“We will always respect the freedom of religion of every veteran of every faith,” Pence said in a speech addressing the American Legion National Convention in Indianapolis on Wednesday. “And my message to the New Hampshire VA hospital is this: ‘The Bible stays.'”
The military religious freedom foundation that originally objected to the Bible called the president a “repulsive and repellent fundamentalist Christian” bully.
The Bible became part of the missing man table honoring missing veterans and POWS at the entranceway of the Manchester VA Medical Center. The Department of Veterans Affairs said the table was sponsored by a veterans group called the Northeast POW/MIA Network.
A federal lawsuit was filed in Concord in May by U.S. Air Force veteran James Chamberlain against the center’s director, Alfred Montoya, saying the Bible’s inclusion is a violation of the Constitution. The First Amendment stipulates “that the government may not establish any religion. Nor can the government give favoritism to one religious belief at the expense of others,” according to the suit.