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Originally Posted by SWTXBelle
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They sure do. All of the installations that I know of have peer support (enlisted for enlisted) groups as well as unit first sergeants so you can get help and a sympathetic ear with out the creepy religious undertones. Also loling at atheists wanting atheist
chaplains hmmmm......
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Originally Posted by SWTXBelle
Many religions believe homosexuality is a sin. Requiring all those chaplains to go against their religious beliefs would be government interference in religion - unless they are running up to random service members and yelling "You are going to hell!". But those reports (link, please?) from homosexual members make me wonder - if you are gay and know that a denomination or religion believe homosexuality is a sin, why would you a.) go to that denomination's service or b.) to that clergy member for counseling. To the best of my knowledge (and my friend who is a retired chaplain) those are the primary duties of a chaplain. No one is forced to attend services or seek counseling. Do you have a problem with those who regard adultery as a sin? Because I can guarantee there are adulterers in the armed forces. If you require all chaplains to essentially have no beliefs with which someone might disagree I think only UUs would be able to serve, and it is my understanding that they wouldn't be able to include those who will not accept the validity of all beliefs.
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Right? If you get offended by religious sermons........GTFO of church.
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Originally Posted by Drolefille
The accounts I've read include things like, the only way to not have duty/other obligations is to attend religious service, and your service is run by THE chaplain, not by the chaplain of the religion of your choice. There are other stories where it was very 'encouraged' to attend, even in the face of not technically being required or forced. If I can find the title of the books I've read I'll share as well. But for now, I'm back to the gaming con with the people dressed as comic book characters and steampunk awesomesauce 
(Thanks for the patience on the sources)
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I've never heard of nor seen service members receiving additional duties as punishment for not attending service. There are circumstances due to mission requirements that you have to work on holidays/weekends. I've seen people leave the shop/office for an hour or two on a Sunday to attend services while us heathens stayed behind. I can see how that could be misconstrued as preferential treatment but at the same time nothing ever stopped me from tagging along (other than my personal beliefs).
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Originally Posted by MysticCat
I think military chaplains pose a particular challenge, a very fine line to walk.
Yes, they are military officers, but their job is not to act for the military per se, it's to serve the members of the military. The theory involved is not that the military (government) needs the chaplains, nor that the government is supporting any particular religion, but rather that the government has an obligation to those in its service -- especially those in combat situations or otherwise away from home -- to make sure that spiritual needs are met, just as it must make sure that other needs are met.
As you say, the Free Exercise Clause can come into play. Do we really want the government telling members of the clergy what can and can't be said in the context of religious services of worship or in the context of something like religious counseling?
I'm not suggestion that Drolefille hasn't raised some very serious and valid concerns. But if the current problem is one of sometimes coming to close to establishment, or apparent establishment, the cure is not for the pendulum to swing too far the other way and infringe on Free Exercise rights. The cure is to deal with the underlying military culture, to make an effort to ensure that all military personal who want the services of a chaplain have such services available from a chaplain they can be comfortable with and to ensure that military life is not structured in such a way as to effectively penalize anyone for their choices regarding chaplains and religious life.
I know there are challenges there -- there aren't enough chaplains to begin with, much less enough from the various traditions represented in the military. (Though many chaplains I have known of have been very aware of their obligations to those outside their own traditions and have tried very hard to be respectful to those outside their own traditions.) But that, I think, is where the answer has to be, not in telling chaplains what they can and can't talk about.
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Pretty spot on description of the role a chaplain plays in the military.
I can only speak for myself, but in my 6 years in the military I've never been made to attend services, or felt pressure to, or felt ostracized for not, or heard a chaplain preach
anything. I'm not religious at all and the only time I've walked into a church was to attend either a baptism or wedding BUT I think it's ridiculous to even hint at the idea of the government interfering in a chaplains (and in turn the service members) right to practice their religion. There are a few current posters that have served in the military, hopefully they'll contribute their own experiences so we can get a more robust view instead of having to rely on one book written by someone with a strong bias and an axe to grind.
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