Are military chaplains limited in their jobs?
There is little said of this topic and yet it is an issue of keen interest to those of any faith but specifically the Christian faith. Christian chaplains in the military are forbidden to speak the name of Jesus Christ in prayer outside of a chapel.
Speaking the name of Jesus in any public military function or meeting is strictly punished. Navy and Air force policy urges chaplains to use inclusive prayers outside worship settings and religious elements should be nonsectarian in nature. These guidelines seem so harmless, and yet chaplains who find this state interference in their religious practices unacceptable are being discharged and court-martialed; their families are being evicted from military housing, their military careers ended and their pensions taken.
However, this treatment is not universal. No Islamic chaplain has been refused to pray in the name of Allah, and no Catholic priest has been rebuked for mentioning the Blessed Virgin Mary. Christian chaplains are being denied the right to mention the very key to their faith. These chaplains who comfort, strengthen, and pray for our troops under difficult circumstances.
If politics do not change, then stating our religious beliefs will eventually be outlawed here, in the name of being politically correct. Efforts are continuing to be made to persuade President Bush to issue an executive order to allow chaplains the right to pray according to the traditions of their faith; thousands of signatures are being added to such a petition.
There just seems to be no point to having chaplains in the military if they are not allowed to pray in the name of their faith. It”s laughable to have chaplains praying to an unnamed being. The military needs praying chaplains who know who they are praying to.
Sandra Hazzard Zapata
Kelseyville
