Should the military license their logos to appear on private companies’ merchandise that also feature religious symbols or Bible verses?
Context
Service members are issued official identification markers known more popularly as dog tags. These are worn around the neck like a necklace, to identify the individual in case they die. They contain the person’s name, Social Security number, blood type, and religious preference (but not symbols or scripture).
Service members may add additional, unofficial tags to the chain if they wish. Some private companies create religiously themed, dog tag-shaped jewelry for service members which also include official service emblems and logos. A Christian company called Shields of Strength is one of the most popular businesses that produces these, creating more than four million since their 1998 founding.
But last July, the nonprofit organization Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) requested the military cease permitting the use of official logos on the company’s dog tags that feature both Bible verses or religious symbols in addition to official military logos.
The military agreed, noting that their regulations disallow any official military emblems alongside anything that explicitly “promotes religion.” Yet Shields of Strength continued producing such dog tags with the Army and Air Force logos in deliberate defiance of the order, in a dispute that may likely head to court.
Nothing in the military’s actions prevented Shields of Strength from continuing to produce and sell unofficial tags with bible verses on them provided there were no service logos. Nor did the withdrawal of the licenses prevent service members from acquiring unofficial tags with bible verses on them provided there were no service logos.
What the bill does
The Religious Insignia on Dog Tags Act would force the Secretary of Defense to allow the military to license their official military logos to private companies for the production of items that also contain religious insignia.
It was introduced in the House on January 17 as bill number H.R. 5657, by Rep. Gregory Steube (R-FL17).
What supporters say
Supporters argue the bill preserves the First Amendment right to freedom of religion, for those serving and fighting overseas to defend it.
“When I deployed to Iraq… I carried scripture and a cross my father had given me on my dog tags,” Rep. Steube said in a press release. “Recent action by the Department of Defense prohibits companies holding lawful trademark licenses for military emblems from producing dog tags that feature religious insignia, such as a Bible verse or a cross. This is unacceptable.”
“Our service members fight for our freedom and our Constitution, and one of those freedoms is our freedom of religion,” Rep. Steube continued. “Our service members should have access to dog tags that display that religious freedom and companies should not be penalized from producing those tags.”
(Rep. Steube’s statement incorrectly implied that, due to the license withdrawal, service members were no longer allowed to wear unofficial dog tags containing bible verses. This is false: they cannot purchase unofficial tags that combine bible verses and official service logos.)
What opponents say
Opponents counter that the bill would be an unconstitutional — and wrong — violation of American principles.
“The use of official Armed Forces emblems and logos on blatantly religious items like these dog tags is… an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion,” the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) wrote in their original complaint to the military which sparked this whole story.
“The U.S. military should absolutely not be officially endorsing, through the use of its emblems and logos, the products of a company whose stated mission for selling these products is: ‘To share the love, hope, forgiveness, and power of God’s Word with others and to see people victorious in life’s battles and in a relationship with Jesus Christ.”
Opponents also counter that the military’s existing ban is actually relatively mild in scope.
“Troops are allowed to wear and carry religious items. Official military-issued dog tags are stamped with the religious affiliation of their choice. No one is denying service members the right to wear a or carry a symbol of their faith,” wrote Kayla Williams, Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security. “Rather, the Marine Corps has denied a for-profit corporation license to sell an item that includes both a religious verse and its trademarked symbol.”
Odds of passage
The bill has attracted six Republican cosponsors. It awaits a potential vote in the House Armed Services Committee. While passage is unlikely in the Democratic-controlled House, this bill could ostensibly receive some Democratic support as well.
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