Skip to main content.
Related sites:
Religion News Blog is a non-profit service providing academics, religion professionals and other researchers with religion & cult news
ReligionNewsBlog

Religion news articles about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues

Navigation:
Web religionnewsblog.com
Home | Site Menu | About RNB | RNB Store | Cult FAQ | Cult Experts | Apologetics Index | Cult Information Search Engine


Related

More news articles & news archive on Mormonism/Mormon Church


Advertisements *

Advertise on Religion News Blog Advertise Here *
Simple steps to financial health and a good credit score


Elsewhere

'You cannot trust the Gospels. They are unreliable.'


Mormonism/Mormon Church:

Mormon Airman Told To Remove Garments

AP, via KUTV, USA
Nov. 1, 2005
kutv.com
  • Article Tools  • Share This Story

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 12680 • Posted: Tuesday November 1, 2005  

Click here... More articles on this topic: Mormonism/Mormon Church

SALT LAKE CITY - A Mormon airman claims his commander threatened to kick him out of his entertainment unit unless he removed his sacred undergarments.

Airman 1st Class Andrew Howells of Salt Lake City said the commander complained that the garments, worn by faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, showed through his uniform.

“One of the reasons why I fight is to defend religion and freedom,” Howells told the church-owned Deseret Morning News. “It’s kind of an irony that the very organization I fight with is denying me that.”

Mormons are instructed to wear the white garments, which are symbolic of purity, at all times and remove them only for very specific activities.

Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, filed an inquiry Wednesday on Howell’s behalf with the Air Force Congressional Liaison Office, spokeswoman Alyson Heyrand said.

A spokesman for the Air Force refused to comment specifically about Howells’ complaint because the incident is under investigation, the News said.

However, the newspaper said an Air Force official said in a written statement that “Religious garments should not be visible while in uniform.”

Howells said the July 18 ultimatum came at an airport in Incirlik, Turkey, just before Howell’s unit boarded a plane to Qatar, Iraq.

He said his commander told him, “(You) have a choice to make: lose the shirt or leave the tour.”

Howells sought help from a Mormon chaplain based in Qatar, who suggested Howells wear a black T-shirt on top of his flak vest and underneath his black polo shirt to hide the undergarment.

Howells said that on stage, his religious undergarments do not show through his costume.

Off the stage, Tops in Blue members must wear a black polo shirt without a T-shirt underneath. Howells said the collar of his religious undergarments barely showed while wearing his black Tops in Blue polo shirt.

Howells said he was happy to compromise but is angry he was berated for his religious principles in front of his unit and strangers at the airport terminal.

A spokesman for the Mormon church declined to comment specifically about Howells’ case but said the church appreciates the military’s ongoing efforts to accommodate the church’s religious practices.

“Church members serving in the military are encouraged to talk with their local church leaders and unit chaplains should they have any questions or concerns,” spokesman Dale Bills said.

Howells will return to Utah this week to serve in his regular career as a public affairs representative for the Utah Air National Guard.



Religion News Blog RSS feed Subscribe: Religion News Blog RSS feed  |  Religion News Blog RSS feed Subscribe by topic: Mormonism/Mormon Church
more cult news articlemore religion news More articles about Mormonism/Mormon Church

Like this story?

Today's Most Popular Articles

Share this

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:




Article and Site Tools

» PermaLink to: Mormon Airman Told To Remove Garments
   Need a shorter link? You can remove everything after the final /
» More news articles + news archive on Mormonism/Mormon Church
» More religion and cult news

Subscribe (RSS / Email) [What is RSS?]
» RSS News Feed - All Topics: Religion News Blog RSS Feed
» RSS News Feed - Single Topic: Mormonism/Mormon Church
» Headlines by Email: Daily Religion News Blog Headlines

More Article Tools
• Bookmark / Tag: Del.icio.us
• Bookmark / Tag: Furl
Save this article
Email this article
Print this article [Temporarily out of order]

More Information
Books about Mormonism/Mormon Church
Relevant books (and other goodies)

more religion news aboutmore Religion News Blog articles about

About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apologetics Index, highlights news items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit news clipping service is used by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.

Home
Latest Headlines
RSS news feed [?]
Headlines by Email
News Trackers
Free content for your site
About RNB
Privacy Policy
Contact RNB
Link to RNB
Advertise on RNB
Apologetics Index
Cult FAQ
Apologetics Search Engine
CounterCult Search Engine