Posted on 01/07/2006 12:55:24 PM PST by GretchenM
Naval Chaplain Klingenschmitt will end his hunger strike with a communion service in front of the White House on Saturday, January 7th. Below is the official Press Release:
The Navy Chaplain staging a hunger strike outside the White House will end his fast this morning, after accepting religious accommodations from his reluctant superior officers.
"They're finally giving me back my uniform, and letting me pray publicly in Jesus name," said Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt.
The Chaplain will participate in a bona fide public worship service in front of the White House at 11 am Saturday January 7th, wearing his Navy uniform, and he'll pray publicly in Jesus name. in front of the media. He'll then break his water-only fast after 18 days (having lost 14 pounds), by sharing communion with everybody who attends.
"Today we celebrate a victory for religious liberty for all our Sailors, by worshipping God in public, in uniform, through our Lord Jesus Christ," said the chaplain. "We prayed in Jesus name, and God has answered our prayers. To God be the glory, great things He hath done."
Before his fast began on December 20th, the chaplain was in danger of losing his career for praying publicly in Jesus name and had been stripped of his uniform for all media appearances. But now, Klingenschmitt's career is saved, and he can pray publicly in Jesus name. in uniform.
While the Navy has reluctantly accommodated Klingenschmitt's request to worship publicly in uniform, the Navy has not yet granted religious liberty to all other chaplains.
The Chief of Navy Chaplains remains steadfast in his position that praying publicly in Jesus name denigrates other faiths and defends his predecessor's 1998 policy that tells chaplains who pray in Jesus name they ought to exclude themselves from participation in public events as the prayer giver.
Over 65 chaplains are still suing the Navy citing religious discrimination, and most of them are no longer in uniform, claiming they were passed over for promotion because their faith practices didn't conform to Navy pluralism. Congressional hearings and legislation may be forthcoming.
"Today the Navy has reluctantly obeyed the law, to grant me the religious liberty I always should've had," Klingenschmitt said. "But I won't stop fighting until every chaplain has the same rights I have today. I don't want special favors just because I've been on television. Mr. President, please sign the executive order to enforce the law since 1860 that allows ALL military chaplains to pray according to their diverse faith, in all settings, private and public.."
Despite requests by 74 Congressmen and 173,000 Americans, the President has not yet signed the executive order.
The public is invited to worship with Chaplain Klingenschmitt, in front of the White House in Lafayette Park, at 11 am Saturday 7 January 2006.
LMAO!!!
This guy should run a fishing reel company.
b'shem Y'shua
"What's the point of having Chaplains, then forbidding them to pray according to their faith?"
The situation only arises at public events, not worship services, where the chaplain offers an invocation or some other general prayer.
These prayers are generally done in a non-denominational way. You've probably heard some like this.
I suspect what will happen is that he won't be asked to do any more of those. It's typical for government agencies to use non-denominational prayers for such events.
Thing is that there are folks of all faiths, some of them non-Christian, at any public event.
The Chaplin is right, and has strength of character no Imam or other cult leader will ever know.
Any Chaplin, however, has the right to pray in whatever religion he is under. Obviously, Musl-lims are not my favorite, but if they want to pray with rugs then go for it....just don't infect ours.....
aomagrat, you are right on.
Tom
Good for him. He was treated poorly on Hannity and Colmes. All they wanted to know was if he really was ready to die from a hunger strike in Jesus' name.
He did not back down.
Let us pause and remember who was president in 1998 before laughing at this man who is seeking a true application of the First Amendment, in addition to the ability to follow the law of 1860.
Exactly.
bump for publicity
"The Chief of Navy Chaplains remains steadfast in his position that praying publicly in Jesus name denigrates other faiths"
Nitwit.
Just don't understand people thinking the military ought to suspend it's rules to appease their grandstanding.
"Good for him. He was treated poorly on Hannity and Colmes."
You're not kidding. I was trying to listen to his points while Hannity constantly interrupted him to make his inane points. I'm surprised Hannity didn't somehow link the topic to his latest workout routine.
wonder if the interview on Hannity yesterday had anything to do with it....
AMEN!
You believe that?
AFAICT, the current Chief of Navy Chaplains is a Franciscan.
http://www.wtu.edu/special-news/
""The Chief of Navy Chaplains remains steadfast in his position that praying publicly in Jesus name denigrates other faiths"
You believe that?"
Of course not.
"Just don't understand people thinking the military ought to suspend it's rules to appease their grandstanding."
Actually, they probably won't. This chaplain simply won't be asked to pray at public functions any longer. He'll be doing chapel duty.
Our military has Muslim chaplains, too. I wonder what the reaction would be to a Muslim chaplain offering a prayer to Allah at dinner.
All military chaplains are charged with ministering to the needs of the religious in their units, without regard to what the religious beliefs of individuals are. The Christian chaplain must minister to Jews and Muslims, and even Wiccans...according to the beliefs of the individual service member. Same with all chaplains.
I don't expect our President to change this long-standing policy.
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