The guidelines, which apply to the entire Air Force, were drawn up after allegations that evangelical Christians wield so much influence at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs that anti-Semitism and other forms of religious harassment have become pervasive.

"On the face they look good," said Abraham Foxman, head of the New York-based Anti-Defamation League. "They say all the right things. They address all the issues that were raised as problems at the Air Force Academy. The major question is, 'How will be they become a reality?"'

Rob Boston, spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, welcomed the guidelines, saying they make it clear that chaplains "are not supposed to be proselytizing on the government dime."

"This has been a consistent problem. We've had complaints since the Gulf War," he said.

An April 28 report by Boston's group said the academy forced cadets to pray at certain functions and urged cadets to evangelize.

Mikey Weinstein, an academy graduate and persistent critic of the school's handling of religion, criticized the new guidelines, saying they fail to control evangelical zealots. He said the guidelines are "dead on arrival" and said he is contemplating a lawsuit to block them.

"The Air Force's official policy remains that the Air Force reserves the right to evangelize anyone in the Air Force that it determines to be unchurched," Weinstein said in an interview from his home in Albuquerque, N.M.

Academy spokesman Johnny Whitaker said the guidelines were expected and school officials have already incorporated most of them into daily operations. "We will continue to educate and fine-tune and provide Washington with feedback as we go," he said.

Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., a member of the academy's oversight board, praised the new rules.

"These guidelines send an unmistakable message that religious intolerance within the Air Force is unacceptable, and the respect of others, including their religious beliefs, is absolutely critical to the Air Force's mission," he said.

Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, who worked on the guidelines as a special adviser to the military, said the Air Force will begin a training program at every level to make sure the new guidelines are understood by everyone, including evangelical Christian chaplains.

"I have met, since I took this appointment, with some significant leaders in evangelical churches and organizations, and although we would not agree on every religious issue, we have agreed that at some point even evangelism crosses a line and becomes coercion," he said.

The guidelines do not ban public prayer outright and say short, nonsectarian prayers may be included in special ceremonies or events, but only to lend a sense of solemnity and not to promote specific beliefs.

Nor do they bar personal discussions of religion, including discussions between commanders and subordinates. They caution Air Force members "to be sensitive to the potential that personal expressions may appear to be official expressions."

The guidelines state that members of the Air Force "will not officially endorse or establish religion, either one specific religion, or the idea of religion over nonreligion."

They also say that "abuse or disrespect" of Air Force members based on their religious beliefs, or lack of such beliefs, is unacceptable.

Earlier this month, the Air Force dropped its plans to immediately promote Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida, the No. 3 officer at the academy, who is under investigation for teaching a group of Christian cadets a chant that some students said was a call to convert others.

Weida has apologized for his actions.

© 2005 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Editor's note:
Become a member of NewsMax’s "Land of the Free, Home of the Brave" Club – get the T-shirt – Click Here Now