Anti-Gay Military Chaplain Faces Dismissal

Faux Christian Martyr Modder

The far right are preparing to make a martyr out of Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Modder, a Pentecostal chaplain once assigned to elite Navy SEAL units, who is facing dismissal because of his behavior towards gays and unmarried woman within the command to which he was assigned.   Modder was given a "detachment for cause" letter on Feb. 17 after his commanders concluded that he is "intolerant" and "unable to function in the diverse and pluralistic environment" of his current assignment.  The usual suspects and liberty counsel are claiming that Modder is being persecuted for being a Christian when the truth is that he refused to recognize the freedom of religion rights of military members at his assignment and sought to force his religious beliefs on them.  As is always the case with Christofascists, they construe "religious freedom" as their unfettered right to inflict their beliefs on others with zero regard for the rights of others.  Ultimately, it is form of extreme selfishness and contempt for others.  The Navy Times has details.  Here are highlights:

Navy Capt. Jon Fahs, NNPTC commander, cited several specific incidents in which Modder offered inappropriate counseling to sailors in the command, according to the detachment for cause letter. The letter states that Modder:

• Told a female that she was "shaming herself in the eyes of god" for having premarital sex.
• Told another student that homosexuality was wrong and that "the penis was meant for the vagina and not for the anus."
• Suggested to a student that he, Modder, had the ability to "save" gay people.
• "Berated" a student for becoming pregnant while not married.

Commanders felt that allowing vulnerable sailors to be counseled by Modder is "a recipe for tragedy," according to the letter.

The issue arose after multiple sailors filed equal opportunity complaints about Modder with the command, alleging discrimination.

Modder's Liberty Institute attorney, Michael Berry, said the effort to fire him reflects a broader cultural change in the military.

"I think what we are seeing is a hostility to religious expression in the military now," Berry said. "What we're seeing is this new modern, pluralistic, Navy where service members are encouraged to be hypersensitive, especially about issues of faith, marriage and family."

Commanding officers feel that "if we don't silence this immediately, then somebody is going to complain that my commanding officer didn't do anything about it," Berry said.

When confronted with the complaints, Modder told his command that "he will not follow Navy policy if it conflicts with his faith," according to the letter.

Kudos to the Navy.  I hope Modder is kicked out.  It is far past time that the Christofascist realize that they are not above the law and rules and regulations.  If they cannot abide by the military's rules, then get out.  Nothing is preventing Modder from embracing his ignorance and fear based beliefs - he simply doesn't have the right to force them on others.

Catholic Chaplains Barred From Service to Gay Couples

Andrew Sullivan and others had a case of the vapors recently based on Pope Francis' statements in a recent interview criticizing the Roman Catholic Church's "obsession with gays, abortion, and contraception."  Such individuals hoped - or wanted to believe - that such statements might indicate a moderation of the Church's extremism on such issues.  Their hopes it seems were a mere self-indulgent fantasy.  As the Washington Post reports, rather than moderating the Church has ordered Catholic military chaplains to more or less adopt the agenda of the Southern Baptist Convention and boycott anything that might remotely treat same sex military couples decently and humanely.  Here are excepts from the Post story:

Catholic military chaplains cannot be forced to witness or bless a same-sex marriage, nor are they allowed to take part in any marriage counseling retreats that are open to gay couples under new rules issued by the Archdiocese for the Military Services.

The rules, sent to chaplains on Sept. 18 by Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the AMS, also bar chaplains from taking part in a funeral for a Catholic if that participation “would give the impression that the church approves of same sex ‘marital’ relationships.”

Broglio cited an interpretation from the National Catholic Bioethics Center explaining that Catholic commanders can morally facilitate benefits for gay couples in their command if there was no other way to avoid it without jeopardizing their career.

“This is also contingent on the commander making known his/her objection to being required to . participate, as well as on attempting through legal channels to continue to accomplish changes in policy consistent with the historic understanding of marriage and family as based on natural moral law,” said the statement from the bioethics center.

In his statement, Broglio said the new federal policy on gay marriage and gay rights for military personnel “makes it necessary to reiterate with clarity the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding homosexuality.”

The new rules also reiterate that “anyone who is known to be in a sinful relationship is excluded from ministries” such as serving as a lector, catechist, altar server or from giving out Communion.

My advice to gay Catholics continues to be to leave Catholicism - the Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America parishes offer a good alternative - and to encourage all of their friends and family members to do so as well.  Andrew Sullivan and others are entitled to their opinions, but they need to pull their heads out of the sand.

Albert Mohler's Spittle Flecked Response to Call for SBC Military Chaplains Resign

As noted earlier, the Southern Baptist Convention has adopted rules for SBC military chaplains to refuse to fraternize or cooperate with chaplains from other denominations which do not demonize and seek to make gay service members inferior in their rights and recognition.  This divisive approach prompted a Presbyterian official to suggest that if the SBC chaplains could not or would not follow military rules including those recognizing gay service members and denominations recognizing gay marriage, they should resign from the military.  After all, military chaplains are paid not by their denominations but by rather American taxpayers.  This suggestion caused SBC mullah Albert Mohler to erupt in a spittle flecked shit storm.  Like most Christofascists, Mohler believes his religious beliefs trump the civil laws and the U.S. Constitution.  Mohler fumed in part as follows:

Can chaplains committed to historic biblical Christianity serve in the United States military? That question, though inconceivable to our nation’s founders, is now front and center.

