Faith News Network

The Department of Defense classified Catholics, evangelicals, Jews and Mormons as religious “extremists” in military training materials, according to the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.

More than 1,500 pages of documents were just released to the chaplain group under the Freedom of Information Act.

“Many extremists will talk of individual liberties, states’ rights, and how to make the world a better place,” Newsmax quotes the study guide.

Trainees are warned that involvement with “extremist” organizations is “incompatible with military service and is, therefore, prohibited.”

The documents also show that the military considered the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “hate group” list as a “reliable source.”

“The U.S. military violated its appropriate apolitical stance and engaged in a dishonorable mischaracterization of multiple faith groups,” Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance, told Fox News.

Tom Fitton, president of the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, shared Crews’ sentiments.

“It’s disturbing insight into what’s happening inside Obama’s Pentagon,” Fitton said. “The Obama administration has a nasty habit of equating basic conservative values with terrorism.”

(Source: Charisma)

In a victory for Christians, a Florida town will not interfere with a National Day of Prayer rally.

Pastor Greg Laurie, the honorary chairman of the National Day of Prayer, believes America faces a spiritual crisis. So he has issued a call to pastors and churches across the country to participate in the 62nd annual National Day of Prayer on May 2.

Millions across the nation have woken up this morning to headlines featuring a tragic accident that occurred in West, Texas, a small town of 2,600 about 20 miles north of Waco.

Churches in Boston are responding to provide support for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing through a website called BostonMarathonSamaritans.org. The website is set up as a partnership of TechMission, the Emmanuel Gospel Center and the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston, all of which partner with hundreds of churches in the Boston area.

As smoke cleared from the deadly explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line Monday, horrified runners were comforted by acts of kindness carried out by city residents offering aid. Gestures as small as offering a drink of orange juice and use of a home bathroom were recounted on Twitter in an ongoing online recollection of the fellowship that emerged in the wake of Monday’s devastation.