The AP has published an article claiming:
Military chaplains are concerned troops could be punished for expressing objections to homosexuality once the "don't ask, don't tell" policy is lifted.
The complaints aren't actually coming directly from military chaplains. They're coming from the organizations that provide chaplains to the US Military. You can read a copy of their letter online and see that it is actually addressed to the Chief Chaplains of each military service, not signed by them. Military Chaplains did not write this letter and the AP and other news organizations that are spreading this story are doing a disservice when they imply they did.
For many people, that's splitting hairs, but not for me. The active duty chaplains are holding back - with good cause - it's the retired Generals that are once again trying to stir the shit.
"This is already an assault and a challenge on individual conscience and some Soldiers may think it's forcing them to abandon their religious beliefs or being marginalized for holding to those beliefs," said Douglas E. Lee, a retired Army brigadier general and chaplain, whose signature was the first on the letter.
Don't you love how General Lee is concerned that some soldiers might be marginalized for their beliefs?
The General seems to have little faith that our active duty soldiers are capable of not discriminating against a minority. Because we all know that the soldiers who believe that "homosexuality is a sin" are in the minority.
The General also seems to have forgotten that religious ideology, religious belief, has never had a place in everyday conversations in our military. Religion, like politics, is conversation saved for when you're not wearing your uniform. Even chaplains offering benedictions at the beginning of military events are asked to refrain from giving a prayer that speaks to only a single faith. They are asked to be inclusive rather than exclusive.
The organizations that provide chaplains are in an uproar because of a recently rescinded Navy Memo. A Navy Chaplain had requested that the lawyers review current policy regarding the use of the chapel for gay weddings. The lawyers found that there was nothing preventing the use of the chapels in states where gay marriage is legal. Some members of Congress had a hissy fit yelling DOMA all the way to the Secretary of Defense and that memo has been quietly pushed to the side while more lawyers review the situation.
But that's why this latest letter was written (bolding mine):
Though this revision is now temporarily suspended pending further review, we are genuinely concerned that this might be a sign of things to come. We are likewise concerned that endorsers and faith communities had no voice in the formulation of such a significant policy change.
And, here's the rub (bolding mine):
When guidance, however, is forthcoming from senior leadership that implies protected status for those who engage in homosexual behavior and normalizes same-sex unions in base chapels, any outside observer would conclude that both homosexuality and homosexual unions officiated as marriages in base chapels are normative. This creates an environment that is increasingly hostile to the many chaplains—and the service members they serve—whose faith groups and personal consciences recognize homosexual behavior as immoral and unsafe and do not permit same-sex unions.
Someone needs to remind the signers of this letter that military chaplains serve not only their flock in the chapel, but every sailor, soldier, airmen, and marine in the service. ALL of them. Including the atheists. In the Army, they are charged with being:
Sensitive to religious pluralism and able to provide for the free exercise of religion for all military personnel, their family members and civilians who work for the Army.
It's not much different in the Coast Guard, Navy, Marines, or the Air Force.
Army Regs also state:
Chaplains also remain fully accountable to the code of ethics and ecclesiastical standards of their endorsing faith group. In some instances, this may restrict Chaplain participation in a command event, but it does not relieve the Chaplain from providing for adequate religious support to accomplish the mission.
It sounds me to like chaplains who feel restricted in their abilities to participate in a command event because they are unable to utter the words "Homosexuality is a sin" are still required to provide support to the mission. I think our active duty chaplains are more than able to handle this task.
These organizations that signed this letter want chaplains to be able to speak out whenever and wherever they like. They haven't uttered those words "free speech" but I can hear them coming. The irony is, out of uniform, these chaplains can say whatever they want. But while they're serving the Unites States Military, it will be their obligation to support the current law. And, if current law prevents them from sharing their religious views outside the chapel setting, because their view infringes upon the rights of others, then so be it. As far as I'm concerned, the separation of church and state has always prevented our military chaplains from prostelysing outside of the chapel.
So when their letter states:
Servicemembers should know that chaplains' ministry and their own rights of conscience remain protected everywhere military necessity has placed them...
I would answer that their own right of conscious does remain protected. We just don't allow hate speech while wearing the uniform of our Armed Services. It's a fine line for many of these guys, I will admit. But I have faith that they understand where that line needs to be drawn. I have faith that our current active duty chaplains will be able to serve alongside gays and lesbians without uttering any hated words. If they can't do that, then I think we are looking at the beginning of the end of Chaplains in our US Military.