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The military and the various faith leaderships go to very great lengths to insure that a Chaplain is very aware of their "duties" to the military. If this Chaplain could not live up to his military obligations, which he took an oath before God to obey, then he deserves exactly what he gets.

He did a brave thing for entirely moral reasons.

It was also a violation of an order. And for that he has been duly found guilty and adjudged worthy of punishment. Now he needs to step up smartly and accept his punishment. I think he will do that.

That doesn't diminish the bravery and morality of the act.

But if for reasons of political correctness, his beliefs are suppressed by an illegal order doesn't that negate his reasons for serving in the Navy.

Let's look at this another way, saying he cannot say "Jesus", "Our Lord", or "God" when in uniform and outside of a chapel would be an illegal order, just as it would be an illegal order to forbid him from praying or preaching while in uniform, his reason for being in uniform is to pray and preach to anyone that that will hear God's message.

What most here are suggesting is that by him praying in uniform it was a political act, it is his religious purpose for wearing the uniform. A chaplain's uniform is as much his religious garb just as a priest that wears a cassock.

Would it be an illegal order if the Navy to him to do something that was contrary to his faith, say for instance, telling a rabbi to bless unkosher food, or requiring a catholic priest to be married in order to serve at a certain posting?

Or to kill an enemy?

Or to deny his religious services to any one because he is wearing the uniform of a Navy Chaplain?

Service in the military is a two way street,in promising to serve, those serving have the right to expect that they will not be ordered to perform those things that are illegal under the Laws of this country, and as in the case of conscientious objectors and Chaplains they have the right to expect that they will not be required to do those things that go against their beliefs while they serve.