Although my column ordinarily addresses marriage and relationship issues in the military, some writers have inquired recently why I believe the Navy is "prohibiting Chaplain James Gordon Klingenschmitt from praying in the name of Jesus?" 

Much of the reporting about Chaplain Klingenschmitt’s hunger strike aimed at getting President Bush to sign an Executive Order that would allow chaplains to pray "according to their faith traditions" has been very misleading. For example, in defense of Chaplain Klingenschmitt, one person was reported as saying, "A Protestant chaplain, preaching in a Protestant chapel to a crowd of people who are there voluntarily, ought to always be able to pray in Jesus' name." Comments such as these can mislead people to believe that military chaplains are being told what they can and cannot preach to members of their faith groups. This, however, is not the case.

The Navy and other branches of the military do not instruct chaplains what to preach or how to pray when they conduct worship services for members of their particular denomination. However, military chaplains are instructed about the difference in praying with members of one's faith group and in a public forum (e.g., change of commands, retirement ceremonies) in which people from a variety of faith groups are present. Chaplains who do not distinguish between these two circumstances and pray at public functions the same way they pray in their specific denominational services run the risk of offending people from faith groups other than their own. 

Consider the implications involved in allowing chaplains to offer prayers in the public forum that are insensitive to the religious beliefs of those present. How might Protestants, Jews and Muslims feel if a Catholic chaplain displayed rosary beads at a public ceremony and offered a prayer that made reference to "Holy Mary, Mother of God"? 

Most all of the world's major religions—Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and Taoism are represented in the United States population. When a chaplain concludes a prayer in the public forum in an inclusive manner with words such as, "in your most holy name we pray," he or she can ordinarily receive an "amen" on the part of all those present. However, when a prayer is concluded, "in Jesus’ name we pray," those who are not Christians may find themselves excluded and prevented from affirming the prayer.

It is because most chaplains have proven themselves sensitive to the diverse beliefs of those whom they serve that prayers have traditionally been offered at a variety of public military functions. An Executive Order in support of those who insist on being allowed to pray in the public forum the way they pray at their own denominational worship services could contribute in time to the extinction of public prayers.

Not all ministers, priests, rabbis and imams are qualified or capable of functioning in the pluralistic environment of the armed forces. While civilian clergy spend over 95 percent of their time ministering to members of their particular denomination, fewer than 5-10 percent of the people to whom military chaplains minister at their commands are actively involved members of their particular faith group. It is for this reason that the military needs to both recruit and retain clergy that are sensitive to and respectful of the religious beliefs of all of those whom they are called to serve.

Gene-Thomas Gomulka – “A voice for military families”
Columnist and author of The Survival Guide for Marriage in the Military available at www.plaintec.net