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Jesus Name Not to be used by Military Chaplains
American Center for Law and Justice ^ | Nov. 15, 2005 | Jay Sekulow

Posted on 11/15/2005 5:43:24 PM PST by conserv371

A pattern of hostility to free speech - specifically the rights of Christians to pray - is on the rise in our country.

We saw it in our nation’s public schools ... where prayer was officially banned. We have seen it in our workplaces.

Now, our United States military seems to have “jumped on the bandwagon” ... with Air Force leadership recently releasing proposed guidelines that will restrict how Air Force chaplains can pray.

If approved, these guidelines may well be implemented throughout the entire Armed Forces.

This is an outrage that we cannot allow! Already, it is documented that chaplains are “feeling the heat” to restrict their prayers and mask their faith.

Christian chaplains are being told NOT to pray in the name of Jesus!

For many Christian chaplains, praying in the name of Jesus is a fundamental part of their beliefs. To suppress this form of expression would be a violation of their constitutional rights and religious freedoms.

Furthermore, to censor Christian chaplains is a disservice to the thousands of Christian soldiers in the military who look to their chaplains for comfort, inspiration, and support ... just as military soldiers of other faiths look to their chaplains.

Again, we cannot allow these proposed guidelines to be passed. We cannot sit idly by while our honored Christian military chaplains are singled out and silenced.

I have assembled a senior legal team at the ACLJ, including a 20-year military veteran who worked at the Pentagon. We are drafting a legal analysis and comments to be used in this process.

Thankfully, a group of Congressmen has joined together to call on the President to protect by Executive Order the constitutional right of military chaplains to pray according to their faith.

In response to this outrageous and blatant religious intolerance and infringement of free speech rights, the ACLJ has embarked on a nationwide campaign to PROTECT PRAYER and the constitutional rights of military chaplains.

In our Armed Forces, all faiths must be respected. Christian chaplains must be permitted to pray in the name of Jesus.

The ACLJ is working to generate a massive grassroots effort, to let the President know that we will not stand for this type of blatant religious intolerance in our nation’s military. President Bush must step in to protect religious freedom.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aclj; chaplain; chaplains; christians; dod; jesus; military; persecution; prayer; religiousfreedom; sekulow; usafa
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To: conserv371; nickcarraway; sandyeggo; Siobhan; Lady In Blue; NYer; american colleen; Pyro7480; ...
Catholic Discussion Ping!

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41 posted on 11/15/2005 6:18:55 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: conserv371

bump


42 posted on 11/15/2005 6:19:24 PM PST by VOA
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To: conserv371

http://www.af.mil/library/guidelines.pdf


43 posted on 11/15/2005 6:19:52 PM PST by MikefromOhio (We don't give a damn for the WHOLE state of Michigan.....)
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To: RightOnline
Are we sure this isn't some Internet legend or some such nonsense??

If Jay is putting this out...you can count on it...NO internet legend here!!!

44 posted on 11/15/2005 6:21:06 PM PST by shield (The Greatest Scientific Discoveries of the Century Reveal God!!!! by Dr. H. Ross, Astrophysicist)
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To: The Mayor

>how can they do this?<
Actually, they can't unless we let them.
There needs to be a lawsuit, once and for all. The Constitution guarantees that government will not interfere in religion. And Christians can not sit back and wait for someone else to file either, or we have only ourselves to blame.


45 posted on 11/15/2005 6:21:24 PM PST by Paperdoll (On the cutting edge)
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To: RightOnline

For more sources, go here:

http://news.google.com/advanced_news_search?hl=en&ned=us

put this string in the "all the words" box:
military chaplains Jesus

then hit Google Search

The best I can tell, there is tension in the ranks of the chaplains of
the US Military. My best guess is that the liberal Protestants are
feeling threatned at the growth of the evangelicals within their ranks.


46 posted on 11/15/2005 6:24:01 PM PST by VOA
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To: Salvation

I hope this is not true. And if it is, it better be shot down in a big hurry!