The irony, as blogger friend Bob Felton points out, is that the Founding Fathers did not uniformly support having military chaplains in the first place.   But, it is par for the course that religious extremists like Mohler ignore actual history and prefer to spread the myth that the Founding Fathers were pro-religion and were all too happy to allow it to subsume the civil laws.  Such was not the case and James Madison (the principal author of the U. S. Constitution) was very wary of religion and allowing preachers to gain a role in civil government not to mention the military.  Here are highlights from his writings in 1817:

The danger of silent accumulations & encroachments by Ecclesiastical Bodies have not sufficiently engaged attention in the U. S.

[T]here is one State at least, Virginia, where religious liberty is placed on its true foundation and is defined in its full latitude. The general principle is contained in her declaration of rights, prefixed to her Constitution: but it is unfolded and defined, in its precise extent, in the act of the Legislature, usually named the Religious Bill, which passed into a law in the year 1786. Here the separation between the authority of human laws, and the natural rights of Man excepted from the grant on which all political authority is founded . . .

Strongly guarded as is the separation between Religion & Govt in the Constitution of the United States the danger of encroachment by Ecclesiastical Bodies, may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history.

Is the appointment of Chaplains to the two Houses of Congress consistent with the Constitution, and with the pure principle of religious freedom?

In strictness the answer on both points must be in the negative. The Constitution of the U. S. forbids everything like an establishment of a national religion. The law appointing Chaplains establishes a religious worship for the national representatives, to be performed by Ministers of religion, elected by a majority of them; and these are to be paid out of the national taxes. Does not this involve the principle of a national establishment, applicable to a provision for a religious worship for the Constituent as well as of the representative Body, approved by the majority, and conducted by Ministers of religion paid by the entire nation.

The establishment of the chaplainship to Congs is a palpable violation of equal rights, as well as of Constitutional principles
If Religion consist in voluntary acts of individuals, singly, or voluntarily associated, and it be proper that public functionaries, as well as their Constituents shd discharge their religious duties, let them like their Constituents, do so at their own expence. 

Better also to disarm in the same way, the precedent of Chaplainships for the army and navy, than erect them into a political authority in matters of religion. The object of this establishment is seducing; the motive to it is laudable. But is it not safer to adhere to a right pinciple, and trust to its consequences, than confide in the reasoning however specious in favor of a wrong one. Look thro' the armies & navies of the world, and say whether in the appointment of their ministers of religion, the spiritual interest of the flocks or the temporal interest of the Shepherds, be most in view . . .

As I have argued before, the military chaplain corps needs to be defunded and, if denominations desire to provided chaplains, allow them to foot the entire bill.  And they should do so off site from military bases and establishments.  As for Mohler, the best rule of thumb is to assume that if his lips are moving, he's likely lying.

Southern Baptist Convention Increase Anti-Gay Military Chaplain Rules

Since its take over by the far right elements some years ago, the Southern Baptist Convention ("SBC") has become increasingly strident in its anti-gay agenda.  The result has been that congregations - like the one my father-in-law attends - have opted out and become either independent Baptist churches or aligned themselves with less reactionary Baptist affiliations.  But among the "true believers" at the SBC, they prefer to continue to drink the proverbial Kool-Aid and drive away those not so psychologically disturbed and obsessed with gays and gay sex.  Indeed, the new SBC rules (see the guidelines at the end of this post) for military chaplains seemingly make it impossible for SBC chaplains to remain in the military.  Bob Felton at Civil Commotion looks at the SBC's growing batshitery.  Here are excerpts:

I pointed last week toward new guidelines adopted by the SBC’s North American Mission Board, drawing especial attention to the compulsory separatism which proscribes even cooperation with chaplains who are differently-minded in the matter of same-sex marriage. Now comes a Presbyterian elder to say that the guidelines are so out-of-step with military requirements for cooperative activity that SBC chaplains should resign the service outright.

While these restrictions are consistent with Southern Baptist beliefs that hold marriage to be “God’s lifelong gift ‘of uniting one man and one woman in covenant commitment for lifetime,’” in their present form, the “guidelines” are incompatible with military ethics and regulations.

If these Southern Baptist chaplains were civilian pastors, there would be no problem. As civilians, they undisputedly have an absolute First Amendment right to believe, preach and counsel in accordance with their denominational tenets. But they are not civilians, and have a duty to not only God, but also country. It is instructive that they are not salaried by the NAMB but by the American taxpayer.
[ ... ]
It is likely some NAMB-endorsed chaplains do not agree with the position taken by the NAMB. For them, rather than resigning, an alternative would be to seek the endorsement of another denomination or faith group, one that truly endorses inclusion, collegiality and pluralism.
For those chaplains who do support the guidelines and feel compelled to follow them, the only honorable course is to resign from the military chaplaincy and return to civilian ministry.

This is strong language, but I see no defect in his reasoning. It cannot possibly serve the military well for SBC chaplains to refuse to even cooperate with chaplains who think differently in matters of shared interest. What is more, it can only serve to divide service members — a course which makes the SBC the instigator of the very evil it warned against when objecting to open service by gays and lesbians. 

Do we want a military divided on religious grounds even as we fight a global war against religious nutcases?

Personally, I believe that the U.S. military needs to cease funding the chaplain corps.  Let denominations fund these activities.  Better yet, move them entirely off of military bases.

