Considering the Army's football record, it's no wonder the team is resorting to prayer. West Point's Black Knights haven't had a winning season since 2010, so you can't blame them for thanking God when they won a few weeks ago.
Unfortunately, not everyone was as enthusiastic about the prayer as the players and Coach Jeff Monken, who was taken completely off guard by the news that the video of the celebration had been taken off Facebook because of one ridiculous complaint. In the days since the decision, the reaction to the prayer has been blown so out of proportion that even West Point Superintendent Lt. General Robert Caslen cast doubt on the religious liberty his cadets have signed up to defend.
Asked by the Washington Post what he thought about the prayer, General Caslen said, "Maybe 90 percent of the people who were out there supported the prayer. But, when you look at it from a legal basis and from a legal standpoint, and then you look at it from a leadership standpoint, there were some concerns, and I think they're valid concerns."
The whole reason these young men are at West Point is to defend the Constitution and the freedoms that belong to all Americans. Imagine their surprise to learn that the military doesn't have the same constitutional rights as the civilians they're protecting.
As Family Research Council's Lt. General, Jerry Boykin, points out, this is just one more example of the growing track record in the Obama military to eradicate the practice of Christianity for our service men and women. "Instead of building young men into much-needed leaders in the U.S. Army, officials at West Point are more concerned with listening to endless complaining of those who want our warriors to be stripped of their most precious armor – their faith."
Join AFA and General Boykin in calling on the West Point superintendent to assure coaches and cadets at the U.S. Military Academy that they are free to practice their faith.
Sign AFA's petition to West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen now!
