ICC Note: As previously reported, the US Air Force Academy received a complaint from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) after it was discovered that the football team would pray on the field prior to each game. Although the school conducted an investigation following the complaint, they recently announced that the team was not doing anything wrong and that they were allowed to continue their prayer practice. MRFF President Mikey Weinstein has since stated that he is considering a lawsuit over the matter.
By Heather Clark
01/01/2016 United States (Christian News Network) – The Air Force Academy has upheld the prayer practice of its football team after a prominent activist group that seeks to separate God from the military lodged a complaint.
As previously reported, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) recently contacted the academy in stating that it had been told by a number of cadets and faculty that the Air Force Academy Falcons have been praying on the field before each game. The team did so last weekend in playing against San Diego, lining up in a row as they took a knee.
“It’s a putrid example of fundamentalist Christian supremacy, triumphalism and exceptionalism and it has to stop,” MRFF President Mikey Weinstein told reporters. “Those individuals that are dressed in the Air Force uniform; that’s their uniform of the day. They’re members of the military and they are under different rules that the civilian counterparts they’re playing on the field.”
Weinstein said that just as the academy bans public displays of affection, it should also ban public prayer.
“Given its horrific record of unconstitutional, abhorrent church-state violations scandalously spanning multiple decades now, it’s quite obvious that USAFA has NO such prohibitions on ‘PDR’ or ‘public displays of religiosity,’” he stated. “Indeed, apparently the only allowed, or maybe I should say ‘encouraged’ PDA is holding hands in public with Jesus.”
The Air Force Academy then launched an investigation in light of Weinstein’s complaint, but announced on Wednesday that the football team has committed no wrongdoing and may continue to pray before games.