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The Negative Effects of Evangelical Christianity in the U.S. Military

Previous posts have looked at the efforts of Christofascists within the ranks of the U. S. Military to inflict their poisonous beliefs on all and to proselytize to others - even those who want no part of what they are peddling.  Serious problems have arisen at the Air Force Academy and elsewhere, yet the Christofasicts continue to press their theocratic agenda.  The negative effects are many fold, including but not limited to the propaganda opportunities presented to jihadists and others who make use of batshit crazy and virulently anti-Muslims made by senior military officers and, of course, chaplains.  A piece in Policy Mic looks at the harm done to non-Christofascists who are forced to serve under religious extremists in the ranks.  Here are article highlights:

One of the most famous phrases regarding faith and the military is the self-assured statement that “there are no atheists in foxholes.” To anyone with a basic respect for facts, this is patently untrue. This idea is ridiculous, and were it “just a phrase,” we might leave it at that. But the underlying sentiment — that the military consists solely of believers, should be run as a Christian organization, and should seek to impose spiritual standards on its soldiers — is one of the most destructive threats to the efficacy of our military.

Evangelism is firmly entrenched in American military culture. It pervades several aspects of military life, and each of these — from the social exclusion of nonbelievers, to the influence of evangelism on access to military resources, to the toxic fusion of national security objectives with religious terminology — warrants serious consideration. For all the honor and respect we give our soldiers, we certainly don't hold some of the ideas they defend — namely, the separation of church and state — in very high regard.

Evangelicals have designated the military as a prime target for conversions. Evangelicalism wasn’t always this prevalent in the military. In fact, through World War II, religion was not a major source of contention at all. Race was the biggest issue until 1947, when the Army finally integrated. The religious pluralism found in the military at the end of WWII sustained itself, and respect for different religions ensured that no one group came to dominate the others. That changed with the progression of the Cold War.

The divisions caused by the Vietnam War fueled the evangelizing of the military. Mainline Protestant churches, which were generally opposed to military action in Vietnam, saw their representation in the military drop precipitously in the 1970s. Picking up the slack was the evangelical community, whose churches were generally in favor of the war.

These deep political divisions within American Christianity had long-lasting effects. Because evangelicals supported the war in greater numbers, they subsequently became the Army’s next generation of leaders. This shift coincided with the rise of the religious right in 1970s and ‘80s, resulting in a military that was 40% evangelical by 2005. Even more significant is the concentration of evangelicals in the chaplaincy: A full 60% of military chaplains are evangelicals.

Positions of leadership allow evangelicals to proselytize in remarkable ways. Just ask Army Specialist Jeremy Hall, who was sent home from Iraq in 2006 because the military could not protect him from Christians in our own army. Because Hall respectfully declined to join a Christian prayer before mealtime, he was ridiculed, threatened, and ostracized. He needed a bodyguard full-time to protect him from his Christian peers and superiors who could not comprehend the presence of an unbeliever in their ranks. As the Tampa Bay Times pointed out, it’s somewhat ironic that the nation spending billions to keep peace between Sunnis and Shias was unable to protect even one nonbeliever in its own ranks.

The Air Force in particular has been a hotbed of evangelical controversy. Major Warren Watties, the USAF’s 2004 Chaplain of the Year, kindly explained to new cadets that those not “born again will burn in the fires of Hell.” Additionally, cadets who declined evening chapel services were mockingly marched back to their dormitories in the "Heathen Flight." And then there’s the 2004 survey of cadets at the Air Force Academy that revealed close to half of non-Christian cadets said classmates are intolerant of those who do not "follow a religion" or "believe in a divine being."

If that's not enough, try to imagine this: Before deploying on a patrol in Iraq, your commander asks you to participate in a specifically Christian prayer. It happened to Jason Torpy, who is just one of thousands of atheists, agnostics, and humanists who are regularly reminded by their evangelical peers exactly how welcome they are.

The Officers' Christian Fellowship (OCF) represents another aspect of the evangelizing of the military: faith groups known as “parachurches” operating within our armed forces. The group’s goals are quite clear: It is the job of the OCF to “carry the gospel through the medium of ordinary relationships among the entire military community.”
This idea — that the entire institution of the military should be occupied and run by Christians — reflects the politically oriented Christian Dominionism movement. To Dominionists, the separation of church and state isn’t just a falsehood, it’s an obstacle to their goal of institutionalized evangelism.

There is more.  In addition, there are additional columns here and here.  Personally, I would like to see the chaplain corps eliminated.  The military and the government should not be spending a dime to support any faith or denomination.  Let churches and denominations build their facilities near bases and so forth, but they should no be allowed on base.

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Baptist Air Force Chaplain Changes Denominations Over Gay Marriage Flap

I've written twice before about Col. Timothy Wagoner, a career Air Force chaplain who until recently was affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention ("SBC") - at least he was until he was booted out of that denomination for not holding enough hate and animosity towards gay service members.  Wagoner's great sin was that he attended a civil union ceremony on an Air Force base for a same sex couple.  That was just too much for the modern day Pharisees at the SBC even though Wagoner had not officiated at the service.  Merely being supportive of gay members of the military was considered heresy.  The story has a happy ending, however.  Wagoner will remain on active duty and has affiliated with a less hate filled branch of the Baptist faith.  The Oklahoman has details.  Here are excerpts:

A long-serving Air Force chaplain has left the Southern Baptist Convention after the conservative denomination publicly questioned his attendance at a same-sex civil union ceremony at his base in New Jersey.

