The California Democrat said the chaplains already have that right, and no one is trying to take it away.

On Tuesday, the White House issued a statement saying it “strongly objects” to the provision, saying it constitutes an “unnecessary and ill-advised [policy] that would inhibit the ability of same-sex couples to marry or enter a recognized relationship under State law.”

Pelosi on Thursday backed the administration, saying the Akin amendment is a response to “a manufactured crisis.”

Read More: http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/operations/228085-pelosi-no-military-chaplains-have-to-perform-same-sex-marriages

Well, here we go. Let’s see what makes Maine proud.

Colonial times are the most prominent in Maine’s culture. You may tour through their Acadian heritage, or through houses full of early murals. Castle Tucker and Nickels-Sortwell houses in Wiscasset were built off of the wealth gained by seafaring and shipbuilding. In Portland, we can find the house of Neal Dow, an abolitionist, and that of the author, Sarah Orne Jewett. These are only a few examples of the pride Maine takes in their history. They have also preserved portions of towns and lighthouses.

Theodore Roosevelt visited Maine many times, and wrote of it, titling the small letter “My Debt to Maine”.

I owe a personal debt to Maine because of my association with certain staunch friends in Aroostook County; an association that helped and benefited me throughout my life in more ways than one…

 

I also remember such delicious nights, under a lean-to, by lake or stream, in the clear fall weather, or in winter on balsam boughs in front of a blazing stump, when we had beaten down. I’d shoveled away the deep snow, and kept our foot-gear away from the fire, so that it should not thaw and freeze; — and the meals of venison, trout, or partridge; and one meal consisting of muskrat and a fish-duck, which, being exceedingly hungry, we heartily appreciated. But the bodily benefit was not the largest part of the good done me. I was accepted as part of the household; and the family and friends represented in their lives the kind of Americanism –self-respecting, duty-performing, life-enjoying– which is the most valuable possession that any generation can hand on to the next. It was as native to our soil as “William Henry’s Letters to his Grandmother” — I hope there are still readers of that delightful volume of my youth, even although it was published fifty years ago…

 

When I was President, the Sewalls and the Prides came down to Washington to visit us. We talked over everything, public and private, past and present; the education and future careers of our children; the proper attitude of the United States in external and internal matters. We all of us looked at the really important matters of public policy and private conduct from substantially the same viewpoint.

 

Never were there more welcomed quests at the White House.

 

Theodore Roosevelt
Sagamore Hill, March 20th 1918

Maine is the site of the first ship to be built in North America. They keep up a thousand year old site, home to Native Americans. Again, these are only a few of the many sites of Maine. They hold a wide variety of sites well looked after, waiting for people to discover them, to learn more about them. If you’re ever in Maine… There’s a part of your country to learn about.

- By Haley,  FPP Intern and Blogger

Colonel Ronald D. Ray had this to say about the book, 

“As a Vietnam combat veteran, 34 years as a Marine officer, a former Defense official, a military historian and a lawyer, I spent 10 years collecting American military prayer books from before the nation’s founding to the present day. I did this research not as a man of the church, but as lawyer to make the case for the “military necessity” of prayer, because there are ‘no atheists in foxholes’. I found that while over 70 percent of those serving today in the US military self identify as Christians, their Chaplains are threatened and discouraged from praying in the name of their God, Jesus Christ and leaders are officially prohibited from leading their troops in pray – even in battle in this One Nation Under God.” 

An Army Reservist serving in Afghanistan sent the following note as a thank you for the book,

“I wanted to send a quick email to you thanking you for the book sent a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately, we do not have a chaplain available at the camp I’m stationed at, so finding my own source of spiritual material has been important.  I particularly enjoy the historical aspect of the prayers in your book, as it connects me to the long tradition of men serving in America’s military, which is a tradition mostly ignored today by the Army at least.  We have little discussion of those that went before us and I don’t think most of the people here feel any connection with that history.  That neglects something that could be a real inspiration for those having a hard time here.  Others survived it before, and we’ll survive it to.  The preface of the book was very interesting as well, particularly its connection to the VMI Supreme Court case a few years ago.” 

For a book review visit: http://firstprinciplespress.org/newsite/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/EBTC-Book-Review.pdf 

Below are two national articles on the battle over traditional military prayer and the political and legal pressures being placed upon chaplains and military leaders.  

Military religious leaders report pressure, backlash over beliefs
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=51278

Chaplains challenge commanders in lawsuits
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=51280 

Share this message today with your friends and family and do not let the prayers of our soldiers go unheard.

