How the US military has embraced growing religious diversity

Religion News Service ^ | November 12, 2019 | Ronit Y. Stahl

[SaveFerris]

The Manchurian Candidate was subtle.

Just like his actual spiritual father in the Garden.

At other times, the Manchurian Candidate was in-your-face.

1/2 of America is so spiritually-dead inside they never woke up to it.

As I’ve said before, I’m reminded of a certain religious organization (nobody bother asking, open forum or FReepmail) that held “church” services. I attended an hour each month for 2.5 years. Not once, not once was a Bible cracked open and the Word of God taught. Not once.

Lots of praise and worship. Absolutely zero Bible preaching.

The Antichrist is going to just walk right in.

[JoeFromSidney]

Back when I attended Squadron Officers School, one of the lectures was by the Command Chaplain. The purpose of the lecture was to inform us of the duties and responsibilities of a chaplain. One of those responsibilities was to see that every service member, regardless of his faith, was given the opportunity to attend services provided by a minister of his faith. As the Chaplain pointed out, he couldn't say a Catholic Mass,but he was still responsible for seeing that such Masses were said.

I've heard Mass on the deck of a Navy vessel, in a tent under field conditions, in missionary chapels in some pretty strange places, as well as in full-fledged Cathedrals. I really appreciated the work of the members of the Chaplain's Corps. Being spiritually fortified before going into dangerous circumstances s really important.

[HarleyD]

A friend of mine, and Presbyterian chaplain, sits on the board for National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces. The purpose of this organization is to promote religious freedom in the military for all religious organizations. His rational, which I agree with, is that if you allow religious tolerance for all, then the message of Christ can be preach and the truth will prevail. Their common purpose is to support the First Amendment and the Freedom of Religion in the military. It is not ecumenticallism. They simply agree to disagree. They keep separate their religious views from their desire to allow all men to promote their religion views. My chaplin friend states that if you stifle everyone so no one can preach, Christianity will be stifled.

It is God who opens the eyes to see and ears to hear. But they must hear the Word of God. God's truth will prevail.

[daniel1212]

Their common purpose is to support the First Amendment and the Freedom of Religion in the military. It is not ecumenticallism. They simply agree to disagree. They keep separate their religious views from their desire to allow all men to promote their religion views. My chaplin friend states that if you stifle everyone so no one can preach, Christianity will be stifled

It is true that everyone from Adventists to Swedenborgians can be good soldiers in America, which does not require assent to a specific faith or denominations, though is does require obedience to precepts and principals which most closely and sometimes rather uniquely flow from the Christian faith, which at the least influenced the Founders, and the people who choose them. However, when certain doctrines are contrary to those precepts and principals - whether it be polygamy and or a Mormonic theocratic government or prolonged withholding of food from children, or requiring the killing of them in sacrifice or of unbelievers, then freedom of religion stops in that instance.

And yet Islam is fundamentally opposed as being theocratic political faith, and thus unless adherents spiritualize away its commands to Jihad domination by force and explain Muhammad's interpretive behavior in doing it, then they should not be allowed in the US, much less the military.