The chaplain, Col. Timothy Wagoner, is remaining on active duty and has affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which holds more moderate views on homosexuality and some other issues than the Southern Baptists.

“I find very little that is more important and nothing that is more exhilarating than providing for the religious freedoms and spiritual care of all service members and their families — and will joyfully continue to do so,” Wagoner said Friday in an email to The Associated Press.

Wagoner’s exit from the Southern Baptist Convention, which SBC leaders welcomed, is a direct fallout from the repeal a year ago of the “don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy that had prevented gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.

Wagoner — the senior chaplain at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst — had made clear he would not officiate at such ceremonies, which the Southern Baptists do not condone.  However, Wagoner had told the AP that he decided to attend as a show of support for the base community, for Umali, and for the Evangelical Lutheran chaplain, Col. Kay Reeb, who presided over it.

I wish Wagoner happiness in his new denomination and hope that he continues to see LGBT people as worthy children of God.  Would that more Christians would realize that it's really very simple to walk away from hate dominated denominations and find more tolerant and loving alternatives.

Military Chaplain Who Failed to Condemn Gay Marriage Hounded from Job

Tech. Sgt. Erwynn Umali and Will Behrens at Service Attended by Wagoner

The far right's war against anyone who recognizes the humanity of gays and who understands that our relationships have worth continues.  Earlier in the month I wrote about the civil union service conducted at the McGuire Air Force Base chapel and noted that Col. Timothy Wagoner,an Air Force chaplain affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention for 20 years, had been present at the service.  Wagoner had been quoted as saying:

"I don't feel I'm compromising my beliefs ... I'm supporting the community."  .   .   .   "We have to respect the faith requirements of the chaplain and we have to take care of the needs of the airman."  .   .   .  "As a Southern Baptist, why was I here? I was here to lend support," Wagoner said. "I was here supporting Airman Umali. I've worked with him. He's a comrade in arms."   "I'm also supporting Chaplain Reeb," he said. "She gave a beautiful ceremony."

In the fear and hate based world of the Southern Baptist Convention ("SBC"), Wagoner was apparently guilty of heresy and the North American Mission Board of the  SBC has announced that Wagoner is abruptly leaving the SBC.  Yep, the bitter modern day Pharisees simply could not tolerate anyone who doesn't view gays as sick, diseased sinners.  Here are highlights from the announcement:

The Air Force chaplain who attended a same-sex civil union that took place in June has notified chaplaincy leaders at the North American Mission Board (NAMB) that he is leaving the Southern Baptist Convention.

“Southern Baptists love and pray for our chaplains. That being said, we only want to endorse chaplains who can support Baptist doctrine and belief without reservation,” said Kevin Ezell, NAMB’s president. “When it comes to what our chaplains believe and practice, we do ask and we do expect them to tell.”

NAMB chaplaincy leaders contacted Air Force Chaplain (Col.) Timothy Wagoner after an Associated Press article appeared in early July describing him as “watching supportively” during the civil union. At the time, Wagoner indicated to NAMB he did not support the ceremony. He also gave assurances of his support for Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and for the biblical definition of one man, one woman marriage.

“If an SBC chaplain concludes he cannot conduct his ministry in harmony with SBC beliefs and doctrine, then it is best to part ways,” Ezell said.

  

Wagoner sounds like he's a decent man and one can only hope that should he desire to continue his work as a chaplain that he can become associated with a less hateful and backward thinking denomination.  We need more people like Wagoner and far, far few like those on the North American Mission Board.  And based on the soaring number of "nones," the SBC along with similar denominations best known for hate and intolerance seems to be slowly killing the Christian brand.  In my view, the SBC version of Christianity can't vanish from the planet soon enough.  So many lives are harmed by such ignorant and bigoted beliefs.

Military Chaplains Cite Few Problems After DADT Repeal

Remember all of the shrieking and predictions of a mass exodus of members of the armed forces and the chaplain ranks if DADT was repealed?  Shrill hater like Elaine Donnelly and Tony Perkins and others went on and on ad nausea about how DADT repeal would cripple the military and deter meeting recruitment targets. So what has happened during the nine months since DADT repeal?  Absolutely nothing to support the claims of the gay haters.  That's right, nothing.  Yes, there have been a few chaplain retirements, but few have been linked to DADT repeal.  It would seem that the chaplains themselves, not to mention the ranks of the military, are not the religious zealots and bigots that the professional Christian set painted them to be.  The Virginian Pilot reports on the fact that DADT repeal continues to be a non-event outside the ranks of hate groups like Family Research Council and the worse Kool-Aid drinking elements of the GOP's Christofascist base.  Here are highlights:

WRIGHTSTOWN, N.J. - Col. Timothy Wagoner has been an Air Force chaplain for 20 years, serving a denomination — the Southern Baptists — that rejects same-sex relationships.  Yet here he was at the chapel he oversees, watching supportively as an airman and his male partner celebrated a civil union ceremony.  "I wouldn't miss it," Wagoner said at the McGuire Air Force Base chapel, days later. "I don't feel I'm compromising my beliefs ... I'm supporting the community."