Chaplains challenge commanders in lawsuits

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=51280
Military chaplains have challenged their commanders on several occasions in the last decade with allegations that free exercise of religion, or even certain denominations, were being squelched in the name of religious pluralism and fairness.

Military religious leaders report pressure, backlash over beliefs

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=51278
In the era of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, a number of support groups advocated for gay service members who feared backlash for speaking freely. But the repeal of the ban in late 2011 has not ushered in a new era of free speech; rather, now it is chaplains who say they are being muzzled by the military and a group has formed to pass legislation seeking relief on their behalf.

I wanted to send a quick email to you thanking you for the book you included in the package the office sent me a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately, we do not have a chaplain available at the camp I’m stationed at, so finding my own source of spiritual material has been important.  I particularly enjoy the historical aspect of the prayers in your book, as it connects me to the long tradition of men serving in America’s military, which is a tradition mostly ignored today by the Army at least.  We have little discussion of those that went before us and I don’t think most of the people here feel any connection with that history.  That neglects something that could be a real inspiration for those having a hard time here.  Others survived it before, and we’ll survive it to.  The preface of the book was very interesting as well, particularly its connection to the VMI Supreme Court case a few years ago.  - Army Reservist Serving in Afghanistan

Visit our Prayer Collection page to learn more about this project.

Prayer is under attack in the military institution on the national day of prayer. As a Vietnam combat veteran, 34 years as a Marine officer, a former Defense official, and a lawyer, I spent 10 years collecting American military prayer books from before the nation’s founding to the present day. I did this research not as a man of the church, but as lawyer to make the case for the “military necessity” of prayer, because there are ‘no atheists in foxholes’. I found that while over 70 percent of those serving today in the US military self identify as Christians, their Chaplains are threatened and discouraged from praying in the name of their God, Jesus Christ and leaders are officially prohibited from leading their troops in pray – even in battle in this One Nation Under God. – Colonel Ronald D. Ray, USMCR

Share this message today with your friends and family and do not let the prayers of our soldiers go unheard.

There are more of us, but not in church.

That’s the gist of a once-a-decade report on religious denominations that found membership is falling across the nation, despite overall population growth.

The largest decliners include the Roman Catholic Church and many historic Protestant denominations, ranging from conservative to liberal.

But the biggest gainer in overall numbers in the U.S. Religion Census were those unclaimed by any religious groups — 18 million nationally, and up by double-digit percentages in the Lousville area and Kentucky — even though researchers made unprecedented inroads into gathering numbers from previously uncounted groups.Some religious groups did post dramatic gains over the past decade — including the independent Christian movement paced by Louisville’s Southeast Christian Church, as well as Mormons, Muslims and some Pentecostals.

And while the census showed a flourishing of nondenominational churches — at 12 million strong, a movement larger than all but two denominations — there are no figures from earlier decades to show whether this trend is growing or shrinking.

Louisville Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz said he hadn’t seen the results of the survey but said the numbers show the urgency of finding new ways to present the gospel to “people who have already heard it once and are lukewarm.”

The census was conducted by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, using a fleet of researchers across religious traditions. It was released Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Associated Church Press in Chicago.

Among the scores of groups whose numbers could be compared between 2000 and 2010, the overall trend was down — in the Louisville area, Kentucky, Indiana and the nation.

Religious denominations reported a 1 percent membership loss in Kentucky and a 5 percent decline in Indiana over a decade — losing ground even as each state’s population rose 7 percent.

In the Louisville Metropolitan Statistical Area — covering Jefferson County and 12 surrounding counties in Kentucky and Southern Indiana — total religious adherents shrank 4 percent while the population grew 11 percent.

Nationally, religious adherents decreased 2 percent while the population rose 10 percent.

There are several asterisks to the report. The Catholic decline partly reflects a more rigorous method that screens out some people who identify themselves as Catholic but who largely don’t participate in church life, for example. And some historically African-American denominations proved difficult to measure.

On the other hand, even though the report lists Southern Baptists as growing in adherents over the past decade, the denomination has sounded alarms over the stagnation of conversions in recent years, and membership also has ebbed.

“It is difficult to make straight comparisons between the numbers” said Dale E. Jones, director of research services for the Church of the Nazarene and one of the coordinators of the survey. But where they can be compared from decade to decade, the “adherent counts are down.”

Paul Chitwood, executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, the state affiliate of Southern Baptists, said he’s observed the long-range trend toward more people lacking any church ties.

“It’s a reminder to Southern Baptists of how important our evangelism and outreach are,” said Chitwood, citing such efforts as disaster relief, door-to-door evangelism, nontraditional church events oriented toward groups such as outdoorsmen and the launch of new congregations.

