As I have written before, I am involved with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and I have been exposed to the hate mails they get from those in the military that believe that their religion should be the official and only religion in the armed forces.
At the MRFF we constantly oppose all the fundies do to violate the fundamental separation of church and state. So we get tons of hate email.
Bonnie Weinstein published this week a 2nd book about this subject; When Christians Break Bad: Letters from the Insane, Inane, and Profane (MRFF Letters). Bonnie is the wife of my friend Mikey Weinstein, the president of the MRFF.
The MRFF is very effective and we now have more than 65,000 active and retired military members, most of whom are Christians who do not agree with the evangelicals, who tell us all the subtle and overt things the theocrats in the military do to promote the idea that you have to be a Christian, of their kind, or you do not belong in their vision of America.
The dynamics of our fight are getting very intense since the new Commander in Chief took over.
Trump has energized the US theocrats and, given what we do, the hate mail has become a flood.
Bonnie’s 2nd book is a great source of information if you want to understand the mindset of those who think America should have an official religion (theirs) and if you do not abide by their rules you should leave the military.
This is her book intro;
Every day, many times a day, our inboxes at the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) are flooded with email. We get emails from people who hate us personally and attack the foundation. We get vile and filthy emails from fake email addresses. In contrast are the emails from people who have questions, and emails from those who want to show their support. When Christians Break Bad contains emails sent in to the foundation and our responses to those emails. We respond to every single email, nice or nasty. People who send emails from real email addresses with real names are most interesting. The opportunity to engage, inform, then sit back and wait for a response leads to occasionally people…responding. The letters with fake email addresses get a reply and then, both the letters and the replies are posted to our site for all who may wish to peruse the mail section of our website, Militaryreligiousfreedom.org
Here is one of the many examples of what they email that Bonnie highlights in her book;
Subject: unhappy new year to Mickey You are a disgrace to your country Mickey. You do not Make America Great Again.
You and your liberal minions only hate Jesus Christ and Make America Weak s Again. You are cancer to the soldiers and aid for abet the muslim and N. korean hordes.
Our President Trump will wipe you mrff and mueller off the face of the earth.
Here is another that came from a valid email address;
Subject: leave
If you morons don’t want Christians praying in America why don’t you pack your bags and move to some country you do like and leave us alone ! you stupid liberal, anti Christian, anti American mother fuckers are destroying our country GET THE FUCK OUT !
So Mike Farrell (remember M*A*S*H?) , our fellow member of the Board of Advisers responded;
The only morons in this exchange are those making accusations that betray their inability to comprehend the issue at hand. You qualify.
No one here opposes “Christians praying in America.” No one here dislikes America. No one here intends on leaving the country. Our work is to defend the country and its citizens from people who want to insist their own particular belief system on everyone else.
The America we support is the America the founders intended and the one the laws have strengthened, the one that says real Americans believe what they choose to believe and practice it appropriately.
Some of the more imbecilic among the citizenry, however, seem to think their religion is the only belief system that matters and that anyone who holds that the law, like the one that allows for freedom of religious or non-religious belief, should be obeyed as prescribed, can and should be condemned as “stupid liberal, anti Christian, anti American mother fuckers.” Again, you qualify.
So, let’s add up the score: Moron? You qualify. Imbecile? You qualify. Lunatic who rants on stupidly, grossly mislabeling people he neither knows nor understands? You qualify.
Congratulations! Mike Farrell (MRFF Board of Advisors)
These fundies in the military are the raw material of those who would support a military coup d’état by Trump. Bonnie’s book shines a bright light on on what they think and feel. We need to understand the mindset of those who would destroy what our founding fathers had in their mind.
Bonnie writes about the history of separation of church and state in America in great detail;
As Thomas Jefferson wrote in his autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom: “Where the preamble declares that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed, by inserting the word ‘Jesus Christ,’ so that it should read ‘departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion.’ The insertion was rejected by a great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo, and infidel of every denomination.”
Jefferson’s concept of “separation of Church and State” first became a part of Establishment Clause jurisprudence in Reynolds v. US, 98 US 145 (1878). In that case, the court examined the history of religious liberty in the US, determining that while the constitution guarantees religious freedom, the word “religion” is not defined in the Constitution.
But the military theocrats do not understand.
Not all emails they send are vile but they do shine a light on their mindset;
Subject: Separation Clause
MRFF,
The term “separation clause” refers to nothing found in the U. S. constitution. The idea that honoring God is separate from our governance is a false concept proposed by those who seek to undermine the corner stone upon which the founders built the structure of government - “. . . endowed by their Creator . . .”. I will pray for your spirits that you will know the true peace and love that can come only from God. Blessings, (Name withheld)
And Mikey’s response;
Blessings, (Name withheld)
…sorry, (name withheld), the word “God” appears NOWHERE in the Constitution for a reason..we do however have GENERATIONS of bedrock caselaw which incontrovertibly carves a deep chasm between church and state in America…just as The Founders fully intended…please spare me your disingenuous prayers…pray perhaps instead for your OWN enlightenment about how our wonderful country works…
all best,
Mikey Weinstein
We are dealing with a large portion of the electorate which has a very sick mindset. Can we put them through a mass therapy session? Or can this mindset, promoted by Trump (the Antichrist?) and Pence eventually prevail and transform America into a theocracy?
Of course they project (through their spelling and grammar issues);
…
Our soldiers are soldiers for Christ. No separation of Jesus and state in the constitutions. We dont need no queers or jewboys and sand niggers to bring down are once proud red white and blue. The Christian chaplin is right you are todays king harrod. But actually no. You are the antichrist for all to see. You fool noone anymore jew demon. You will soon be tossed to the Lake of Fire to burn for all eternity. Youll have company with all your fag jew and camel jockee buddies. We plan on enjoying your howls all the way in heaven. Stars and bars forever! For the Glory of Christ! BURN Mickey and demon family for time immemorial
Understanding their mindset is required to change their minds if possible.