Up Yours - NAVY!
Navy Chaplain May Lose Job for Praying In Name of Jesus
by Bill Wilson
One Navy chaplain refuses to bow to a military policy that bans Jesus from prayers.
Religious intimidation in the Armed Services has caught the attention of both houses of Congress. Due to a 1998 regulation, Navy Chaplains are not allowed to pray in the name of Jesus. Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt is facing termination of a stellar 14 year career after complaints from his commanding officer.
“He told a Navy board that Chaplain Klingenschmitt overemphasizes his own faith system, and he was talking about my sermons and prayers, and he specifically cited the Chaplain school director who told him that I was an immature Chaplain because I pray in Jesus’ name.”
Klingenschmitt says this is really a battle over First Amendment rights and religious freedom.
“You know our soldiers and sailors, they go overseas to promote religious freedom for other people, but here in America, they can’t even hear the diversity religions from their own chaplains.”
Jim Backlin of the Christian Coalition believes the situation presents a chance for President Bush to get involved
“So I think that maybe the President will see that there is great support for these Chaplain Klingenschmitts of the Navy and in the Air Force and do something about it.”
Backlin says that the President can change the situation with the stroke of a pen.
“We do need an executive order protecting the First Amendment rights of military chaplains and other members of the military to pray according to their faith.”
Seventy-four congressmen have signed a letter asking the President to take action.
by Bill Wilson
One Navy chaplain refuses to bow to a military policy that bans Jesus from prayers.
Religious intimidation in the Armed Services has caught the attention of both houses of Congress. Due to a 1998 regulation, Navy Chaplains are not allowed to pray in the name of Jesus. Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt is facing termination of a stellar 14 year career after complaints from his commanding officer.
“He told a Navy board that Chaplain Klingenschmitt overemphasizes his own faith system, and he was talking about my sermons and prayers, and he specifically cited the Chaplain school director who told him that I was an immature Chaplain because I pray in Jesus’ name.”
Klingenschmitt says this is really a battle over First Amendment rights and religious freedom.
“You know our soldiers and sailors, they go overseas to promote religious freedom for other people, but here in America, they can’t even hear the diversity religions from their own chaplains.”
Jim Backlin of the Christian Coalition believes the situation presents a chance for President Bush to get involved
“So I think that maybe the President will see that there is great support for these Chaplain Klingenschmitts of the Navy and in the Air Force and do something about it.”
Backlin says that the President can change the situation with the stroke of a pen.
“We do need an executive order protecting the First Amendment rights of military chaplains and other members of the military to pray according to their faith.”
Seventy-four congressmen have signed a letter asking the President to take action.
posted by veritas at 10:34
5 Comments:
wow. I had no idea it was "illegal" to pray in Jesus name!!!
i'm sure if he would have prayed in "allah's" name, nobody would be calling for little bush to save his ass now. quit calling for "religous freedom" when what your really calling for is a religous bias toward one particular christian sect. it's so simple a child could understand, why can't you?
I did not know I was fighting to protect "religous freedom" I don't have. anonymous must be a democrat, he shows NO repect for President Bush. I hope President Bush intervenes. We should ALL have the same Freedoms.
I tell you what! If you people keep on not wanting God to be involved in our lives, Why don't you just leave the USA and move to a communist country. Its people like ya'll that is causing the USA to look like a communist country.
For another take on this nonsense, read my article, "Let's All Get Together and Pray," on Contextual Criticism at
http://heavenswork.blogspot.com
You shall see it is not "illegal" to pray in Jesus name. It is against military regulations to shove your religion down everyone's throat at official military gatherings where many, if not most, do not share your particular beliefs.
The Christian Right is not demanding the "right" to pray in Jesus name. Chaplains already have that right. The Christian Right is fighting to force the rest of the world to bow before their particular god. A god, I might add, that has no basis in either the Christian or Hebrew bible.
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