US Navy mulling acceptance of the first Humanist Chaplain.

[cupper]

Hoping that this doesn't devolve into a toilet bowl spiral.

Should Military Chaplains Have To Believe In God?

http://www.npr.org/2013/07/31/207320123/should-military-chaplains-have-to-believe-in-god

The United States military chaplaincy program has a proud heritage that stretches all the way back to the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

"They are rabbis, ministers, imams and priests who serve our nation's heroes and their families as committed members of the U.S. Army," according to one video produced by the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps.

But are they ready for an atheist chaplain?

Enter Jason Heap, a 38-year-old graduate of the University of Oxford, and of Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. Heap was born in Houston and raised in Philadelphia as a devout Christian; he was licensed as a Christian minister in Texas, and, ultimately, lost his faith.

"To thine own self be true. I left it," he says.

For the past 12 years, Heap has been living in the United Kingdom — mainly teaching in public schools — where he has become a prominent humanist. A humanist — often used interchangeably with nontheist — does not recognize a supernatural God; they believe in the human ability to lead an ethical life and aspire to good without relying on religious belief.

Heap is applying to become the first humanist chaplain with the U.S. Navy. These chaplains are also assigned to the pastoral care of Marines. But this leads to the inevitable question: What would you do, on the eve of battle, if a grunt asked you to pray with him?

"As a pastoral caregiver, I wouldn't lead a prayer with that particular person, but I would help them with it," Heap says. "Having come from the background of Christians, I would understand what sort of things to help the person speak about. I am very familiar with the Bible as a scholar. If they are a humanist or an atheist, even Wiccan or pagan, it would be on the sort of terms where I would be able to work more with them philosophically."

Harvard, Stanford and three other universities have humanist chaplains. So does the Dutch army. But the idea of a nonbelieving chaplain in the U.S. military has provoked a backlash.

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to a Pentagon spending bill instructing the armed forces to only allow religious organizations that believe in a higher power to endorse chaplains. And so far, the Navy has not indicated whether it will accept the Humanist Society as the endorser of Jason Heap.

Jason Torpy, president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, believes the House amendment is a wash, and he expects that the military will continue to modernize.

"We have women in the military, we have blacks in the military, we have Hispanics," he says. "We have lesbian, gay and bisexual service members, and we have atheists and humanists. And just as they've had to accept those other kinds of diversity, they'd have to accept our kind of diversity as well: diversity of belief."

According to current Pentagon records, about 1 percent of active duty military in all four services checked boxes for "agnostic" and "atheist" as their religious status. That's more than 13,000 soldiers, airmen, Marines and sailors. This is, incidentally, more than all the Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims combined — and they each have their own chaplains.

But some traditional chaplains, such as Ron Crews, will have none of it. Crews, a retired Army chaplain with 28 years in uniform, is director of the advocacy group Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.

" 'For God and country.' That is the motto of the chaplain corps," he says, "and someone who comes from a humanist freethinker position could not ascribe to that motto. So it's by definition of who a chaplain is."

In recent years, other atheists have aspired to become military chaplains, but Heap's application has reportedly gotten farther than any others.

The office of the U.S. Navy Chief of Chaplains has not indicated when it will make its decision.

 

[tomahawk6]

Pretty absurd.Why not an atheist chaplain ?

 

[cupper]

Actually, that's really the slant they were heading for, although they do make a distinction between Atheist and Humanist for symbology used on grave markers at the National Cemetery Association.

http://www.cem.va.gov/hmm/emblems.asp

 

[chrisf]

My personal opinion of almost (almost) every individual chaplains I've met is high. All were upstanding folks who were very well intentioned in doing their jobs, aside from making themselves a general nuisance when basic training courses are being taught. I even say that as a declared atheist (The upstanding/well intentioned part).

I do have to wonder... what's a humanist chaplain going to do that can't be filled by another trade? I do realize that chaplains have occasionally made use of their certain lee-way when dealing with the chain of command to help folks out in times of need, even in an entirely non-religious capacity, and I also realize more often than not, chaplains fill the role of a social worker as much if not more than their religious role, but I still don't get how a humanist chaplain would make any sense...

 

[cupper]

I do have to wonder... what's a humanist chaplain going to do that can't be filled by another trade? I do realize that chaplains have occasionally made use of their certain lee-way when dealing with the chain of command to help folks out in times of need, even in an entirely non-religious capacity, and I also realize more often than not, chaplains fill the role of a social worker as much if not more than their religious role, but I still don't get how a humanist chaplain would make any sense...

That was my thought as well when I heard the story this afternoon. Unless there is a special "authority or privilege" that Chaplains have that social workers don't within the CoC, it just seemed redundant.

 

[northernboy_24]

I love the chaplains but would truly feel more comfortable talking with a non-denominational chaplains than a denominational one.  An atheist and I would likely get along a lot easier than a catholic one.

 

[tomahawk6]

A chaplain is a man/woman of faith.An atheist or humanist cannot offer eternal life because they dont believe in a higher power and should not be chaplains.If you dont like the protestant or catholic faiths try the Buddhist faith or don't believe in anything.

 

[tomydoom]

While I don't see a difference between a Humanist Chaplain and a Social Worker either. However, being a chaplain conveys certain protections under the Geneva Convention. I wonder if the same noncombatant status would be extended to a Social Worker? Or would they fall into the same category as Medics and Doctors, which offer similar protection in international law?

 

[Cyrius007]

The way I do understand law, social worker are noncombatant in regard to Geneva convention. They are medical personal.

 

[northernboy_24]

I am going to remove myself from this discussion so I don't insult anyone who follows organized religion.  I believe that a non-denominational padre could add a lot to the organization.  After all not every religion or person believes in a higher power but would benefit from a discussion or the services of a padre.  Sometimes it is as simple as not wanting to talk with a "social worker" or "medical personnel".

 

[jollyjacktar]

Well why not a Wiccan padre as well?  I've met Wiccan's in the CAF.  I'm sure there are more than a few in the US forces.  As they have a faith of sorts should they not also have representation  by their clergy?

 

[The Bread Guy]

Well why not a Wiccan padre as well?  I've met Wiccan's in the CAF.  I'm sure there are more than a few in the US forces.  As they have a faith of sorts should they not also have representation  by their clergy?

Tried unsuccessfully in the U.S. Army, although you can now get a Wiccan symbol on your military tombstone.

If a Cabinet Minister nixed the idea of a Wiccan chaplain for the prison system (in spite of a request for proposals for one), I'm guessing the political appetite for such a position for the CF won't be high, either.  In fact, one now-Cabinet Minister has said what's in place is good enough:

.... "In addition to serving members of their own faith, these chaplains also make themselves available on a by request basis to provide spiritual advice to the general population," said (MP and then-parliamentary secretary for Public Safety Candice) Bergen.  "The Canadian Forces have used this type of chaplaincy program for years. If it is good enough for our armed forces, then it is good enough for inmates in our federal penitentiaries." ....

 

[jollyjacktar]

I wasn't thinking so much of our adopting a Wiccan priest/priestess, but more of the US system.  I expect they'd have a much larger population of pagans amongst their servicemembers than we have.  We, might have enough to sit around a table with some beers.  :dunno:

 

[chrisf]

Why not a wiccan padre? It's a legitimate religious belief.