Evangelical Gordon James Klingenschmitt was forcibly retired as Navy chaplain after a 2006 court-martial resulted in a reprimand and fine.
Klingenschmitt had participated in uniform at a protest in front of the White House, after he had been ordered not to wear his uniform. Klingenschmitt was protesting military policy preventing evangelicals from insulting and threatening cadets of different Christian and non-Christian faiths at public government-sponsored ceremonies.
At that time, Klingenschmitt was frequently sought for interviews by Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council.
Now, not so much.
Why the reduced exposure for his campaign to “save” evangelical chaplains from competition with chaplains for other faiths? You may have seen video of his attempt to exorcise Truth Wins Out’s gay demons here:
Also, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation in 2009 captured audio of Klingenschmitt issuing Christian death threats against the liberal Rev. Barry Lynn and Jewish agnostic religious-freedom advocate Mike Weinstein. We have also written about Klingenschmitt here.
But perhaps Klingenschmitt has reformed? Become a changed man? Born again?
Nope.
Here’s a look at Klingenschmitt’s Facebook and Twitter feeds for just the past 14 days, in roughly reverse order.
1. Klingenschmitt posted the following supposed map of election results from an unidentified year, and insinuated that the nation’s red counties somehow subsidize the nation’s blue “moocher” counties. First, that assertion contains obvious albeit implied racism, but you probably noticed that. Second, the map is false; accurate maps from this week’s (2012) election results show the nation to be evenly distributed in shades of purple, not red and blue. Third, blue states subsidize red states. Folks like Klingenschmitt, it would seem, live in the moocher states.
2. Not just once or twice, but eight times per day, for weeks preceding the election, Klingenschmitt posted ads on Facebook and Twitter for the following pamphlet. Is it racist? Does it characterize real-world Christians as demon-worshippers? You decide.
Again, this was posted about eight times per day. Apparently, Klingenschmitt believes that if he shouts the word “demon” often enough, he can command demons to enter the bodies and souls of his enemies. Sort of the opposite of Tammy Faye Bakker’s attempt at exorcism on Saturday Night Live’s “Church Chat” (parody video) in the late 1980s.
3. Klingenschmitt wants his fans to know about the Armenian genocide. In the hands of sincere historians, the following photograph would be balanced with accounts of history’s other genocides, some of them committed by Christians. In the hands of Klingenschmitt, however, the intent appears be to incite bigotry against today’s Muslims, not just pre-World War leaders of the Ottoman Empire.
4. Klingenschmitt rationalizes rape. As many critics have already noted: If the offspring of rape are God’s will, then logically the act that creates the offspring is God’s will. To suggest otherwise requires that God be powerless to stop a rape.
I’m not an enthusiastic Democrat or Republican, by any means; at election time, I often vote Independent or third-party.
But as a gay person and humanitarian, I’m relieved that a President Romney won’t be adding more people with Klingenschmitt’s brand of “faith” to positions of power in the nation’s armed services.
Unfortunately, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation finds many more people like Klingenschmitt in the armed services, harassing Jewish and other religious-minority servicemembers.
