Liberty Institute Vows To Protect Religious Freedom Of Persecuted Christian Military

DALLAS, May 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Liberty Institute announces the launch of the Armed Forces Religious Liberty 800 hotline — 800-259-9109 — and petition drive to support persecuted members of the United States Military, threatened with court martial for sharing their Christian faith under the Pentagon's unconstitutional, new policy restricting proselytizing.  In addition, the constitutional attorneys, some of whom served in the military, vow to provide legal defense for men and women service members who contact Liberty Institute to protect their First Amendment rights. To view the online petition, visit: https://secure.giveworks.net/m/liberty/armed_forces_petition?src=ban1112

(Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120523/DC12743LOGO-b)

In 2010, Liberty Institute successfully stopped President Obama's Department of Veterans Affairs from banning God at funerals in veterans' cemeteries, and in late 2012 following 13 years of litigation, the attorneys, on behalf of The American Legion, restored the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial Cross that honors the sacrifice of World War I Veterans. Currently, Liberty Institute continues its fight to prevent the ACLU from tearing down the historic Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross that overlooks San Diego, CA.

"The Pentagon released an appalling official statement that I didn't believe at first, but unfortunately it's true. They are about to implement a new policy under which any members of the military "caught" talking about their Christian faith will be subject to court martial or imprisonment!" said Liberty Institute President and CEO Kelly Shackelford. "We are establishing this emergency hotline to protect our armed forces members, who can call and get free legal representation when they are persecuted for their Christian faith."

The Armed Forces Religious Liberty hotline and petition drive directly responds to the implementation of the Pentagon's new policies formulated by avowed atheist Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. In recent news articles, Weinstein made pejorative remarks about Christians, recommended that military service members sharing their faith should be subject to court martial and that the government should abolish the Chaplains Corps.

About Liberty Institute

Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to restoring and defending religious liberty across America – in our schools, for our churches, and throughout the public arena. Liberty Institute's vision is to reestablish liberty in accordance with the principles of our nation's founders. Visit www.LibertyInstitute.org for more information.

SOURCE Liberty Institute