"Americans for the Separation of Church and State." Does anyone remember their original name: "Protestants and Others for the Separation of Church and State."

Can you say ... anti-Catholic

Colorado Springs is the home of both the Air Force Academy and the "New Life" mega-church that is run by a particular sect of Evangelical Christians called Dominists.

The Church is very powerful politically. Pastor Ted Haggard, New Life’s founder, is also head of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), which is arguably the most powerful religious lobbying group in the country, with 45,000 churches and 30 million believers. Pastor Ted takes part in a weekly Monday meeting with either President Bush, his advisors, or both.

Among other things, Dominists believe that the Bible should be completly integrated into law and government, in the same way that the Koran is intertwined with the law and goverment in Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc. Civil law would be exactly the same as Biblical law. A Christian Sharia. Dominists are also enthusiastic proponents of a system of beliefs known as "spiritual warfare". Which sounds like mostly repackaged old Holy Roller hellfire material with a military jingo.

If the cadets and teachers at the Air Force Acadamy are smart, they should become a part of the New Life Church. Whether they are Christian or Jew or Gentile. With the amount of power the Church wields, it would be a very smart move career-wise.

Of course, I would be concerned if the military became entirely dominated by Evangelicals with this kind of take on the world. I'd prefer it if the military did not adopt whole cloth their way of thinking.

Simply because among other things, I'd like to be able worship God as I choose, rather than being forced to obey or give lip service to some false god or preacher.

But if I were a cadet at the Academy and it actually is dominated by this particular sect of Evangelicals, then it would be best if just played along. I could still worship God as I wished in my heart, and that would be OK, right?

You can find out more about Paster Ted and New Life at the link below. Donald Sensing, that notorious liberal (just kidding) has a few posts from a theological perspective that discusses Dominists and their various beliefs. That link is below too.

http://www.harpers.org/SoldiersOfChrist.html

http://www.donaldsensing.com/?p=84

Well, let me say that I have a totally different take than Brother Sensing. First, I have known a NUMBER of strong evangelical Christians who have either attended or worked at USAFA who had nothing to do with Ted Haggard or his church. In fact, I will not even comment on Ted Haggard and his followers, as I know nothing about them.

However, I do know something about the animus that theological liberals like Chaplain Morton and the crew she brought in from Yale Divinity have for Evangelical Christians and their theology.

Does the fact that the NYT eagerly lapped up every complaint that Chaplain Morton ever uttered not ring ANYONE's bell?

I am puzzled: I see people in here on this issue accepting the spin set forth by the NYT about the "big, bad, evangelicals" at the USAFA.

I personally have crossed paths with at least two of the other chaplains (besides Morton) whose names have come up in stories connected with this oh-so-horrid scandal at the Academy, and what I read in the papers is a total joke.

Come on, people! The AF Academy has some real problems, but let me suggest that having too many outspoken, committed Christians is hardly one of them!

Moreover, let me also suggest that this scandal is an obvious symptom of the MAJOR mistake we made when we admitted women to our nation's military academies: viz, the gradual feminization of our entire military establishment.

A chaplain may have said in a sermon that not believing in Christ could put a person in hell? Why, imagine that? That chaplain must have been reading his Bible. Folks, that is not a thought crime, or a manifestation of intolerance -- that is GOOD preaching!

Hey, let's find a REAL problem to discuss okay? I am simply not going to buy for a SINGLE moment that those BIG, BAD Evangelicals are running around the Academy intimidating people (any more than upper classmen have been intimidating plebes for decades)!

God bless the USA!

"I have known a NUMBER of strong evangelical Christians who have either attended or worked at USAFA who had nothing to do with Ted Haggard or his church. In fact, I will not even comment on Ted Haggard and his followers, as I know nothing about them."

I am glad to hear this. Dominists are a subgroup of Evangelicals. And indeed many Christian Evangelicals dislike Dominist ideals. Nevertheless it is clear that Pastor Ted and his ilk have real power. And I think that some of what they want as far as political changes are not compatible with the principles of democracy and government restraint that are the USA.

I think that we all need to remember something that we have been so far removed from - This country was fought for and settled by French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution, Pennsylvania dutch fleeing religious persecution, British fleeing the persecution of the Church of England... and the list goes on. Our forefathers were there and experienced it. That is why they wanted to make sure that anyone in this great country had the right to their own religious beliefs. They understood the corruption that could occur when a religion also had the force of the government behind it. They wanted to make sure that their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren would not have to suffer what they had. Their efforts in molding the Declaration of Independance and in writing our Consitution kept that thought in mind. They wanted everyone to have the right to their religious beliefs. That includes the Jewish faith, Taoism, Buddhism, Protestant, Catholic, and, yes, even an atheist. I hope we don't have to experience what our forefathers did.