Friday Afternoon, February 18, 2022 |
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MARINE CORPS UNIVERSITY CHAPLAIN'S BIBLE STUDY EMAIL TO "ALL" PERSONNEL
IS ONE OF THE MOST IRONIC ILLICIT
EMAILS IN MRFF'S HISTORY
"And what is so ironic about this email, you might ask?
The subject this chaplain is kicking off his Bible study with
is Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, a letter whose main purpose was an attempt to quell the religious strife that had arisen in Corinth in the wake of his having established a Christian church there! Christians were fighting with other Christians over whose version of Christianity was better, the
Jews weren’t going to be converted without a miracle or two to convince them, and don’t even get me started on the pagans!
"Yes, the people of Corinth were being torn apart as a result of the missionary efforts to Christianize them. And, like Paul did among the Corinthians, Chaplain Woodruff is sowing dissension among the personnel at Marine Corps University ..."
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Marine Corps University Command Chaplain (CDR) Bowen Woodruff |
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MRFF OP-ED ON
DAILY KOS
Top 10 Trending Story on Daily Kos
The utter irony in a misguided
Marine Corps University chaplain’s
Bible study email is just too much
By: MRFF Senior Research Director Chris Rodda
Friday, February 18, 2022
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Yesterday morning, the command chaplain at Marine Corps University (MCU) sent out an “all hands” email – meaning an email to ALL personnel – inviting EVERYBODY to his new Bible study. Shortly thereafter, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) received the first of what would be twelve complaints from MCU personnel about this chaplain’s blanketing of the entire, religiously diverse MSU community with his Christian-only Bible study email.
MRFF has received many complaints about such emails over the years, and this one, while of course acted upon by MRFF, would be unremarkable if it weren’t for the utter irony of it, which apparently escaped the good chaplain.
First, this was the “all hands” email sent by Chaplain (CDR) Bowen Woodruff:
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Date: Thu, Feb 17, 2022 at 11:12 AM
Subject: Announcing MCU Bible Study and Fellowship
Greetings Marine Corps University community. Beginning February 24th, I will be leading a weekly Bible Study and fellowship in the Blackjack Room from 1200-1240. Feel free to bring your lunch!
We will start with the First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. Paul raises several important issues with the Corinthian Church that are relevant to us today. All are welcome!
What: Weekly Bible Study
When: Thursdays, beginning 24 Feb., 1200-1240
Where: Blackjack Room (Breckinridge Hall, Rm. 224)
Hope to see you there.
Blessings,
Chaps
--
Chaplain Bowen Woodruff, CDR, USN
Marine Corps University, Command Chaplain
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And what is so ironic about this email, you might ask? The subject this chaplain is kicking off his Bible study with is Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, a letter whose main purpose was an attempt to quell the religious strife that had arisen in Corinth in the wake of his having established a Christian church there! Christians were fighting with other Christians over whose version of Christianity was better, the Jews weren’t going to be converted without a miracle or two to convince them, and don’t even get me started on the pagans!
Yes, the people of Corinth were being torn apart as a result of the missionary efforts to Christianize them. And, like Paul did among the Corinthians, Chaplain Woodruff is sowing dissension among the personnel at Marine Corps University by sending his email about a Bible study whose very subject is a biblical example of the problems that such an “all hands” proselytizing effort can cause. Yes, Chaplain Woodruff, you are completely correct when you say that “issues with the Corinthian Church that are relevant to us today.”
After receiving the complaints from MCU personnel, MRFF founder and president Mikey Weinstein took his usual course of action, contacting the offices of both the commander and the president of MCU and other relevant Marine Corps higher-ups, including the office of the Commandant of the Marine Corps himself. Mikey’s email can be found after the following email from one of MRFF’s twelve MCU clients, thanking MRFF for taking on this issue.
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From: MRFF/MCU Client’s E-mail Address Withheld
Subject: Marine Corps University response
Date: February 17, 2022 at 4:34:21 PM MST
Mikey, I just wanted to thank you as one of the 12, so far, of the students, faculty and staff of Marine Corps University who objected to the inappropriate email sent out by CDR Woodruff to all hands. Your response was immediate and right on the mark addressing the Christian only message. Whether you are in the majority faith group, minority or no faith group seeing the command send this message to all hands cut straight to the heart of who is favored and who is not. Your calls to the command and email pointing out how wrong the chaplain's email was spoke for those of us who can't speak out for fear of retaliation, ostracization and simply being misunderstood for identifying how wrong it was. I appreciate that you represent all of us no matter who we are, junior or senior, we want everyone to be treated fairly and that's not the case at Marine Corps University.
Please withhold my name
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MRFF Founder and President Mikey Weinstein's letter to the commander and president of Marine Corps University and other relevant Marine Corps higher-ups, including
the office of the Commandant of the Marine Corps
Thursday, February 17, 2022
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Subject: U.S. Constitutional Violation at Marine Corps University
Date: February 17, 2022 at 3:58:32 PM MST
Dear Brigadier General Walker M. Field,
Sir, firstly, I’d like to thank you for your outstanding and selfless service to our country.
