It's interesting how some things change. Evolution suggests a natural process of growth and development based on a somehow-perceived need for an entity to adapt to new or altered circumstances. The implication, since it is a natural process, is that the change, the new evolved state, will be an improvement over the old.
But what does one call it when it's not?
The question arises from a story I just read about the experience of a young soldier who was shipped home near the end of World War II. He was filled with bitterness and despair at having to be sent home due to illness because he felt he was "failing his outfit," deserting the buddies who needed him. He said he met a young chaplain on the ship, spilled his guts to him, and was greatly helped by the clergyman's tender and wise counsel. On reflection, he said, he was even more impressed by the fact that the chaplain had never asked his religion, nor had he offered his own. He simply helped.
What a difference a few decades can make.
Today, a huge percentage of our military chaplains, according to thousands of aggrieved American servicemen and women, present themselves as fevered salesmen for a fundamentalist version of Christianity rather than as simple, caring souls with a willingness to listen and no attached quid pro quo. These religious hucksters see themselves as "government-paid missionaries" and the youth under their domain "as ripe as black bananas."
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), has been sounding the alarm about the brazen sectarian assault on our Constitutionally protected separation of church and state that this cultish group's tactics represent (See here for an example). While no one disputes the individual American's right to believe -- or not believe -- as he or she chooses, the degree to which the purveyors of this particular belief system -- fundamentalist, Dominionist Christianity -- have insinuated themselves, not only in the chaplaincy but in the military hierarchy as well, is unnerving.
For the General in command of the U.S. Army's Combined Arms Center to think of himself and his co-religionists as "the aroma of Christ" is one thing, but when evangelizing from a position of authority is used to inspire an aura of "rightness" around one belief system and "wrongness" around all others -- and in a military situation to boot -- it teeters dangerously on the precipice of fostering a cult, in this case a government-sponsored-and-endorsed cult.
Of course, our chaplain corps continues to include representatives of other faith perspectives, but the size and sway of the Dominionists, who don't subscribe to the position of less-fervid Evangelicals that there is a right time and place to bring the Word to the people, has become so strategically placed and passionately embraced that many Catholic, mainline Protestant, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish and other believers (or non-believers) in the military feel themselves becoming oppressed minorities. The zealous pursuit of converts to this singular view, this One Way, reminds me in part of the dragooning by glassy-eyed Moonie recruiters or seductive Scientologists whose victims and whose heartbroken families we tried to help when I was associated with the original Cult Awareness Network.
But while the Moonies, the Scientologists and their ilk do great harm, they don't have the power to get the Pentagon to buy rifles with Biblical references on their sights, attach inappropriate, emotionally loaded names like "Crusader" to units, or to issue their religious documents with the official insignia of the U.S. Armed Forces imprinted on the cover and propaganda inside. They can't order our servicemen and women to distribute their bibles to those of another faith in the country they're occupying. Our military leaders can, and they do.
For the chaplains of old, the "padres" who gave succor to those in the foxholes regardless of belief, to be replaced by the zealots of today is not evolution; it is perversion. Passionate religious conviction is one's right, but rational minds must remain aware of what it caused on September 11th.
One's belief system is a matter of personal choice. It cannot be government sponsored and it is not the business of our military.
Mike Farrell, best known as BJ Hunnicutt of TV's "M*A*S*H," is a member of MRFF's Board of Advisors and the author of "Just Call Me Mike; A Journey to Actor and Activist," and "Of Mule and Man."
Our corps is not what it once was... I thank you for your service, and also wonder whether your previous service makes it difficult to see the reality of today's corps. While I do not think that what Mr. Farrell is describing is necessarily a majority of the Chaplain Corps, in my own experience I have found such chaplains to be a vocal and powerful group. I do not believe the Chaplain Corps can ignore this critique.
I don't know if this is a wide problem in the military chaplain corp, but I suspect there might well be some substantiation to this and I would hope that those who call themselves "men of God" will work to deliver services to all our military faiths and to those who do not carry faith with them into the fox hole.
That has been replaced by an acceptance of poorly trained, mostly "indoctrinated" group of Chaplains who are not able to work together, but are aggressively herding young troops in the FAVORED fundamentalist understanding of a harsh and judgmental expression of "Christian" faith. As a result, young men and women who are faithful members of their church, come into the military, and are condemned by these Chaplains. Instead of providing ministry, they provide condemnation. Mike Farrell is right.
If the Military wants to "fix" things, they must do two things: Task the churches with providing Chaplains according to their representation in the nation, return the educational preparation for chaplains, and return to three years of parish ministry before entering the chaplain corps.
But none of this will work until the work of the Chaplains is returned to the Chaplain Corps. The Pentagon must rip out these para-church fundamentalist groups and religious leadership out of non-chaplain officers and senior enlisted. If we need "lay leaders" in a command, that must be selected and taught by that faith group's chaplains. The current military lay religious leadership is detroying our military. Tell the officers to lead in their military specialty. If they want to preach...let them become Chaplains!
