Gordon Klingenschmitt, Former Navy Chaplain: DADT Repeal Is 'War On God,' Will Force Draft (VIDEO)

Gordon Klingenschmitt, a former Navy chaplain discharged for misconduct, spoke recently about his opposition to the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," saying that it was a sign that the "government has declared war on God."

According to Klingenschmitt, allowing gays to serve openly would "lead to a national draft" driven by the "mass exodus of Christians leaving the military" because of the "open homosexuals who are ogling them in the shower," he said during an interview with radio host David Pakman.

Rather than accept homosexuality, Klingenschmitt argued, the military should reject the "demonic disease," which he claimed he had once cured through some sort of gay "exorcism."

Alternet provides a little background on Klingenschmitt:

He is another phony religious right cause celebre who claimed that his religious beliefs was causing him to be discriminated against. In this case, he claimed that he was kicked out of the Navy because for simply "praying in Jesus's name."

Of course the actual story, which you can read about here, has less to do with prayer and more to do with his being insubordinate for wearing his uniform at partisan and political events, a big no-no.

WATCH:

Comments

[I Luv Dogs]

01:22 AM on 02/26/2011

Rather than accept homosexuality, Klingenschmitt argued, the military should reject the "demonic disease," which he claimed he had once cured through some sort of gay "exorcism."
-------------------
Lol, obviously his gay exorcism didn't work.

Just another self loathing gay man who refuses to come out of the closet. It almost always is the
loudest ones who are in denial...so easy to pick them out!

[CalSailor]

12:26 AM on 02/01/2011

As a former Navy Chaplain who was the first woman Chaplain assigned with Marines, and the first to go to sea, let me state in clear terms: "Chaplain" Klingenschmitt is an embarassment to Navy Chaplains everywhere. It is clear that ministry to and for the troops was not his agenda. Putting himself and his agenda was his first, and I would argue, his only, priority. He was, I believe, a LT when he was kicked out. That means he barely made it through his initial three year obligation, if, indeed, he got that far.

Our job, as Chaplains, is to meet the needs of the personnel in our command. That means, to understand where our people are coming from. Starting out with "you're going to hell", making scenes in defiance of military regulations, which is what got him thrown out, and otherwise acting as a spoiled child is not what our men and women need in the arduous life that is the military. Good riddence!

Pr Chris

[joeyfoto]

10:43 AM on 01/30/2011

Do these people take bets with cash money on their crack-pot theories...
"The 'Christian' 25% of the military will quit within three years."
Exorcism can "cure the Gay." This is pathetic...

Snake-oil sellers, with legal protection against the criminal charge of fraud, for fraud.

[Douglas Campbell]

05:46 PM on 01/29/2011

Christians lie a lot.

[lucyfurr]

09:03 PM on 02/24/2011

Odd- Something about "not bearing false witness against thy neighbor" doesn't make the translation for them too well.

[asymmetric]

12:04 PM on 01/29/2011

This story shows me both your level of hatred and your ability to get duped. This is from a guy who was kicked out of the Navy. He wasn't the head of the chaplain corps or any kind of official. Just a story to press your buttons.

[FederalBank]

10:04 PM on 01/28/2011

"He is another phony religious right cause celebre who claimed that his religious beliefs was causing him to be discriminated against." Dear Alternet-- pay attention to noun-verb agreement: "was" ≠ "were." And "celebre" hasn't been used since 1539 (where it was used as an adjective, not a noun). Please heed.

[GreenKate]

02:22 PM on 02/06/2011

I heard the term "cause celebre" often in school and elsewhere as a child. People even knew how to pronounce French words correctly. You don't hear it much now because Americans are becoming increasingly illiterate. Be that as it may, your critique of Alternet's grammar in this forum is, at best, silly. The editing we do to make comments shorter invites this kind of typo.

[troyrobertdavid]

12:11 PM on 01/28/2011

There are many militaries around the world that do not discriminate against gays and their countries have not collapsed. Colleges all around the world have everyone in the same dorms and guess what people; they haven’t fallen into the abyss. Some people must really have a low opinion of the American soldier if they think that they can’t handle this.

[troyrobertdavid]

12:04 PM on 01/28/2011

A Navy Chaplain that was discharged for misconduct is going speak to the state of the military and whether or not Gays are a threat to anything. Boy that’s rich, sounds to me that he’s the one with the demonic disease.

[carnitine]

11:24 PM on 01/27/2011

Gays are bad for the military but draft? HA! I'll drive to Canada in no time.

[persuter]

06:48 PM on 01/26/2011

Someone really needs to start making a list of all the guys insisting that so many people are going to quit the military that there will have to be a new draft. I'd just love to bring that up every time they make a prediction from then on. "So, if you were so wrong on THIS one..."

[Rikyu]

12:26 PM on 01/26/2011

I'm an ex-Navy pilot and non-believer (in Gods that is). "Religious preference" is stamped onto your dog tags. My choice, "none" was not an acceptable choice. "Atheist"? No. "Pagan"? No. I was not allowed a secular choice. I had to accept "No Preference". That afternoon I had to meet with the Chaplain. Somehow my encounter with an enlisted clerk had made its way up the chain of command. The Chaplain's most penetrating question: "what will you do if you have to eject and your parachute doesn't open"? Hit the ground, was my first thought. I offered, "if you can guaranty me that God would suspend the laws of physics, I' might willing to change my dog tags". Sensing that I might not be approaching the matter with the right degree of seriousness, he showed me slides of pain and suffering from his recent tour in Vietnam. When I asked if the wounded and dying he had just shown me had "no preference" stamped on their dog tags, I was referred to our Commanding Officer.

I chose to leave military service. There is no doubt that I would have eventually been "passed over" for promotion because of my lack of "belief". There are high ranking members of the military who truly believe they are part of God's Army. Not to protect the United States of America from enemies domestic and foreign, but to protect Christianity from its arch enemies, Islam, and "no preference".

[joeyfoto]

09:02 PM on 01/26/2011

Rikyu shared the following: "I chose to leave military service. There is no doubt that I would have eventually been "passed over" for promotion because of my lack of "belief". There are high ranking members of the military who truly believe they are part of God's Army. Not to protect the United States of America from enemies domestic and foreign, but to protect Christiani ty from its arch enemies, Islam, and "no preference ".

Thank you for that real-world experience. You described a cancer in our military services that needs to be removed. Thank you. F&F...jt

[onionboy]

11:23 AM on 01/24/2011

Mr. K's former and current male love interests to release statement in 3...2...1...

[Cratewasher]

10:56 AM on 01/24/2011

Imagine a military with fewer bible thumpers and bigots.
It might make the military a much more attractive career option.

[valeskas]

01:31 PM on 01/22/2011

Hatred, from this so called christian, is an embarrassment to all of America. Many of those so called religious leaders only pray hatred and have no place in a church.

[Ioan Lightoller]

02:49 PM on 01/22/2011

Sadly in the marketplace of religious ideas, hatred and discrimination seem to have a very high value. People like these are a disgrace to any faith.

[Chemicalogic]

01:24 PM on 01/22/2011

The old cliche of a gay man fighting his homosexuality by becoming a vicious critic of it is worn to to the point of absurdity. It used to be amusing, but now it's shaking my faith that intelligent life exists in THIS solar system. Speaking of life, it's becoming increasingly hard to see how we'll survive the mind virus that we currently call religion.