Wagoner didn't officiate at the ceremony — he couldn't go quite that far. But his very presence at the gathering was a marker of how things have changed for active-duty clergy in the nine months since the "don't ask, don't tell" policy was repealed and gays could serve openly.

Prior to repeal, various conservative groups and individuals — including many conservative retired chaplains — warned that repeal would trigger an exodus of chaplains whose faiths consider homosexual activity to be sinful. In fact, there's been no significant exodus — perhaps two or three departures of active-duty chaplains linked to the repeal.
Moreover, chaplains or their civilian coordinators from a range of conservative faiths told The Associated Press they knew of virtually no serious problems thus far involving infringement of chaplains' religious freedom or rights of conscience.  "To say the dust has settled would be premature," said Air Force Col. Gary Linsky, a Roman Catholic priest who oversees 50 fellow chaplains in the Air Mobility Command. "But I've received no complaints from chaplains raising concerns that their ministries were in any way conflicted or constrained."

Wagoner would not have been willing to officiate at the June 23 civil union ceremony at the McGuire chapel, nor would his Catholic or Mormon colleagues. But he had no problem with another member of his team, Navy Chaplain Kay Reeb of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, doing so.

Reeb, who will be will leaving the Navy in a few weeks after 20 years as a chaplain, held a couple of pre-ceremony consultations with the couple — Tech. Sgt. Erwynn Umali and civilian Will Behrens — and was impressed by their commitment to one another.

On hand at the chapel were the couple's family and friends, several gay-rights activists, and Sgt. Elizabeth Garcia, the chaplain's assistant who handled logistical arrangements. And then there was Wagoner, whose denomination preaches that homosexuality is sinful and is "not a valid alternative lifestyle."  "As a Southern Baptist, why was I here? I was here to lend support," Wagoner said. "I was here supporting Airman Umali. I've worked with him. He's a comrade in arms."

He [Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services] concurred with the estimates that only a handful of chaplains have left the military because of the repeal. He said "two or three" Catholic chaplains had resigned their commissions in recent months, and guessed that repeal may have been a factor though they didn't cite that specifically.

Another conservative denomination with a large contingent of chaplains — 114 on active duty — is the Assemblies of God.  Scott McChrystal, a retired Army chaplain who oversees them, said the concerns that preceded repeal had not been borne out.

Bishop James Magness, the coordinator for about 75 active-duty and reserve Episcopal chaplains, said he'd heard a common, positive verdict about repeal from his more conservative Catholic, Mormon and Southern Baptist colleagues.

"The whole argument about religious liberty is so incredibly uninformed, and inflamed by some of the very conservative legal groups," Magness said. "In reality, there's been very little if any of the services forcing any ministerial activity on a chaplain against his or her will."

What likely frightens the gay haters the most is the real likelihood that as chaplains from conservative denominations become more familiar with gays and same sex couples,  they will change their perceptions on gay relationships and ultimately gay marriage.  Familiarity breeds not just tolerance but acceptance.  Nothing would hurt the bank accounts of hate groups more than having military chaplains counter their anti-gay message.

Republicans Attack Mainline Christian Sacraments

For years I have been arguing that equality for LGBT citizens is intertwined with the fight for religious freedom.  The Founding Fathers -f one actually takes the time to read their writings - wanted a secular government and they wanted no religious tests for public office and/or civil rights.  Despite this historic reality of the Founders' intent, the GOP has made an unholy alliance with the far right Christofascists and the result is that the Founders' intent has been flushed down the toilet.  Instead, anyone who doesn't conform to the religious beliefs of the Christofascists is denied civil law equality and their religious beliefs become a test for public office as was horrifically demonstrated by the judicial nomination of Tracy Thorne-Begland who faced the equivalent of a lynching in the GOP controlled Virginia House of Delegates.  In the process of the GOP's prostituting itself to the Christofacsists, the rights of LGBT welcoming mainline denominations have been trampled into the dust.  A piece in Box Turtle Bulletin looks at this disturbing phenomenon.  Here are excerpts:

In the midst of fighting it can be easy to confuse a battle with a war and struggle over a battlefield can be so predominant that it appears to be the goal. And so it is in the Great American Culture War. With so much emphasis in fighting over issues involving homosexuality, it can seem as though denying gay people equality is the primary goal of many conservatives. But I believe that the battle over marriage, adoption, and even simple social equality for gay people is not driven so much by objection to homosexuality. Rather, a larger issue is at stake: who will be the voice of The Church in America.

It is no small prize. Tremendous influence is wielded by those who are considered the arbiters of morality and the defenders of faith and godly society.

 

For most of our existence, The Church has been Protestant Christianity with denominational differences relating primarily to economic or social status or ethnic tradition (with all falling under the mantle of “Mainline Christianity”). Usually (with some significant historical exceptions) broad leeway was granted to Catholics and others, but as far as “what Americans believe”, it was driven by Protestant ideology. Mormons, Pentecostals, and other fringe groups mostly kept to themselves.

Today’s culture war is a battle for the right to dominance and to have a different ideology shape the culture. Catholics, Pentecostals, and Mormons have formed an alliance to replace the Mainline Christians with their own brand of Christian thought, and the difference is significant.

Mainline Christianity’s underlying principles could be expressed as “work hard, be a good neighbor, live responsibly, and care for the less fortunate”. While individual morality is important, and social pressure is used to encourage moral behavior, it is generally considered to be in bad taste to publicly shame those who do not live according to a list of rules and coercive morality-based laws are not a primary focus.

