Colorado Springs – The Air Force issued revised interim religious guidelines Thursday, stressing that the service will remain neutral regarding religious beliefs and that voluntary participation in worship is integral to the free exercise of religion.
The guidelines, first issued in August, were rewritten following feedback from airmen, religious groups, people of no faith, legal and civil liberty groups, and politicians.
The guidelines were recommended in June after a task force found a perception of religious intolerance but no overt religious discrimination at the Air Force Academy.
The new guidelines, cut to one page from four, stress that leaders be aware that personal expressions may have undue influence on subordinates.
Focus on the Family, the Colorado Springs-based ministry, supported the revisions.
Tom Minnery, Focus’ senior vice president of government and public policy, said the guidelines, if applied properly, will “safeguard the free exercise of religion guaranteed to all citizens, both military and civilian. The guidelines appropriately caution superiors against making comments that could appear to subordinates to be official policy.”
Two groups called the changes a step backward.
“Air Force officials appear to be more concerned with appeasing the powerful religious-right lobbyists who have argued against any guidelines that seek to respect and protect the rights of all cadets, not just those adhering to majority religious beliefs,” said the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the revisions “significantly undermine” earlier steps taken to address religious intolerance and “reopen the door to the serious and prevalent misconduct which the USAF acknowledged and said it would correct.”
A spokesman for the academy said leaders have not received any religious-tolerance complaints this academic year.
Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com.
