he
doubts
American United's request will result in changes, based on his group's own
efforts to fight the practice by going through the military's chain of
command.
Weinstein's group and an atheist soldier stationed at Fort Riley, Kan.,
Spc.
Jeremy Hall, have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Kansas against
the Department of Defense and Secretary Robert Gates that mentioned the
event. Hall and the foundation claim that the military allows and even
sup****ts a culture in which religious liberties are violated regularly.
Hall said he participated in "Free Day Away" in July 2004, during his
basic
training at Fort Leonard Wood.
Fort Leonard Wood spokeswoman Tiffany Ryan said soldiers are briefed about
the event before they are allowed to leave post. That includes letting
them
know they will hear a religious message and must stay on church grounds.
Also, the Rev. Don Ball said the church recently started having soldiers
review and sign a release before attending.
"We make no qualms about it. Our intent isn't to make a Baptist out of
them,
but we are going to preach a Baptist message to them," Ball said.
He said he has gone so far as to drive soldiers back to post when they
feel
uncomfortable about hearing the Christian message.
"I would never want to violate a person's religious freedoms. If I do
that,
that gives someone the right to violate mine," said Ball, who has been
working with the ministry for 15 years.
But Weinstein said disclaimers and waivers create "a defacto religious
test." He said his foundation has heard complaints from about 300
officers
and enlisted soldiers about Fort Leonard Wood since 2005.
"It's not a remedy to have them sign something that says they know what is
coming," he said.
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