The coalition of other faiths that seek to replace this message all place a great deal more importance on conformity, doctrinal purity, and a society that reflects and adheres to the teachings of The Church. Caring for the physical needs of your neighbor falls a far far distant second to caring for your neighbor’s spiritual needs, and there is an underlying presumption that The Church – not the neighbor – can best determine what such needs may be.

I would like to be generous and say that this is purely ideological, but it is to a large part a power-grab. 

I see the latest attack from Republicans in the House of Representatives as not being, necessarily, an effort to hurt gay Americans (which it might seem on the surface) but as an effort to hurt Mainline Christianity. It is the boldest and most brazen attack on specific denominations that I’ve ever seen.  Specifically, the House Republicans included the following measure into the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013:

SEC. 537. USE OF MILITARY INSTALLATIONS AS SITES FOR MARRIAGE CEREMONIES OR MARRIAGE-LIKE CEREMONIES.
A military installation or other property owned or rented by, or otherwise under the jurisdiction or control of, the Department of Defense may not be used to officiate, solemnize, or perform a marriage or marriage-like ceremony involving anything other than the union of one man with one woman.

Initially, this looks like an attack on gay soldiers. And it is. Indeed, it is specifically the marriage of gay soldiers which will be disallowed on military bases or other military property.

Yet I think that the greater targets of this provision are the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the Friends (Quakers) – all of whom allow their chaplains to offer same-sex marriage sacraments – and the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – who are either considering or allow for some measure of marriage-like ceremony. 

 

For the first time in my lifetime, a house of government has dictated what is acceptable theology and has banned sacraments from its properties that do not meet the religious beliefs of legislators.

I think that this is so obviously a violation of the First Amendment that it cannot withstand legal challenge. Telling a chaplain that he need not conduct sacraments that violate his faith (another provision added) is a protection of religious freedom. Telling a chaplain that he cannot conduct sacraments that are provisions of his faith is a blatant attack on his religious freedom.

Timothy Kinkaid is 100% on point.  These anti-gay laws and initiatives seek to enforce one "established" religious vire in direct violation of the U>S. Constitution.  The question remains when will someone challenge this unconstitutional effort for what it is.

Pentagon OK's Chaplains Performing Gay Weddings

One can almost hear the hyperventilating and sound of flying spittle that must be emanating from Elaine Donnelly, Maggie Gallagher, Tony Perkins and similar professional gay-haters. Why? Because now military chaplains on bases in states where same sex marriage is legal can perform weddings for sames sex couples. It's yet another blow against the special privileges too long afforded to far right Christian religious beliefs that have been allowed to trample on the religious freedom of other citizens. Be assured that there will be shrieks that such weddings are a threat to religious freedom, but in truth the Christianist (and Catholic Church) version of religious freedom is the freedom to inflict one's beliefs on all of society. The Washington Post reports on the new policy. Here are some highlights:

The Pentagon will permit military chaplains to perform same-sex marriage as long as such ceremonies are not prohibited in the states where they reside, it said Friday.

Defense Department guidance issued to military chaplains said they may participate in ceremonies on or off military bases in states that recognize gay unions. Chaplains are not required to officiate at same-sex weddings if doing so is counter to their religious or personal beliefs, the guidance said.

And regardless of the Pentagon guidance, military chaplains will still need to take cues from their religious order, said Gary Pollitt, spokesman for the Military Chaplains Association.

The decision validates a move made by the Navy in May that earned the ire of conservative critics and Pentagon observers, because Navy officials acted on their own instead of in tandem with other military services. The guidance also irked Republican lawmakers who were still attempting to block plans to end the ban on gays serving openly in the military, known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

For those who want to inflict their religious views on everyone, I'd suggest they convert to Islam and move to Iran. The mindset and level of intolerance of the Christian Taliban is really no different than their Islamic counterparts. A copy of the Pentagon memo is set out below (click the image for a larger view)

Bible and Nukes Don't Mix

I have written a number of times about the Christianists within the U. S. Military on issues ranging from Christianist intimidation and proselytizing at the U. S. Air Force Academy to mandatory attendance at Christianist themed events at nearby Fort Eustis in Newport News. The Air Force has gotten itself once more in the news over a story about what could best be described as Christianist indoctrination in the context of training for for new missile launch officers - a frightening concept inasmuch, as noted yesterday, Christians have the least qualms about military actions that kill civilians. Here are highlights from CNN:

The Air Force has suspended an ethics briefing for new missile launch officers after concerns were raised about the briefing's heavy focus on religion.
The briefing, taught for nearly 20 years by military chaplains at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, is intended to train Air Force personnel to consider the ethics and morality of launching nuclear weapons - the ultimate doomsday machine.

Many of the slides in the 43 page presentation use a Christian justification for war, displaying pictures of saints like Saint Augustine and using biblical references.

"Abraham organized an Army to rescue Lot," one slide read, referring to the story of the Hebrew patriarch and his nephew found in the book of Genesis. "Revelation 19:11 Jesus Christ is the mighty warrior," another slide read.

The Air Force halted the class last week after 31 missile launch officers reported the religious nature of the briefing to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a watchdog group which tries to ensure religious freedom among the troops.

