A Vietnam War veteran filed a federal lawsuit against the Manchester Veterans Affairs Medical Center this week in an attempt to remove a Bible on display at the New Hampshire facility.
James Chamberlain, who served in the U.S. Air Force, is a Christian but believes the Bible in the VA facility’s lobby violates the First Amendment. According to the lawsuit, the Constitution bars the government from giving “favoritism to one religious belief at the expense of others.”
“Despite his personal beliefs, he is offended that other people’s beliefs are not represented,” Chamberlain’s attorney Larry Vogelman said, according to NBC Boston. “To isolate one religion and hold it out as the official religion is just wrong.”
The Bible, which was carried by a prisoner of war in World War II, is featured at the Missing Man Table that remembers missing veterans and prisoners of war. But the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday, claims that the original table tradition didn’t feature the Bible and that the table should honor all who served.
The Bible was initially removed in January after the Military Religious Freedom Foundation said that 14 veterans of multiple faiths opposed its placement. However, the Bible was put back in February.
Curt Cashour, a spokesperson for the VA, said in a statement that the VA would not be “bullied” moving forward.
“This lawsuit – backed by a group known for questionable practices and unsuccessful lawsuits – is nothing more than an attempt to force VA into censoring a show of respect for America’s POW/MIA community. Make no mistake: VA will not be bullied on this issue,” Cashour said.