Pr Chris
Pr Chris
As a Chaplain who served in the Navy in the 70s and 80s, I experienced much of the transition to today's "Chaplains Corps". I would peg it to the time frame when the Pentagon changed the selection criteria for Chaplains. It used to be that Chaplains were drawn from the churches reflective of the denomination's representation in society. Among Protestant Chaplains, we had both "mainline" or "liturgical" chaplains, and non-liturgical chaplains, and then a sort of loosely grouped chaplains of other denominations.
Combined with the requirement for a Batchelor's degree, + physical presence at an accredited Seminary, with an additional 3 years of education. The result is the vast majority of Chaplains who at least had had the experience of being educated in an awareness of the history of the Church, doctrinal make up of denominations within faith groups, and a willingness to at least work together, even if we differed in specifics.
Pr Chris
There are too many Christians in the US military who believe it is their job to "spread the word" or even fight the infidels (the Marine and Army officers calling OEF/OIF a "holy war" come to mind). Are they the majority? Not even close, they make up a small minority. However, that small minority is in positions of authority, power, and command, and abuse those positions on a regular basis.
Getting rid of these non-Chaplains who want to determine the religious atmosphere in their commands and units, is urgently required. There is no way within a command structure to advocate one or another religious position. Chaplains are not of the command structure of the unit. They are staff officers, and they cannot penalize troops for religious faith or lack thereof. We need to get rid of these para-church organizations, and the military officers who do not understand the concept of command.
Pr Chris
Pr Chris
http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/
also check out talk2action.org
Pr Chris
I replied earlier. Not sure what happened to my post. Why do you assume I'm not currently serving? Is it because my lived experience doesn't agree with your propaganda? Anyway, I was an enlisted Marine in the 80s, a Naval Officer in the 90s, became an Army Chaplain in the middle of the current war and I am still serving to this day. I admit I have no experience in the Air Force although I have worked some with Air Force chaplains at home and abroad. I understand you have done "alot" of research into abuses (btw a lot is two words, not one). However, I suggest this has skewed your perception of reality. This often happens when one focuses one aspect of a situation.
1. I'm not trying to twist anything. I took an oath to defend the Constitution, three times. Once in the Marine Corps, once in the Navy, and once in the Army. I now serve as a chaplain, in part, to ensure the freedom of religion guaranteed by the constitution.
2. The people shown in the YouTube video are not the norm. They are the extreme fringe. I do not deny their existence. I do strongly deny that they are the norm and that they have an overwhelming influence in the military.
3. The sleep deprived soldiers shown in the video were not new recruits. They were experienced soldiers undergoing Ranger training. This is some of the toughest warrior training in the military and it is completely voluntary. Attendance at chaplain devotionals during this training is also voluntary. Soldiers have to compete just to have the possibility of being accepted into Ranger School. I seriously doubt that anyone in Ranger School could be "brainwashed" about anything. You don't know this because you are like many overly emotional civilians who think they understand the military after watching a short propaganda video.
4. As noted above, I am writing from current personal experience. Thie type of extremist behavior you and Mike think exists throughout the Chaplain Corps is not the norm. It is an aberration and it should be dealt with when it actually happens. However, propaganda opinion pieces and videos are not helpful.
As regards the separation of church and state, are you suggesting it should not exist?
Exactly. Those who try and pretend that because the actual words are not in the document that it's somehow acceptable to mingle the 2 are verging on dishonesty, IMO. There is plenty of documented evidence that the writers of the Constitution were very concerned that religion not become entwined in government, if for no other reason, they're witness to the blatant abuses done to those not of the faith in multiple states, and the horrid mess in England's affairs.
Regardless of what was written then, we can clearly see the huge problems already rearing their heads when ideologues attempt to shoehorn their religious beliefs into governing policies. And as for the military chaplains, the organization that produces the chaplains has been seen to have a large percentage of far-right Evangelicals leading it.
Keep up this very critical work, MRFF and Mr. Farrell, and my favorite bulldog, Mikey.
Pr Chris
The Constitution clearly states in not one but two separate instances the absolute unimportance and lack of respect for religion in our democratic republic form of government.
Article VI - …but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
Amendment I- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…
Your tired trope that there is no constitutional separation of church of state is based on your inability to face facts. The Constitutional Separation of Church and State is simply a conceptual summary of the clear/concise/direct constitutional language of Art. VI & Amend. I. You attack the conceptual construct because you know you can’t attack the language and constitutional imperative upon which it is based. This juvenile attempt to play “GOTCHA” is simply beneath contempt.
There is no place on your Birth Certificate that indicates you are a Human Being.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/1482943/Sample-Birth-Certificate
However, being that you have posted a comment and assuming that you are neither a computer generated spam or a lower life form, I would look at your birth certificate and surmise that you are not just probably a Human Being…but that you are definitely a Human Being…without the words ‘HUMAN BEING’ ever appearing in the document that certified your birth. GOTCHA!