US Military: Leave Your Faith Behind?

04-27-2016
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Can members of the military display Bible verses in the workplace? That was the question posed today at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, essentially the military version of the Supreme Court.

The case in dispute centers on Marine Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling. The ex-Marine was demoted, court-martialed, and dishonorably discharged after refusing to remove a Bible verse she posted at her desk in 2013.

Sterling's attorneys have appealed, arguing before the five-member panel Wednesday that it was a violation of her religious freedom.

Her legal team describes this as a landmark case that could set a precedent for religious freedom and the military for decades to come.

"This case, for the first time, we're going to apply the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which will make clear that everybody who serves us with the uniform, they don't lose their religious freedoms," said Kelly Shackelford, president of First Liberty Institute. "They still have religious freedom protection which is something the Congress and the people of this country wanted to make sure was never forfeited."

Sterling has drawn support from several members of Congress, nine retired military generals, and the American Center for Law and Justice. Several other leading advocacy and religious groups have also filed friend of the court briefs in support of Sterling's position.

"The bottom line is that servicemembers shouldn't be punished for expressing their faith," Daniel Blomberg, of the Becket Fund, insisted.

"We ask servicemembers to do some of the hardest things in the world, and we shouldn't ask them to leave their faith behind. And we shouldn't punish them for expressing their faith in the workplace," he added.

The scripture posted on Sterling's computer and desk was from Isaiah 54:17, which reads: "No weapon formed against you shall prosper."

The court is expected to release its opinion in the next few months.

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