A group of 66 Republican lawmakers is accusing the Air Force of creating “a culture that is hostile toward religion.”

The House members wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta asking him to investigate whether recent indicents at the Air Force are having a "chilling effect" on people of faith.

The lawmakers outlined several instances where they had problems with Air Force policy, particularly a memo last year from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, which said that “chaplains, not commanders” should notify airmen about chaplains’ religious programs. The lawmakers wrote the memo was “suggesting that the mere mention of these programs is impermissible.”

They also took issue with the suspension of a briefing that discussed Bible references, the changing of a Latin office motto that included God and removing Bibles from Air Force Inn checklists.