Posted on 09/09/2015 8:02:47 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A Navy chaplain who voiced his biblical beliefs about homosexuality during a counseling session is no longer facing the threat of a career-ending punishment after the Navy disapproved a captain's request to bring the chaplain before the Navy's Board of Inquiry, where he could've been forced out of the service.
The troubles for Navy Chaplain Wes Modder began in 2014 when he was assigned a married gay sailor to be his chaplain's assistant. After about a month as the chaplain's assistant, the assistant began asking Modder questions about his biblical beliefs on human sexuality. After explaining that his Pentecostal faith considered homosexuality to be a sin, the assistant later complained.
As previously reported, Modder's commanding officer, Capt. Jon Fahs of the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in South Carolina, sent a memo in February to Navy Personnel Command suggesting three courses of action that the Navy should take against Modder as punishment for expressing his religious views on marriage and sexual morality.
Fahs recommended that Modder, who also served four years in the Marines, should be relieved from his duties and relocated elsewhere. Fahs also suggested that Modder should be removed from the Navy promotion list, disqualifying him from career advancement. Lastly, Fahs called for Modder to be brought before the Navy's Board of Inquiry, where Modder could have been discharged through a "separation proceeding."
With the help of the Liberty Institute, Modder filed a request for religious accommodation during his counseling sessions with sailors so that he could speak according to his faith without the risk of punishment. However, that request was denied by Fahs in late March.
But last Thursday, the Navy formally rejected Fahs request to bring Modder before the Board of Inquiry in a letter. Additionally, Modder has been cleared of all wrongdoing. The letter stated that Fah's evidence that Modder demonstrated "substandard performance" does not meet the "standard of gross negligence or complete disregard of duty."
"I am relieved the Navy sided with me. I have served honorably for 20 years in diverse units in the Marine Corps and Navy. I am proud of my service but prouder of all those who serve on the front lines regardless of their faith and backgrounds," Modder said in a statement. "I am called by my faith to express love for all, regardless of the diversity of backgrounds from which they come and I will continue to follow my faith in all things. I am grateful to be able to continue the ministry God called me to do."
As the United States Military has seemingly cracked down against the expression of religion, even court martialing one Marine officer who refused to remove taped-up Bible verses from her desk, Liberty Institute Attorney Mike Berry argues that the Navy's decision in Modder's case marks a huge victory for religious liberty in the military.
"This is not only a great day for Chaplain Modder, but for every American who supports religious freedom in our military," Berry said in a statement. "Although Captain Fahs' actions against Chaplain Modder violated the Constitution, federal law, and military regulations, we are grateful that Navy officials categorically rejected those actions. We commend Naval Personnel Command for carefully reviewing the facts and following the law. We believed this would be the outcome from day one."
Liberty Institute CEO Kelly Shackelford said in a statement that the Navy's actions should send a message to military leaders that "violating religious liberty will not be tolerated."
"We always knew that when the facts came to light, the Navy would exonerate Chaplain Modder," Shackelford said. "Religious liberty is our first freedom and essential for our men and women in uniform. We are pleased the Navy agrees and protected religious liberty here."
“...when he was assigned a married gay sailor to be his chaplain’s assistant....”
Stop right there!
Now WHO did the assignment?
And why is not that individual kicked out so far he’d fall right on his gay (you know he is) Obamahole?
Appalling. We are not quite fallen, but the walls are shaking.
I'm guessing the CO (Capt. Fahs), who arranged this setup with the queer chaplain's assistant.
From the article details, it sounds like Fahs has an axe to grind and probably packs fudge himself.
Now how about relieving Capt. Fahs of command for making such a stupid recommendation?
Gates are defensive. The Church will eventually storm those gates and they will fall.
I read elsewhere that the Chaplin’s commander got a letter of reprimand for his actions.
If this is true, and I believe it IS true, did this Navy Captain get bounced out of the service, for illegal activity?
Homosexuals founded all fascist movements, like the Bolsheviks and SS Nazis. The puerile, fixation in latency has to be taught to ALL boys——to warp their normal sexual identity formation so Chrisitan ideology has to be ERASED to the pre-Christian Pagan days of Rome-—where Nero castrated little boys and pretended to marry all his homosexual orgy buddies.
