This Saturday (10/2), at an army post in NC, a Christian event tied to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will take place despite protests from church-state separation groups.

Protesters were assured by Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, commander of the 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, that the “Rock the Fort” event does not violate anybody’s rights.

“I have taken steps to ensure that no soldier in my command is pressured in any way to attend this event,” Helmick wrote in a letter to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, an atheist-agnostic group that opposed the event.

Helmick also noted that the even is taking place at Fort Bragg at an off-duty time for most soldiers. He also points out that the Constitution allows for the military to have chaplains and for the Corps to offer religions events to soldiers at the Installations.

He also noted, in the letter, that the opportunity offered to the evangelical faith is open to all faiths.

FFRF and Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) sent letters to Army officials earlier this week protesting the Army-hosted, church-supported outreach event. They wanted the event to be canceled, claiming that it violates the Constitution.

“It’s not the Army’s job to convert Americans to Christianity. They Army has… overstepped the constitutional line by sponsoring the event,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United.

Saturday will be the first time tBGEA has opened a military-hosted event to the public.

BGEA is sponsoring Saturday’s “Rock the Fort” event. Fort Bragg chaplains and some 20 local churches are organizing the event.

The ministry decided that since many of the soldiers and their families stationed at Fort Bragg don’t live on the post, but in the surrounding area they would open the event up the public so those not living on the grounds can still attend.

A kids program will also be offered at the event.

Wanda McCurdy, the BGEA staff who will lead the children’s event, according to the ministry, said, “There is a lot of stress in that particular area for school age children because of deployments. Moms and Dads both are leaving to go overseas and children have to contend with everyday stuff, plus the fact that Mom or Dad is in Afghanistan or Iraq.

“That is why we felt it was important to offer something for the kids, to give them an opportunity to know that there’s a safe place and a relationship you can count on to give you peace and security during tough times.”

FFRF co-president, Annie Laurie Gaylor, said the event is an “out-of-control evangelism totally entangled with a military base.”

It is expected to have as many as 10,000 people at the “Rock the Fort” event.

Source: http://cwnewz.com/content/view/1798/2/ [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced in this article is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]