WASHINGTON, D.C. (WordNews.org) July 10, 2020 – Just days after the American Family Association issued a call to supporters to urger President Trump to step in on the Navy’s decision to ban personnel from attending religious services, the Navy has reversed itself.

In a story WordNews.org first reported here, the AFA said the Navy’s previous directive specifically approved personnel attending other places where large numbers of people gather, including unlimited social gatherings, mass transportation and long lines at the post office.

“Within one day of AFA issuing an alert asking you to contact President Trump, the U.S. Navy backtracked a June 24 directive that specifically banned Christian service members, including chaplains, from attending ‘indoor religious services,'” AFA President Tim Wildmon wrote to supporters today.  “Since Monday, President Trump received more than 41,471 emails from AFA supporters, urging him to order the Navy to rescind any portion of the directive that violated the religious liberties of military personnel.

According to First Liberty, Acting Under Secretary of the Navy Greg Slavonic clarified that service members could attend indoor religious services.

“We are grateful to Acting Under Secretary Slavonic and Navy leadership for righting this ship, and to Commander in Chief Trump for making religious liberty a priority,” said Mike Berry, general counsel for First Liberty Institute.

The acting assistant secretary of defense clarified the policy and issued a memo Wednesday, saying the June policy should not “be construed to restrict attendance at places of worship where attendees are able to appropriately apply COVID-19 transmission mitigation measures, specifically social distancing and use of face covering.”

Wildmon called the reversal “a major victory for Christians, especially those serving in the military.”