They are destroying the Worldview which is the ONLY worldview which created the Age of Reason and Modern Science and US Constitution so they can reinsert paganism in our children——puerile, evil collective minds that just fixate on anal cavities and crumbs-—are “happy” serfs and slaves and peasants like for the majority of ALL history——collective cultures-—ONE WAY TO THINK!!!!!!!!!!
Christianity created the most perfect, healthy, flourishing families in ALL of history. The “Free Will” culture-—which created Individuality which is incompatible with SLAVERY of the masses (”feelings” and base instincts RULE and intellect is obliterated in children (no critical thinking—the ideas of Classical Education (the Bible) has to GO!!!!)
The Prussian system of mass indoctrination has almost completely annihilated all Wisdom of the Ages, hasn’t it????? The sixteen year olds are so ignorant and so warped in their ‘Logic”......in fact-—their Real Life Experiences have been mainly programmed by screens and artificial institutions-—interactions confined and controlled to embed dependency.
No Lincoln mindset possible, is there????? Wake up, and take the minds of your children and grand children BACK!!!!!!!! Have them initiate their OWN games-—and learn to be independent and leaders——not steeple and the “happy slaves” that are so irrational they are so DUMB they actually believe that “snow is black” and boys are girls..
All Common Sense (Natural Law) is being erased in our children——who are glued to screens-—it truncates brain development-—prevents integration of the brain and creativity and brain development.
Like the orphanages in Romania-—large areas of the brain were NOT mapped——(and the children were incapable of empathy.) We are literally creating Adam Lanzas. CHILDREN need HUMAN INTERACTION and practice with emotion control——so they can be civil and human.........machines are a cop-out-—for lazy parenting. Use VERY RARELY!!!!!!!!!!!!! if at all.
“Now WHO did the assignment?”
In my very limited experience, isn’t the person assigned as Chaplain’s Assistant (sometimes?) someone who has been found unsuitable for other duties?
Assignments are made by the detailer staff at Navy Personnel Command in Millington, TN, north of Memphis. However, it is not uncommon for senior officers (or non-commissioned officers) to pull strings and arrange certain assignments for selected individuals.
Given the Chaplain’s problems with his CO, and the sudden selection of a gay sailor as his assistant, I’d say the commanding officer made a few calls to Millington. It’s obvious he was trying to get rid of the Chaplain and thought he could make a stronger case by forcing him to work with a gay assistant, hoping the chaplain would make comments/take actions that wouldn’t meet the approval of the LGBT mafia.
Bravo to the various organizations that defended the Chaplain—he was darn near railroaded out of the Navy, without a pension or benefits.
Sadly, the hand-writing is on the walls. Conservative/evangelical denominations like the Assemblies of God and Church of God will no longer allow their clergy to serve as Chaplains. I can even see the Southern Baptists pulling out as well—and that’s exactly what the secularists and LGBT supporters in the Pentagon want.
In a few years, service members visiting their base chapel will be able to choose from protestant clergy representing the Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians and Lutherans; a suitably liberal Catholic priest, or your friendly installation Imam.
A good summary of this incident of persecution.
Thanks, Ps 144.
I continue to be puzzled by the information in this case. I have heard that the complaint was lodged by a lieutenant. This article says it was by a chaplain assistant. In the Army and the Air Force, chaplain assistants are exclusively enlisted. I can’t imagine that being different in the Navy. However, who knows.
Maybe they mean this was a deputy chaplain in a junior grade. That’s possible, I suppose, with the Navy just using words differently. Maybe I’ll get to talk to Ch Modder some day.
In any case, assigning a married gay sailor to an assembly of God chaplain’s office sounds like a prescription for a complaint from the get-go. So often, those pushing the envelope have a chip on their shoulder.
“…the assistant began asking Modder questions about his biblical beliefs on human sexuality.”
An obvious setup by the assistant, likely at the urging of some LGBTaliban group. The incident provides yet another example of why allowing gays into the military won’t work in the long run; it’s just another tactic in resurrecting the old, hated Loyalty Oath, this time to a different master.
Expect to see many more of these setups.
More like someone whose safety is at risk in other duties, for obvious reasons.
So a chaplain is not allowed to express religious beliefs, lest he risk losing his job as a chaplain.
Ok, got it.
If anybody ever needed a blanket party it is Mein Capitan Fahs.
Chaplain’s Assistants are not required to adhere to any particular faith group. In fact they can be atheists.
Assignments to a particular base comes from an assignment manager, and then the local assignment is made by the particular department/branch, etc. Not saying there weren’t any shenanigans.
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