The idea of a chaplain is to provide Christian pastoral care to Christians. So, it’s absurd they can’t read aloud from the Bible or mention Jesus. This sounds like the Soviet Union.
Sure does.
I both wholeheartedly agree with you and slightly disagree with you.
The sheer joy of sharing fellowship in the Lord is amazing and ultra important. I’m a Catholic. Sometimes the chaplain isn’t a Catholic, so can’t take confession, but you could still talk to him in confidence, you know? Not quite the same, but close enough. You take what comfort you can get.
At the same time, you get a team rotating back to base - most of the time you don’t have psychologists or therapists to handle the crap people need to spill to stay sane. The chaplain is the nearest thing you got and, unlike the head peekers, there is no stigma about talking to them.