Army allows for sectarian prayer at mandatory events
Army allows for sectarian prayer at mandatory events
Last month, MAAF received two reports of sectarian Christian prayer at mandatory military events. At Ft Campbell, a battalion chaplain was leading his unit in prayer during regular morning formations. At Ft Benning, at senior NCO reported mandatory graduation ceremonies often include prayer “in Jesus’s Name”. An Army spokesperson declared these practices entirely within Army policy. These issues arise not due to individuals taking offense at prayer, but rather due to officers using their authority to promote religion. Non-Christians are made to feel like lesser members of the unit who need to hide their beliefs or pretend to be Christian in order to have the full support of the command.
The 1st Amendment provides for free exercise of religion for individuals and prohibits establishment of religion in government. This has created great legal difficulty for government officials wishing to use their official duties for prayers. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of limited, optional nonsectarian prayer (Marsh v Chambers, 463 US 783 (1983)). There is a dizzying array of legal precedent regarding government-sponsored prayer and religious activity, but the core concept is clear – that the government should be neutral toward religion.
MAAF contacted the Army regarding their policy on sectarian prayer, especially at mandatory events such as graduations and if the Army had a policy regarding “nonsectarian” prayer. Army spokesman George Wright provided only the following response:
The Army doesn’t mandate how a chaplain ought to pray.
More:
http://blog.militaryatheists.org/2012/04/army-chief-of-chaplains-approves-sectarian-prayer-at-mandatory-events/
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--imm
