Free Republic

Navy Chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Wes Modder won't be forced out of the Navy for his religious views, according to the Independent Military Times. His commander, Capt. Jon Fahs, had been pushing for Modder's ouster, citing comments Modder allegedly made in counseling sessions critical of premarital sex and homosexual relations. In a letter, the Navy Personnel Command said the evidence doesn't meet the standard of gross negligence or complete disregard for duty needed to boot out an officer. It also cited a lack of documentation in his personal record backing charges of poor performance. "There was no record of counseling. There...

A Navy chaplain who faces the end of a stellar 19-year career because of his faith-based views on marriage and human sexuality was told by a base commander to refrain from offering a prayer in the name of Jesus, according to attorneys representing the chaplain. That allegation was tucked away in an 18-page letter written to the commander of Navy Region Southeast by Liberty Institute attorneys representing Chaplain Wesley Modder. Liberty Institute is a law firm that specializes in religious liberty cases. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Liberty Institute asserts that Chaplain Modder’s fate could have a significant impact on every Christian military...

Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Modder... removed from his counseling duties at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command because he "failed to show tolerance and respect" and discriminated against students who were different

Using language that once kept open gays out of the military, the commanding officer of the Navy Nuclear Power Training Command is using identical language to remove a Christian Chaplain from his duties. The Commander says certain kinds of Christian teachings are harmful to “unit cohesion” and “military readiness.” In a sharply-worded memo, Modder’s commander denied his request for a “religious accommodation” in a disciplinary process that has relieved him of his command and could kick him out of the Navy forever. Modder stands accused of homophobia and insensitivity–though, in the official documents, the term is “substandard performance”–which could trump...