47 posted on 11/15/2005 6:24:55 PM PST by pissant
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To: RightOnline; P-Marlowe; Congressman Billybob; aristeides; blue-duncan

As a former Army Chaplain who is now retired, it is true that they don't want military chaplains to pray in Jesus' name. This is not new. What's new is that they want to codify it into military regulation.

Let's be clear and fair. The military is saying that different events require different responses.

1. If it is a worship service where attendance is voluntary, there is no effort to prevent a military chaplain from praying in Jesus' name. In my entire career, no one ever attempted to tell me what to pray or preach in a worship service.

2. If it is a military ceremony with required attendance by everyone, then they want to enforce this prohibition against praying in Jesus' name. They suppose that some in attendance are not Christian and should not be forced to hear the name of Jesus.

Many will say that the above request is reasonable.

I think not.

a. It prescribes a government authorized mode of prayer. The government says that prayers can be this way and not that way. Violates 1st amendment.

b. It creates a "neutral" faith that does not exist in America and then grants it privileged status. No such religion actually exists in America. It is purely a fabrication of the government, and as such, it violates the establishment of religion clause of the 1st amendment. (Finally, something that actually does appear to be the government endorsing a religion....and this time, the government has created it.)

c. It discriminates. Actually, our Jewish and Islamic chaplains are not so constrained. Jews are free to pray to God. Muslims are free to begin their prayer with their testimony to the supremacy of Allah. So far as I can tell, only Christians are targeted.

d. It isn't necessary. Since it is a ceremony, they don't even have to have a chaplain pray. They can simply not invite one.

e. It is immature. Adults know that pastors of different faiths have different beliefs and practices. If one insists on having a chaplain, and if the chaplain is a baptist, an ADULT would expect a baptist like prayer. If the chaplain is a Jew, then an adult would expect a more Jewish prayer. Allowing these chaplains to be themselves is good cross-cultural education, gives insight into the practices of others, and can be listened to in the same sense one listens to a National Geographic documentary on different religions.

f. Distinctions are unclear in some instances. Some occasions, especially memorial CEREMONIES for the dead have extremely blurred lines. This is only heightened by the presence of family members of the deceased, many of whom want a more religious experience to match their and their deceased loved one's faith. Some will tell the chaplain to have a memorial SERVICE instead, but the commanders want their entire units present to honor a fallen comrade. The lines between service and ceremony get blurred. This might also be true with a command Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other ceremony/event. It would be ironic that a chaplain be asked to pray to open a command Christmas event and not be permitted to mention the name of the one for whom the holiday is named.

g. Freedom is far easier to enforce than is regulation. Simply acknowledge that everyone is different, that they pray differently, and that that's what America is like, and there will be no need to police the thoughts and words of others. Freedom's far easier to enforce...because there is no enforcement necessary.... than having some barracks lawyer keeping track of everyone's violations.


48 posted on 11/15/2005 6:25:27 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It!)
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To: conserv371

Not supposed to admit they believe in Jesus, eh?


49 posted on 11/15/2005 6:26:33 PM PST by popdonnelly
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To: shield; conserv371; RightOnline
"If Jay is putting this out...you can count on it...NO internet legend here!!!"

Read the guidelines posted bu conserv371 (post 43) there is nothing in there that says anything about Jesus. The only thing that comes close is..

"A BRIEF NONSECTARIAN PRAYER MAY BE INCLUDED IN NON-ROUTINE MILITARY CEREMONIES OR EVENTS OF SPECIAL IMPORTANCE, SUCH AS A CHANGE-OFCOMMAND, PROMOTION CEREMONIES OR SIGNIFICANT CELEBRATIONS, WHERE THE PURPOSE OF THE PRAYER IS TO ADD A HEIGHTENED SENSE OF SERIOUSNESS OR SOLEMNITY, NOT TO ADVANCE SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. MILITARY CHAPLAINS ARE TRAINED TO DEAL WITH SUCH EVENTS."

Which sounds perfectly appropriate to me.
50 posted on 11/15/2005 6:26:47 PM PST by ndt
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To: conserv371

Why is the military brass trying to regulate religious beliefs?


