By Todd Starnes // FOX News //
Army Chaplain Crest:
For God and Country
An Army chaplain’s assistant said she was accused of creating a “hostile and antagonistic” environment after she posted a message on her personal Facebook page calling homosexuality a sin.
The soldier, who asked not to be identified, said her commander ordered her to either remove the Facebook message or face a reduction in rank and pay.
“I haven’t taken it down and I won’t take it down,” she told Fox News. “It is frustrating that people are trying to silence me – for something that I believe in. We fight for the freedom that I can’t enjoy right now. That’s not right.”
The soldier, who is an evangelical Christian, said she returned home from church on Sunday and was watching a documentary about a minister who endorsed homosexuality.
“I was frustrated with what I saw so I posted a Facebook message about it,” she said.
Her Facebook message read:
“A lot ticked off, now to all my gay friends you know I care about you so don’t think otherwise. I’m watching this documentary and this gay guy went to a church and the Pastor was telling him that he needs to embrace his way and know that it is not a sin. Ok umm wow, dude it is. I’m sick of people making Gods word what it’s not. Yes God loves you as a person but He hates the sin. Tired of hearing about Pastors being ok with homosexuality.”
The 26-year-old chaplain’s assistant said she believes individuals within her unit reported her. On Monday she was ordered to the commander’s office.
“He said I was creating hostile and antagonistic environment in the unit by posting that on Facebook,” she told Fox News. “He said I needed to either take it down or face a UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice).”
The chaplain’s assistant said she’s served honorably in the Army for six years – including a stint in Afghanistan. Her husband serves in the National Guard and the couple has a six-month old daughter.
“I have a good record,” she said. “I’ve never gotten in trouble for anything. And there’s nothing hostile or antagonistic in the post.”
She said there is no way she will remove the objectionable posting.
“For me to do that would be to say they won,” she said. “Where does it stop? If they are going to silence me on Facebook, where will it stop?”
So she reached out to Todd Hudnall, her pastor at Radiant Church in Colorado Springs.
“I read what she posted and there was absolutely no trace of animus, disrespect or hostility,” Hudnall told Fox News. “Instead, she expressed love for her gay friends but insisted that biblical values should not be compromised. Her issue wasn’t with anyone who is gay but with pastors who refuse to acknowledge scriptural teaching about homosexual behavior.”
The pastor said she was reprimanded for “holding to orthodox biblical instruction.”
“I was struck by the fact that the military was denying her right to privately exercise her freedom of expression and freedom of religion,” Hudnall said.
The pastor said it’s not the first time he’s heard of Christian soldiers facing threats and intimidation over their personal beliefs.
“It sounds more like totalitarianism than keeping with our heritage of liberty,” he said. “I’m becoming quite concerned that we are losing the freedom of speech and religion in the name of tolerance and over shifting norms of morality and behavior.”
Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, shares Hudnall’s concerns.
“Just because a person wears a uniform does not mean they give up their religious liberties and their ability to speak about matters of faith,” Crews told Fox News.
Crews said the Chaplain Alliance has been in contact with the assistant and said they play on being fully supportive.
But Pastor Hudnall worries about other military men and women who are facing threats for not “lining up with the current accepted ideology.”
“I’m also hearing that many are deciding to back down rather than stand up for their constitutional rights,” Hudnall told Fox News. “A few have told me they are actually thinking about getting out of the military because of it.”
The chaplain’s assistant vowed to stand her ground and, if necessary, go to court.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. “God said we would be persecuted for our faith and I think now is the time.”
stand strong it is in the bible that it is an abomination to god, he dose not hate the person(he hates the sin) and i believe that is a demon in people to want to be with the same sex usually stemming from some bad sexual experience as a child, its not born in them like they want to believe it can’t be god made us all and wouldn’t make them that way. Anyhow our freedom is being attacked we have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion but are not using it because we don’t want to offend someone Well we have been offended and disguarded for to long!!!!!!!! speak out for god HE DIED FOR YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obama you better not attack Christianity or you will have your hands filled with Muslim sorrow ! Muslim are treated good by Christians but if you want to fight we will fight ! Do you understand that Mr. President !