The highest U.S. military court will hear the case of a Marine who was punished for refusing to remove a Bible verse from her workstation. In May, 2013 then-Lance Cpl. Monifa Sterling kept a Bible verse on her computer in three places. The verses read "No weapon formed against me shall prosper," a modification of the Isaiah 54:17, according to the Catholic News Agency.
Ms. Sterling's staff sergeant demanded she remove the verse, but Ms. Sterling refused, saying she had the right to express her religious freedom.
The next day Ms. Sterling arrived to find the verses had been ripped down from her station. She put them up again. The cycle repeated until Ms. Sterling was court-martialed on Feb. 1, 2014.
She was convicted of disrespecting a superior commissioned officer, failing to go to an appointed place of duty, and disobeying a lawful order on four separate occasions, The Daily Caller reported.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals also sided against Ms. Sterling, saying significant damage could be caused by forcing military employees to be exposed to a religious quotation, CNA reported.
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Poster Comment:
How such a situation got to the point of CM and appeals is amazing. Was there not just ONE leader in the Marine's chain of command who could have handled this situation better?
