Academy to Get a Checkup on Tolerance

The U.S. Air Force, responding Tuesday to allegations of religious intolerance, announced the creation of a task force to investigate the spiritual climate at the Air Force Academy.

The decision comes after complaints about proselytizing and harassment by evangelical Christian cadets and staffers of those of other faiths -- or those whose Christian beliefs do not mirror their own.

Last week, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, an advocacy group based in Washington, released a report on cases of alleged religious insensitivity at the academy and sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that raised the possibility of a lawsuit.

Barry W. Lynn, the group’s executive director, said the situation was one of the worst he’d ever seen in a military setting.

“Americans United will continue to closely monitor this situation to ensure that the religious freedom rights of all cadets at the academy are respected,” Lynn said in a statement Tuesday. “It is vital that the task force take this issue seriously and end the official promotion of evangelical Christianity at the academy.”

The Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for personnel, Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, will head the group -- which will include members of the chaplain service, the Department of Defense, military attorneys and possibly outside organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League.

The task force will examine academy policy and training on religious tolerance, how well complaints are addressed, practices that enhance or detract from a climate of religious diversity and whether the problems extend through the entire Air Force. The task force is to report misconduct to the relevant authorities.

“These allegations are being taken seriously,” said Jennifer Stephens, an Air Force spokeswoman.

The Air Force said there had been “considerable efforts” made to create a more tolerant environment after 55 complaints over the last four years at the academy.

The complaints included allegations that Jewish students were harassed or insulted, that those of other faiths were not given the same latitude in exercising their religion and that some chaplains urged cadets to tell those not “born again” that they faced “the fires of hell.” Academy teachers also were said to have promoted their faith in class and invited cadets to church.

About 90% of the 4,300 cadets at the Colorado Springs, Colo., campus are Christian.

The school has responded by telling faculty members to keep their religion out of the classroom. Cadets have been told not to use government e-mail to send religious messages or academy bulletin boards to advertise their faith. And everyone must take a 50-minute sensitivity class called Respecting the Spiritual Values of all People, or RSVP.

The Air Force said it would try to gauge the effectiveness of those classes.

“We will work closely with the task force members to ensure they receive a complete picture of past religious respect issues and challenges, as well as our current training and education efforts,” said Lt. Col. Laurent Fox, academy spokesman. “Should they turn up additional issues or problems during their visit, we will take immediate action to address them.”

The task force is scheduled to issue a preliminary report by May 23.