"There were several things that they found disgusting," Mikey Weinstein founder of the foundation said. "The first was the fact that there is actually a slide that makes it clear that they're trying to teach that, under fundamentalist Christian doctrine, war is a good thing."

Weinstein said his group had to act. "We were literally blown away by what we saw on the slide presentation. And one of the first things I did was to contact some of the most senior leadership for the Air Force in the Pentagon and made it very clear that this has to stop immediately," Weinstein said.

The Air Force said headquarters officials were not aware of the religious component of the ethics course, despite it being taught for nearly two decades by chaplains. . . . A review is underway at the base to see if an ethics briefing is needed at all.

The Christianists can rail all they want about Islamic fundamentalists and extremists, but in truth they are just as serious a menace as their Islamic counterparts. They have truly turned Christianity into something very evil.

Gay Friendly Military Chaplains Push Back

This blog has previously looked at the lies and whining of Christianist members of the Chaplain Corps who have alleged that the repeal of DADT and/or allowing military chaplains threatens their freedom of religion. As is typical of the far right elements of the right wing, the Christianist chaplains are in reality accusing others of what they themselves are doing as their seek to inflict their religious beliefs on all. Thankfully, some non-Neanderthal members of the Chaplain Corps are pushing back and speaking out - something non-Christofascists need to do more often. The Advocate has a lengthy article on the development and a copy of the response submitted in reaction to threatened lawsuit by the extremists at the Alliance Defense Fund. Here are some highlights:
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A progressive military chaplains organization has condemned recent assertions by antigay groups that repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" is quickly eroding religious liberty for service members from conservative faith traditions.
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Capt. John F. Gundlach, a retired Navy chaplain and member of the Forum on the Military Chaplaincy, wrote in a Monday commentary that ADF's pleas are the result of antigay bigotry, not concern for religious liberty.
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"Are ADF and the religious groups they represent as willing to defend the same rights and protections for others they claim for themselves?" Gundlach wrote. "Are they as willing to acknowledge the right of chaplains from gay-friendly denominations to perform gay weddings in military chapels? And are they as willing to speak up for those who suffer discrimination because they are gay? If not, their pleas for special protection from discrimination for themselves are self-serving and unworthy of consideration."
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What are ADF and these groups afraid of? They fear that their chaplains and other military members who are anti-gay because of their religious beliefs will be discriminated against. Lifting up this perceived threat serves as a rallying cry for religious conservatives and the politicians who support them, but it’s really an S.O.S. It’s the Same Old Stuff they have been saying since “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” appeared to be headed for the regulatory scrap heap.
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This S.O.S. may seem real enough to them, but what are the facts? Will religious conservatives in the military no longer be able to practice their religion? Will their chaplains have to refrain from preaching against homosexuality (their term, not mine)? Not at all.
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The one thing that every chaplain is required to do, regardless of their religious perspectives, is care for everyone. If these chaplains can’t minister to gay and lesbian service members themselves, they are obligated to refer them to another chaplain who can.
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So where is the threat to religious freedom? And where could their right to free speech be limited? It will no longer be acceptable to speak about fellow gay and lesbian service members in demeaning ways in the workplace and other public settings. The fact that this has ever been acceptable by anyone anywhere, but especially by chaplains, is regrettable.
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Clearly, ADF and their conservative clients have good reason to send out an S.O.S. — their cause is sinking. As a new generation of Americans join our Armed Forces, a generation that has grown up knowing that LGBT people are no threat to their persons, their marriages, or their religion, the protests of groups like ADF and their clients will seem archaic and totally out of touch. And many will wonder why these groups don’t have a more important religious message to share.

Bigots and Homophobes in Chaplain Corps Whine Over DADT Repeal

Frankly, I am about to the point where I think the U.S. military might be best advised to dump the military chaplain corps completely. Other than situations involving combat troops in the field, service members perhaps ought to merely be left to finding religious services and religious counseling off base. And in combat situations, simple make space available in base camps where differing religious groups could rotate priests, pastors, etc. through a facility where they could hold services if they so chose. In short, its time for ALL special privileges afforded religion - especially Christianity - to be a thing of the past. If a denomination wants to provide access to believers of their sect (or more appropriately, their cult), leave it to them to find the delivery mechanism. The U. S. government and U. S. military need to get out of the business of religion and stop facilitating religious based discrimination. As Google News is reporting, all kinds of disingenuous bullshit is being floated by past and present chaplains in an effort to torpedo DADT repeal. As for the denominations threatening to pull their chaplains (not surprisingly the morally bankrupt Catholic Church is one of them), I say call their damn bluff. With most denominations LOSING membership, it they want to cut their own throats, let them do so.
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In short, I'm am SOOOOO tired of the one sided whining about religious freedom by these bastards since it in reality equates to allowing one group, i.e., the Christofascists, to take away the religious freedoms of another, i.e., LGBT service members. One of the ironies that no one seems to address is this: what gay service memember in his/her right mind is going to willing seek counsel from one of these bigoted assholes in the first place? They are whining about a problem that will never exist. Put on your hip boots, because here are some story highlights:
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Clergy would be ineligible to serve as chaplains if their churches withdraw their endorsements, as some have threatened to do if "don't ask, don't tell" ends. Critics of allowing openly gay troops fear that clergy will leave the service or be forced to find other jobs in the military that don't involve their faiths.
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"The bottom line is religious freedom," said retired Army Brig. Gen. Douglas Lee, one of 65 former chaplains who signed a letter urging President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to keep "don't ask, don't tell."
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"My heart doesn't bleed for these chaplains," said Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. "If you don't like it, there's a very simple solution: Fold your uniform, file the paperwork and find something else to do."
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In the Army, the U.S. military's largest branch, the largest denomination is the Southern Baptist Convention, with roughly 450 active chaplains. Next is the Roman Catholic Church, with 270, followed by chaplains from the Full Gospel Pentecostal church; Presbyterian and Reformed churches; and Assemblies of God.
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If a chaplain's church withdraws its endorsement, the military begins processing the chaplain to leave the military. Several denominations have already threatened to take such a step, citing long lists of potential conflicts the chaplains could face with openly gay soldiers.*
The Southern Baptist Convention, the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church in America, the Presbyterian Church in America, and the Rabbinical Alliance of America have issued statements or written to the Obama administration this year with their concerns that repealing "don't ask, don't tell" could force their chaplains to choose between serving God and serving the military.
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Retired Navy chaplain Capt. John Gundlach, a United Church of Christ pastor, supports repealing the policy and doesn't foresee the problems envisioned by some of his conservative colleagues.
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"They may run into some difficulties in not being able to speak out against those who are gay or lesbian in the military, because that would be counter to good order and discipline," he said. "But chaplains have the right to preach according to their tradition in worship services they hold for those of their own denomination."

