Military Exchange Forced To Stop Selling ‘Jesus’ Themed Candy After Atheists Complain

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) just announced that they will no longer be selling Jesus-themed candy after a local secular organization filed a complaint warning that selling the treats at U.S. military commissary and exchange stores violates the U.S. Constitution.

Military Exchange Forced To Stop Selling Jesus Candy

According to The Christian Post, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) publicized a response from AAFES to a letter they recently sent objecting to the sale of “Jesus Candy” at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The ‘objectionable’ candies are sold in miniature stockings. Which have the words “Jesus Sweetest Name I Know” written on top. And are manufactured by the company Scripture Candy, which carries the motto: “Reaching the World One Piece at a Time!”

The MRFF, which is based in New Mexico, claimed that the candy packaging was “more of a Christian proselytizing kit than a package of candy” and argued that the sale of the product violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prevents the establishment of a state religion.

As such, the MRFF demanded that the candies stop being sold in stores. While AAFES decided to stop selling the candies, the military retailer would not admit any constitutional violation. Instead, AAFES said it would stop selling the candies because of “limited historical demand.”

“Upon exhaustion of the very small quantity of inventory we have remaining in stock, AAFES will discontinue the stocking and sale of the products from this vendor due to limited historical demand,” the AAFES said in it’s letter. A spokesperson for the group has since confirmed that the group has “discontinued the sale of Scripture Candy because of low demand.”

Combat Veteran Fires Back At Atheist Group

First Liberty Institute director of military affairs, Mike Berry, spoke out to defend AAFES for selling the candy. Berry is a combat veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps.

“This is just the latest publicity stunt by a bunch of activists,” Berry told Fox News. “A real constitutional expert — or any first-year law student — knows that selling candy canes at Christmas is perfectly legal.”

He went on to accuse the MRFF of having “its own version of the Constitution.”

“Sadly, the MRFF has duped its so-called ‘thousands’ of alleged clients into believing its dubious legal fairy tales,” Berry said.

Secular Group Targets Other Military Christian Organizations

This comes months after the MRFF convinced the U.S. Army licensing office to ban a faith-based company called Shields of Strength from engraving Bible verses on Army-licensed dog tags.

Last month, Berry sent a letter to the director of the Army Trademark Licensing Program arguing that the action was unlawful.

“Your directive that SoS remove all biblical references from its products demonstrates precisely the type of government hostility toward religion that the Establishment Clause forbids,” Berry wrote. “The First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause also protects private entities from impermissible government interference with religious exercise. This includes the prohibition against government censorship of religious expression by a private, for-profit corporation, such as SoS.”

This just goes to show that despite what liberals say, the war on Christianity in America still rages on.

James Conrad

James Conrad’s passion for politics is only overshadowed by his longstanding interest in Hollywood. His unique perspective as a gay conservative fuels him to challenge celebrity views and those who think they have a right to tell anyone how to think or vote. James proudly wields his minority point of view to combat identity politics and cut through his typecast. Fun fact: James’ guilty pleasure is the British royal family.