“Newly planted churches are typically more effective at reaching the unchurched than established churches,” Chitwood said.

The Religion Census includes data on houses of worship in 236 religious traditions down to the county level. It’s the sixth such survey since the 1950s.

Overall, just under half of Americans were claimed as adherents by religious groups.

And while this survey represents top-down measurements — estimating adherents based on the numbers claimed by religious denominations and congregations — it mirrors some trends reported by bottom-up surveys asking individuals what religion they have, if any.

One-third of adults under 30 reported having no religion in 2011 in a newly released major survey — up from a quarter just five years earlier, according to researchers Robert Putnam and David Campbell, authors of a revised 2012 edition of “American Grace,” a wide-ranging book about contemporary religion.

The scholars said many young adults are reacting against the fusion of religion, Republican politics and anti-gay activism.

The Public Religion Research Institute found a smaller ratio of adults under 25 to have no religion — one-quarter — but most of them had grown up in a religion before rejecting it.

Edwin Hensley, an organizer for the group Louisville Atheists and Freethinkers, applauded the secular trends but said politics had less to do with it than basic questioning.

A blend of religion and politics might cause people “to challenge their beliefs whereas otherwise they might not have thought to challenge them,” said Hensley, whose group meets regularly for discussions and to hear speakers.

In the Louisville area, the census found double-digit percentage declines among Roman Catholics, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and two Lutheran denominations. The Assemblies of God declined locally but grew nationally.

Mormons and Muslims posted large gains locally.

The Christian Churches and Churches of Christ — which includes one of the largest churches in the nation, Southeast Christian, and several other large congregations — rose 164 percent in the metropolitan region and 29 percent throughout Kentucky, the survey said.

Southeast senior pastor Dave Stone said growing churches need to integrate younger people into their services and be ready to adapt frequently.

“I do think there is a spiritual awakening that is taking place in the Louisville area,” he said. “I think it can be traced back to one thing, and that is prayer.”

Kurtz said he takes heart in the enrollment of thousands of people in area “Why Catholic?” classes at local parishes, including an upcoming series on prayer.

Louisville Area Bishop Lindsey Davis of the United Methodist Church said his denomination is turning the corner locally. The denomination is the third-largest in Kentucky but declined 9 percent in the state and 4 percent nationally in the past decade.

However, the Kentucky Annual Conference, which covers most of the state, actually grew last year by about 1,000 people, he said.

“The increase is a direct result of our planting of 12 new congregations since 2008,” he said. “And I believe that planting new churches is the key to making new disciples of Jesus in these years to come.”

 Article: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012305010095

Many young people, the up and coming leaders of this country, are largely ignorant of this long history of prayer and its role in equipping the nation’s fighting forces to defend America’s way of life. America today has arrived at a time when too often the nation’s leaders seek to herd us into new paths leaving the “old paths” to the very destruction of the nation’s Christian foundation. First Principles Press has thus prepared and now presents the case for historic American military prayer as an indispensable guide both for our military and all Americans in these morally tumultuous times.

We would like to ask you to please consider purchasing copies of the case for military prayer and the “evidence” included therein–a historic collection of prayers spanning from before the nation’s founding to the present day. Also, please consider sharing this message with your own social network, to spread the word as far as possible about preserving military prayer.

In honor of the National Day of Prayer, we are offering a special. Between now and May 3 with the purchase of 2 copies of “Endowed by Their Creator”, we will send you a third for free.

If you are interested in supporting First Principles Press and joining with us to make the case for military prayer, email us at firstprinciplespress@gmail.com or visit the Prayer Collection page to read background materials and for information on how to order books.

The Bibles that are often found in the nightstands of Air Force Inns lodging rooms aren’t going away, but the requirement that staff check and make sure they’re there is.

The Air Force Services Agency will remove the “Is a Bible provided?” question from its lodging checklist, according to Air Force Personnel Center spokesman Mike Dickerson.

Dickerson said after a legal review, the Air Force Services Agency determined that there was no legal reason to have the question on the lodging checklist. The checklist is used to ensure that lodging standards at all Air Force Inns are being met and maintained. The question will be removed when the checklist is updated in September. The updated checklist will be in effect for fiscal 2013.

But the Air Force isn’t prepared to do a wholesale scrub of the Bibles from Air Force Inns.

“The Air Force has not directed the removal of Bibles from Air Force Inns lodging rooms at this time,” Dickerson said in an email. “We continue to review the situation and weigh our multiple First Amendment responsibilities and obligations.”