Evangelical Proselytizing in The Military

Lost in the current coverage of the fray between LGBT Americans and the DNC/Obama is a serious story in Newsweek that in some ways may explain some of the opposition to repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell ("DADT") within the military: the growing influence of far right evangelical Christians within the armed forces. I have written about this problem before because (a) it threatens the right to freedom of religion for our service members and (ii) it has the potential to seriously alienate citizens of countries with non-Christian populations. Now, Newsweek looks more in depth at this growing problem which is intensifying as evangelical chaplains increasing infiltrate the military. Combined with the far right lunacy of some of the senior officer corps and it is a recipe for trouble. Here are some story highlights:

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The growing controversy over military chaplains using the armed forces to spread the Word. . . Ever since former president George W. Bushreferred to the war on terror as a “crusade” in the days after the September 11 attacks, many have charged that the United States was conducting a holy war, pitting a Christian America against the Muslim world. That perception grew as prominent military leaders such as Lt. Gen. William Boykin described the wars in evangelical terms, casting the U.S. military as the "army of God."

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A May article in Harper’s by Jeff Sharlet illustrated a military engaged in an internal battle over religious practice. Then came news about former Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s Scripture-themed briefings to President Bush that paired war scenes with Bible verses. . . . Later in May, Al-Jazeera broadcast clips filmed in 2008 showing stacks of Bibles translated into Pashto and Dari at the U.S. air base in Bagram and featuring the chief of U.S. military chaplains in Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Gary Hensley, telling soldiers to “hunt people for Jesus.”

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In the aftermath of that report, the Pentagon responded that it had confiscated and destroyed the Bibles and said there was no effort to convert Afghans. But while the military dismissed the Bagram Bibles as an isolated incident, a civil-rights watchdog group, Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), says this is not the case.

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According to the group's president, Mikey Weinstein, a cadre of 40 U.S. chaplains took part in a 2003 project to distribute 2.4 million Arabic-language Bibles in Iraq. This would be a serious violation of U.S. military Central Command's General Order Number One forbidding active-duty troops from trying to convert people to any religion.

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The effort is an example of what critics call a growing culture of militarized Christianity in the armed forces. It is influenced in part by changes in outlook among the various branches' 2,900 chaplains, who are sworn to serve all soldiers, regardless of religion, with a respectful, religiously pluralistic approach. However, with an estimated two thirds of all current chaplains affiliated with evangelical and Pentecostal denominations, which often prioritize conversion and evangelizing, . . . This imbalance was exacerbated by regulation revisions in the 1980s that helped create hundreds of new "endorsing agencies" that brought a flood of evangelical chaplains into the military

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Among the "endorsing agencies" is CFGC, which represents a conglomeration of independent Pentecostal churches outside established denominations. The group was accepted as a chaplain-endorsing agency by the Department of Defense in 1984, two years after it first applied. Since 1984, MRFF charges, Ammerman's agency has violated numerous codes that govern chaplaincies, including a constant denigration of other religions, particularly Islam, Judaism, mainline Protestantism and Catholicism, but also non-Pentecostal evangelical churches.

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Weinstein, an Air Force veteran who founded MRFF in 2005 after both he and his sons say they encountered anti-Semitic harassment and proselytizing in the service, has waged legal battles against what he sees as an improper mingling of church and state in the military, including a current lawsuit against the Department of Defense alleging service members' compulsory attendance at military functions that include sectarian Christian prayers and a broader "pattern and practice of constitutionally impermissible promotions of religious beliefs within the Department of Defense and the United States Army."

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MRFF is calling, in a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, to strip the CFGC of its endorsing authority and to investigate its chaplains for various code violations. But they fear the Obama administration will not press this issue given the announced replacement of Army Secretary Pete Geren with Rep. John McHugh, a New York Republican with a conservative record on church-state separation issues.

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I believe that this is a very serious issue and I have little faith in the Obama administration's ability to reign in the out of control evangelical and pentecostal chaplains.