The annual Air Force Academy prayer luncheon, which this year has drawn more criticism than usual due to its controversial invited speaker, faces a new hurdle today after a lawsuit filed by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation argues the event violates the separation of church and state.
The event, scheduled for February 10, is being challenged by five faculty plaintiffs who claim its true purpose is to use the official trappings of government to promote Christianity. The Colorado Springs Gazette has more:
“This is an official event sponsored, sanctioned and organized by the command chain at the Air Force Academy,” said David A. Lane, the Denver attorney representing the five faculty and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, founded by academy graduate Mikey Weinstein, a frequent critic of religious activities at the school.
“It is a clear violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution, which mandates the separation of church and state,” Lane said. “The command chain is sponsoring a religious event, promoting it and endorsing it. That’s the issue.”
You can read the 10-page complaint here (pdf)