51 posted on 11/15/2005 6:30:05 PM PST by Brilliant
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To: conserv371
This article is interesting, although the tone sounds a tad hysterical. But I am disturbed by the lack of factual references. There are no specifics at all in here. Exactly where is this order coming from? What is the source of the alleged order? If there is no text for the order how do we know this is accurate? I don't want to say this article is untrue (I would not put much past the radical libs). But its so light on details that some kind of factual reference must be made before I am going to get spun up.
52 posted on 11/15/2005 6:31:32 PM PST by jec1ny (Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domine Qui fecit caelum et terram.)
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To: conserv371; WestCoastGal

As the daughter of an Air Force veteran and as the wife of an Air Force veteran, I went to base chapels every Sunday for nearly 30 years of 63 years of life. This news is so very sad.

No "Merry Christmas" from the Wal-Mart greeter.

No Nativity scene on the town square.

No Santa Claus on my Coke can.

I fear for what comes next.

But in my home and in my heart, Jesus is.


53 posted on 11/15/2005 6:31:40 PM PST by Rushmore Rocks
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To: MarkL
Prayer is just talking to God and God to Christians is Christ Jesus. To pray to Him, He needs to be addressed, called out to by His name. That someone would say you have no right to call on His name is crazy. That is offends is of course true. It offends the demons and devils that cannot stand His name...but....this IS our Lord and IT is His Name and His name MUST be used while praying. Why - would we address a friend on the phone for an hour and not use their name.

If you were in a crowded Walmart and one of your small children accidentally escaped your grip, you would scream and cry out for them using their name. "Suzy, Suzy, where are you!!" Now can you see the Walmart manager saying "Um, excuse me, but you are welcome to call out to your missing daughter, but do not use her name.!" I mean, this is crazy! Telling a certain group of people not to use the name of their God!!! The demons are in triple overtime! We are in the endtimes, hold fast To Him for many will fall away in these last days!!!
54 posted on 11/15/2005 6:32:24 PM PST by Esther Ruth (I have loved thee with an EVERLASTING LOVE, Jeremiah 31:3 Genesis 12:1-3 ***ZECH 12:3)
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To: conserv371; Salvation

Isn't the Commander in Chief a Christian?


55 posted on 11/15/2005 6:33:01 PM PST by Coleus (Roe v. Wade and Endangered Species Act both passed in 1973, Murder Babies/save trees, birds, algae)
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To: ndt
with Air Force leadership recently releasing proposed guidelines that will restrict how Air Force chaplains can pray.

Those are current guidelines not the recently PROPOSED GUIDELINES!!!

56 posted on 11/15/2005 6:35:12 PM PST by shield (The Greatest Scientific Discoveries of the Century Reveal God!!!! by Dr. H. Ross, Astrophysicist)
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To: pissant
Not use the name of Jesus? Okey dokie!

Philippians 2:7-11...

"7": But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

"8": And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

"9": Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

"10": That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

"11": And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

57 posted on 11/15/2005 6:35:32 PM PST by Dark Skies ("Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me...")
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To: conserv371
A cursory look for some corroborating evidence for this article came up a blank. It was not a real thorough search. But still I found nothing to back it up. Maybe the article is right on. But they did not cite a single source or reference. I am dubious to say the least.
58 posted on 11/15/2005 6:37:30 PM PST by jec1ny (Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domine Qui fecit caelum et terram.)
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To: sam_paine
So? I can say "In Jesus' name I pray, Amen." and He will hear me.

You won't be able to in the future if you are an Air Force Chaplain. The Air Force wants to require many of its Chaplains to engage in sin.

59 posted on 11/15/2005 6:38:13 PM PST by PAR35
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To: conserv371
I just had a gentle disagreement with a good friend tonight in Bible study who said liberals are not trying to take over the military....

..I said they were.

I think I'll send this to him.....he's a strong Christian and a Gulf War Veteran.

60 posted on 11/15/2005 6:40:30 PM PST by Guenevere
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