My name is Mikey Weinstein and I head up a large civil rights advocacy organization called the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF). MRFF presently represents over 77,000 Active Duty, Reserve and Guard sailors, soldiers, Marines, coastguardsmen, airmen and veterans, as well as cadets and midshipmen at the several U.S. military academies, OCS/OTS and ROTC. Our main MRFF Mission is to protect the Constitutionally guaranteed separation of Church and State in the United States Armed Forces. About 95% of our MRFF clients happen to be practitioners of the various Christian faith traditions. Of course, we also represent many service members who follow a literal galaxy of other faiths as well as those who identify as Agnostic, Atheist, Humanist, and Secularist.
For more information on MRFF, please see this link, sir:
MRFF has received some very troubling complaints just today from members of the Marine Corps University (MCU) community under your direct command regarding an e-mail sent indiscriminately to all personnel by Chaplain (CDR) Bowen Woodruff promoting a Christian Bible study. MRFF is currently representing 12 MCU personnel on this matter, of whom 7 identify as practicing Christians. The others are from minority faiths or non-faith belief systems, including Jewish, Islamic, Native American and Non-theist faith traditions.
Chaplain (CDR) Woodruff’s e-mail, as you can see below, not only promotes to ALL MCU personnel the fact that he is holding a Bible study, but details what the subject of the Bible study will be.
Date: Thu, Feb 17, 2022 at 11:12 AM
Subject: Announcing MCU Bible Study and Fellowship
Greetings Marine Corps University community. Beginning February 24th, I will be leading a weekly Bible Study and fellowship in the Blackjack Room from 1200-1240. Feel free to bring your lunch!
We will start with the First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. Paul raises several important issues with the Corinthian Church that are relevant to us today. All are welcome!
What: Weekly Bible Study
When: Thursdays, beginning 24 Feb., 1200-1240
Where: Blackjack Room (Breckinridge Hall, Rm. 224)
Hope to see you there.
Blessings,
Chaps
--
Chaplain Bowen Woodruff, CDR, USN
Marine Corps University, Command Chaplain
In short, Brigadier General Field, Chaplain (CDR) Woodruff has clearly overstepped the Rules of Engagement, re: his official duties, by attempting to proselytize the ENTIRE Marine Corps University community with his sectarian Christian-only e-mail.
We at MRFF have faced the exact same situation many, many times before. See two recent examples at these links:
Chaplains have every right to communicate with their fellow armed forces members via e-mail, but, if they wish to blanket EVERYONE in their respective units, they must keep their communications secular. If Chaplain (CDR) Woodruff wishes to send out e-mails which are targeting a Christian-only Marine Corps University audience, that is also quite fine, as long as he is sending such sectarian, Christian-ONLY messages to those Marine Corps University personnel who have either asked to be so included on them or are otherwise part of his regular Chaplain-serving constituency such as those he has established a close pastoral relationship with or those who might regularly attend his services etc.
Unfortunately, Chaplain (CDR) Woodruff is doing the exact opposite of what is permitted.
His sending out of this obviously Christian-only, unsolicited e-mail to ALL Marine Corps University personnel is totally violative of the No Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution, all germane, construing Federal caselaw on same, a plethora of DoD and Military Branch-specific Directives, Instructions and Regulations, the Core Values of the several Military Branches and the UCMJ.
The dozen (so far) Marine Corps University personnel who came to MRFF for help justly fear reprisal, revenge, retaliation and retribution if they went up through the Marine Corps University chain of command with their complaints or through your IG and/or EEO channels .
Sir, please ensure that Chaplain (CDR) Woodruff immediately ceases and desists from further BLANKETING all of his fellow MCU members with his Christian-only e-mail proselytizing and immediately conforms to the easy-to-work-with boundaries outlined above in all of his future Marine Corps University e-mail communications.
Our terrific U.S. military is a VERY diverse workplace. One of DoD’s greatest strengths IS its diversity. By sending out his Christian-ONLY e-mails to ALL Marine Corps University personnel, Chaplain (CDR) Woodruff is seriously and most deleteriously degrading the good order, morale, discipline, and unit cohesion of his Marine Corps University comrades.
As you know, General, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made diversity, inclusion, and equity an ABSOLUTE PRIORITY with his historic stewardship of DoD. Sadly, the Christian-supremacist, arrogant, callous, and imperious actions today of Chaplain (CDR) Bowen Woodruff are precisely the OPPOSITE of what SECDEF Austin is trying to achieve during his tenure at the helm of DoD.
Please swiftly do whatever is needed to timely rein him back in within the proper Constitutional bounds as, again, outlined earlier in this communication.
Please kindly advise soonest. We will stand by to hear back from you in a timely manner please.
With sincerest respect and gratitude,
Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein, Esq.
Founder and President
Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF)
505-250-7727
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Recent examples of other instances of chaplains blanketing ALL personnel in their commands
with their Christian-only proselytizing emails
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“Questions to the MRFF?”
To Mr. M. Weinstein and the MRFF staff,
Our church is located in close proximity to a large military installation in a blessed and God-Fearing state and we have many congregants who are military.
