Site search
sponsored by
News
Sports
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — An Air Force Academy staffer who helped build a worship area for pagans and other Earth-centered religions says he and others are the victims of a hate crime because someone placed a wooden cross at their site.
Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, a self-described pagan who sponsors the group that worships at the site, said the incident was akin to someone leaving a pentacle or a pagan symbol at the Cadet Chapel's altar. The cross was left at the pagan worship site more than two weeks ago.
Longcrier accused academy officials of not taking the group's complaint seriously, telling a religious-freedom watchdog group in an e-mail that “we have been thrown under the bus by the system we trusted, and the hate crime against us has been ignored.”
The e-mail sent Tuesday to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation was obtained by The Colorado Springs Gazette.
The academy has said they've made religious tolerance a priority. Many cadets reported in a 2004 survey that some were ostracized because they weren't religious or heard jokes about their beliefs.
Academy officials on Wednesday condemned the incident, warning cadets the behavior would not be tolerated.
“This location is to be treated with respect and dignity, just as any other religious structure or location,” Col. Richard K. Williams, the academy's vice commandant of operations, told more than 4,000 cadets at their dining hall.
Academy superintendent, Lt. Gen. Michael Gould, said in a statement that the school is taking the incident seriously and that officials will take “appropriate action” if a cadet was responsible.
“We are dedicated to creating a learning and training environment where cadets can realize their highest potential regardless of their religious or other beliefs,” he said.
“We're just taking responsibility for it as if it was,” said Capt. Corinna Jones, an academy spokeswoman.
The worship area consists of a double circle of stones atop a hill on the campus near Colorado Springs. It was created last year.
Longcrier and Lt. Col. William Ziegler, one of the academy's chaplains, told The Associated Press on Monday they had heard no criticism of the worship space. It wasn't immediately clear when they learned that the cross had been left there.
The academy has about 4,000 cadets and is one of five U.S. service academies.
Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, a self-described pagan who sponsors the group that worships at the site, said the incident was akin to someone leaving a pentacle or a pagan symbol at the Cadet Chapel's altar. The cross was left at the pagan worship site more than two weeks ago.
Longcrier accused academy officials of not taking the group's complaint seriously, telling a religious-freedom watchdog group in an e-mail that “we have been thrown under the bus by the system we trusted, and the hate crime against us has been ignored.”
The e-mail sent Tuesday to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation was obtained by The Colorado Springs Gazette.
The academy has said they've made religious tolerance a priority. Many cadets reported in a 2004 survey that some were ostracized because they weren't religious or heard jokes about their beliefs.
Academy officials on Wednesday condemned the incident, warning cadets the behavior would not be tolerated.
“This location is to be treated with respect and dignity, just as any other religious structure or location,” Col. Richard K. Williams, the academy's vice commandant of operations, told more than 4,000 cadets at their dining hall.
Academy superintendent, Lt. Gen. Michael Gould, said in a statement that the school is taking the incident seriously and that officials will take “appropriate action” if a cadet was responsible.
“We are dedicated to creating a learning and training environment where cadets can realize their highest potential regardless of their religious or other beliefs,” he said.
“We're just taking responsibility for it as if it was,” said Capt. Corinna Jones, an academy spokeswoman.
The worship area consists of a double circle of stones atop a hill on the campus near Colorado Springs. It was created last year.
Longcrier and Lt. Col. William Ziegler, one of the academy's chaplains, told The Associated Press on Monday they had heard no criticism of the worship space. It wasn't immediately clear when they learned that the cross had been left there.
The academy has about 4,000 cadets and is one of five U.S. service academies.
