Fox News has their point man who is always on call to teach us how today's Christians are persecuted for simply being Christian. Todd Starnes writes,
Thousands of Americans, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and famed evangelist Franklin Graham, have come to the defense of a chaplain who could be thrown out of the Navy because of his Christian faith.
Lt. Cmdr. Wes Modder has been accused of failing to show “tolerance and respect” in private counseling sessions regarding issues pertaining to faith, marriage and sexuality – specifically homosexuality.
The tone of the video, produced by the Liberty Institute, is shock, horror and outrage that this man can't express his bigoted, narrow-minded and insensitive views on life choices HE doesn't agree with by playing the Bible card. This is the kind of story Fox News salivates over. A Christian being persecuted for being a "true" Christian, without all that pesky, tolerance garbage that Jesus preached. Starnes really plays to the base with this issue.
Just a few months ago, Modder’s commander called him “the best of the best” and a “consummate professional leader” worthy of an early promotion.
But all that changed after Modder’s assistant, a married gay officer at the base who was upset about the minister’s views on same-sex relationships and homosexuality, filed a complaint against the chaplain.
To defend Modder, he is supported by a veritable who's who of Christian Fundamentalist Republicans. Fine, upstanding patriots, like Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Franklin Graham and Ted Cruz are all valiantly coming to the aid of Fox News' and the Liberty Institute's persecuted martyr. It's no coincidence that each and every defender feels the need to wear their religion on their sleeves. They have chimed in on how this is just un-American because they believe the Bible should supersede the Constitution, no matter what the individual believes.
Mike Huckabee, a potential candidate for the White House in 2016, wonders if it is “becoming illegal to be a Christian” in the military.
“Today’s military planners seem to think there should be nothing but atheists in foxholes, and that includes chaplains,” he told me.
Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, defended Modder in a Facebook post.
“It’s a sad day in America when military chaplains have to choose between being true to their faith and keeping their jobs,” he wrote. “But this is what’s happening at every level under the Obama administration.”
There it is! Thanks OBAMA! Now people can't openly condemn gay people without repercussions. But it's not just homosexuality that bothers Wes Modder. He has problems with all sorts of lifestyle choices that are commonly found in today's society.
Modder is also accused of:
* Telling a woman that she was “shaming herself in the eyes of God” for having premarital sex.
* Telling a student that homosexuality was wrong and that “the penis was meant for the vagina and not for the anus.”
* Berating an unmarried student for becoming pregnant.
For some reason, a chaplain who's supposed to provide comfort and guidance, is berating people who don't adhere to the tenets of his faith. People inside the right-wing Christianity bubble are keeping the outrage machine at full throttle right along with the paranoia.
More than 40,000 people, meanwhile, have signed a Family Research Council petition urging the Pentagon to restore Modder to his position.
“If you think chaplains have some of the safest jobs in the military, think again,” FRC President Tony Perkins said. “Men of the cloth are under some of the heaviest fire – and it’s coming from their own side.”
Tony was recently invited to the Senate, by Republicans to discuss persecution of Christians abroad because of our far-too-liberal LGBT tolerance. Starnes continues,
And what’s even more disturbing is the possibility that a gay officer may have intentionally targeted a Christian chaplain who follows the teachings of the Bible regarding issues of sexuality.
In the meantime, Modder will be in a different location.
A spokeswoman for the Navy Chaplain Corps said Modder has been temporarily reassigned during the investigation into the allegations.
40,000 people corralled by the Family Research Council sounds a lot less impressive than 40,000 randomly selected Americans. By conflating this as a tragic injustice, they keep the the idea that they are the persecuted minority alive and well.