They complain constantly about how you sir your MRFF organization delight in the constant persecution of Christians especially our love of The Savior.
They say you always try to stop the spread His precious love.
We are told you are a jew and that most of you there are. I’m not saying that that is a bad thing per se.
Given that our Lord Jesus came to save the jews from their just punishment in the eyes of The Lord why do you all attack His followers so savagely?
You should be grateful that He has given you all one last chance not to suffer in Hell for His execution.
After all it is written that the jews killed Him. Read the Bible and study history much “Mikey”?
Why does the MRFF hate Christians and Jesus so much?
Maybe the MRFF jews and atheists should stop their oppression of Jesus and His followers in our military?
Life would be much easier for all involved.
Try love for once Mr. Weinstein and the MRFF. Instead of your jewish pride and hubris.
(name withheld)
To see responses from
MRFF Advisory Board Member Larry Wilkerson and
MRFF supporters Rabbi Joel Schwartzman and Mike Challman:
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Wonderful Text received by Mikey
Dear Mikey, I just read your Op-Ed about anti-Semitism. I’m sorry that you and your loved ones continue to experience this bigotry and discrimination. I’m also sorry that some people feel that they’re in a position to tell you what it is or is not.
I just wanted to send a quick text to thank you for what you do to protect our religious freedoms. I retired a few years ago, so I guess I’m no longer your client. But, I know the importance of your work protecting those currently serving.
All the best, (name withheld)
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Re: Video and Op-Ed from Mikey Weinstein:
“Please Be Careful Before You Tell a Jewish
Person Something is ‘NOT Anti-Semitic’”
Mike,
As a Christian man I’d like to thank you for your post. I too am alarmed by the rising anti-Semitic movement I see today. I have many Jewish friends who I hurt for (while I can’t fully comprehend their pain) because of the intolerance of others who act in manners as you describe. I have Christian, Hindu, Atheist and Muslim friends who all stand in solidarity with you on these issues affecting the Jewish communities. A welcoming community for all beliefs will only occur by continued exposure of these issues. Again, Thanks.
(name withheld)
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“YES! Ask The Victims!!!”
“PLEASE BE CAREFUL BEFORE YOU TELL A JEWISH PERSON SOMETHING IS ‘NOT ANTI-SEMITIC”
YES! Ask the Victims!!!
The post-WWII liberal democracy had a popular 1960’s expression “Walk a mile in my shoes” (often attributed to a Native American saying, not sure on that). It became the “first commandment” of empowerment advocacy/teaching. Social workers “Meet people where they are.” Teachers “Reach ’em to teach ’em.” Civil rights advocates turn their clients into advocates. Juries must determine what is “unwelcome” sexual conduct from the Victim’s view, as increasingly, Victims get to define what is done to them and what they need.
The core precept is that those who’ve lived a particular slice of the human existence have the best knowledge of what sustains and threatens it. Hate and prejudice from ignorance and fear threaten personal beliefs and thoughts, human feelings, choices, self-acceptance, autonomy – the full human experience of targeted people. The Founders recognized it threatens life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, albeit only for colonial America’s religious refugees from entangled Church-States, and expressly guaranteed religious choice in the Constitution. After the Civil War, race was added. The 1960’s civil rights statutes protect race and religion, and sex, color, ethnicity, national origin. Age got protections in the 1980’s, disability in 1991 and 2008. Some State laws protect even more classes. These protections do not diminish the Constitution’s guarantees enjoyed by others all along.
Racism is a mindset, word, act that offends or harms people because of their race, color, ethnicity, national origin. Sexism, homophobia, transphobia offends or harms people because of their sexual identity. A mindset, word, act that offends or harms Jewish people is anti-Semitic.
If words or acts are accompanied by slurs/hate speech (like Mikey gets daily), threats (like Mikey gets on the regular) or violence (hopefully never) and the perpetrator rants against “jewishness” or Jews, or tries to keep Jews out of society – it’s anti-Semitism.
Who do you think knows best what life is like for people in these classes (that you might not want to be a member of) – what they think, feel, need – what is prejudice, discrimination, hate against them, and the effects on them?
Ask Jewish people – and believe them!!!
Signed,
MRFF Supporter, retired JAG and always Twice the Citizen
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“Greg–a great presentation!”
Dear Greg, Mikey, Chris,
Greg, thank you so much for traveling so far and losing half a day’s paid work to come speak to our small group of members of the Atheist Community of San Jose. You outdid yourself and inspired us all. We deeply appreciate your devotion to the cause represented by MRFF. We kept you so late because our members could not bear to let you go! I hope you got home safely and are able to struggle through your work day today without collapsing.
Mikey, we can highly recommend Greg as a spokesperson for MRFF. Even though our group was small, Greg engaged every one of us. Each person was full of questions and observations. Greg has certainly brought on board several new regular donors to MRFF.
We know that your work is exhausting and even dangerous. We all applaud the critical work that you, Mikey, and your entire network do on behalf of religious (and nonreligious) freedom in the U.S.Military.
Thank you on behalf of all secular people,
Judith Banister,
Treasurer
Atheist Community of San Jose
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