Religion Roundup
Pentagon Asked to Probe Church Event for Troops
Associated Press
July 24, 2008
WASHINGTON - Americans United for Separation of Church and State wants the Pentagon to investigate Fort Leonard Wood's practice of letting troops attend a church's weekly religious event.
A Fort Leonard Wood spokesman says the Sunday evening program at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lebanon, Missouri, is voluntary. The pastor says his church also has taken steps to ensure that soldiers know they'll hear a religious message if they attend.
But Americans United executive director Barry Lynn says soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood must either attend the program or stay on post. He calls that "coercive evangelism."
In a letter to the Defense Department, Lynn's group says its request was prompted by complaints from an unnamed soldier at Fort Leonard Wood.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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