CONFUSED RELIGION IN ARMED FORCES

J. Grant Swank, Jr.

It can get confusing.

For the evangelical or fundamentalist, it’s not confusing at all. Both hold to the Bible as divine revelation — the Word of God. To the devout Roman Catholic, it’s not confusing either. If it’s in line with Vatican approval, it’s appropriate religion.

However, for the Protestant theological liberal, just about anything goes — from Unitarianism that writes its own religion as its moves along to New Age thinkers who endorse eastern religions as legitimate faith. The same with some breakaway liberal Catholics.

For those of the Orthodox Christian faith, it’s what tradition has put in place that provides them with their faith footing. Therefore, though they are in America in the minority numbers-wise, they have a centuries-old heritage that is definitely there for their belief system.

However, in the American armed forces there are other world religions than the Christian faith with its tripod of Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox. There are adherents of other religions and no-religion.

Then there is the Muslim religion which some regard not so much as a religion among world religions as a killing cult. It’s the only world religion that espouses killing off non-adherents as "infidels." All other world religions allow for those who disagree with their tenets; Islam does not. Islam seeks to rule the planet via the Koran’s Allah. That means non-Muslims must be slaughtered, even cowardly Muslims who will not kill non-Muslims must be slaughtered.

It can thereby be quite confusing to those in charge of religious expression within the armed forces units. To the religiously naïve, it may appear simple — just worship deity as one pleases. But to those who have to draw up the religious guidelines to keep the peace, it can be especially complicated.

Therefore, the personnel in charge have come to grips with the complexities. They have put down "the rules of the game." They are trying to be charitable and fair at the same time. In other words, the last thing the armed forces need concerning worship and religion is a fighting field.

According to Laurie Goodstein of The New York Times, "The U.S. Air Force has issued new religion guidelines to its commanders on that caution against promoting any particular faith - or even the idea of religion over non-religion - in official communications or functions like meetings, sports events or ceremonies.

"The guidelines discourage public prayers at official air force events or meetings other than worship services, one of the most contentious issues for many commanders."

Within the worship context, a religion may express itself according to its tenets. But for public events such as sports events, meetings and ceremonies, it can get messy.

Would, for instance, a Christian want to bow his head in prayer when a mosque cleric petitioned Allah and quoted from the Koran? If that were an evangelical or fundamentalist present in the assembly, it would be most difficult for that believer to hold his peace while giving oblation to a foreign deity, in fact an enemy deity.

It is the same for a Jew who hears a prayer offered "in Jesus’ name." The Jew does not regard Jesus as deity. Yet the prayer for which he bows his head is offered in Jesus’ name. Now that is according to the New Testament record; therefore, the Christian is most happy for the prayer to be offered in the name of Jesus. However, it is another matter for the Jew standing to his feet in the same event as the Christian.

"The guidelines allow for ‘a brief nonsectarian prayer’ at special ceremonies like those honoring promotions, or in ‘extraordinary circumstances’ that include ‘mass casualties, preparation for imminent combat and natural disasters.’"

In other words, a "nonsectarian prayer" can be offered with heads bowed as the one reciting the petition uses such generic religious terms as "Lord" and "God" and ends the prayer simply with the words "in Your holy name, Amen."

Even then, those theologically liberal Protestants who have twisted the biblical data so as not to tolerate a "lordship deity" because such connotes too much power — smacking of military might — given to the divine, the term "Lord" may not be tolerable.

And to those feminists who attend the prayer, such persons may be offended by referring to deity in traditional masculine terminology. They may want "She" instead of "He" and even some desire "She/He" or "He/She."

The Air Force Academy is at the forefront recently regarding new, updated guidelines. These rules are to stretch to "the entire air force as well."

"’We support free exercise of religion, but we do not push religion,’ said Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, a navy veteran, who was hired this year as a special assistant to the secretary and chief of staff of the air force, and who helped write the guidelines."

At the same time, for the devout biblical Christian such as the evangelical, fundamentalist, practicing Catholic and Orthodox, to leave out a reference to Jesus in order to accommodate Muslims, for instance, may be repulsive.

Further, the diluting of the prayer and any other spiritual reference in the public gathering may be so near the zero point that these conscientious believers consider the exercise to be next to meaningless or close to blasphemy in accommodation.