Posted on 08/24/2011 4:27:20 PM PDT by wmfights
WASHINGTON (BP) -- The attorney for 65 chaplains -- including 16 Southern Baptists -- who claim the U.S. Navy discriminates against evangelicals believes a new statistical analysis buttresses their legal efforts, which have been in court for 12 years.
Virginia attorney Arthur Schulcz says the statistical analysis shows that past promotion boards awarded favorable treatment to members from the Naval chief of chaplains' denomination, regardless of who holds the office.
His clients are objecting to the chief of chaplains or his deputy sitting as president of Chaplain Corps promotion boards, which select candidates for lieutenant commander, commander, captain and rear admiral.
"When you have 48 people who share the [chief's] denomination and 40 get promoted … that's evidence," said Schulcz, who has filed a motion for a temporary injunction to halt the next promotion board hearings.
(Excerpt) Read more at bpnews.net ...
Outstanding insights, dear brother in Christ, thank you so very much for sharing them!
Agreed.
However, I don’t think the “needs of the troops and sailors”
is very often a major concern of the very top
globalist rulers.
ABSOLUTELY INDEED.
This is an incredibly interesting insight into how the Chaplain system works in the military, but I do have to ask a very serious question. The military has just been ordered to begin integrating sodomites into their ranks. This deviant sexual practice is in direct violation of Biblical standards but it has been accepted by our military and culture, so how are Chaplains expected to handle this situation?
On the religious side of their mission, a Christian chaplain is to call homosexuality what it is.
On the military side of their mission, a Christian chaplain is to deal with the homosexual as they would deal with a Muslim.
In providing general support to ANY soldier, they should not be forced to violate their Christian beliefs or any oaths of ordination.
Let’s hope the above is how all of this shakes out. If Rick Perry or Sarah Palin were to win a majority in the House and a super-majority in the Senate, I hope they would return to either DADT or the older “outright ban.”
At a minimum, they should institute a ban on ANY soldier who regularly exposes himself through his behavior to blood-borne pathogens.
What caught my eye in the article is the discrimination of chaplins from more conservative denominations in promotion.
It would seem that the denomination of the chief of chaplains is the critical factor. I wonder why we haven't had more conservative Christians as the chief of chaplains.
Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather [suffer yourselves to] be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that [your] brethren. - I Corinthians 6:1-8
Wow, I had never thought about how contaminated blood in a battlefield situation could be a concern. I looked at homosexuals as similar to having women in combat units and how it affects combat efficiency. If you consider the potential for contaminated blood it's worse. Obviously, I'm not even touching on the moral questions.
Please see #18 in which I address concerns about promotion
See #25 for concerns about serving homosexuals in the “new” military
The bottom line about promotion, Wmfights, is that in an effort to keep a balance of chaplains in the military, the military looks at both the representation of any denomination in the US and in the military and any special concerns of the chaplaincy. If Catholics have 25% and southern baptists have 9%, then ROUGHLY 25% of your chaplains should be Catholic and 9% should be Southern Baptist. In actuality, there are very few Catholic priests in the military, given the number of soldiers of the Catholic faith in the military. This is due to far fewer men in Catholicism choosing to go into the priesthood.
Therefore, the number of Catholic priests in the military should be about 300, and it is slightly less than 100. The number of Southern Baptists should be about 120 and it is 300+. Remember, the point is to accomplish the best coverage of all denominations as is humanly possible.
Within reason, these proportions should also hold across most ranks (Cpt, Maj, Ltc). When one gets to Col thru 2-Star general in the Chaplaincy, the numbers are so small, that the proportional discussion is moot. There is only one 1 star and one 2 star, and the 1 star should almost 100% of the time follow the 2 star into that 2 star position. With 100’s of denominations, it will be hard to share that around proportionally. You’d be talking in terms of hundreds of years to complete a cycle.
The same with Col (0-6) positions. There just aren’t that many to go around in a corps with a total of something like 1200 - 1300 chaplains.
Great point.
I see a couple things though that get me concerned. I don't like discrimination and I don't want to see Christians from more conservative churches underrepresented in the field, or at the levels where decisions are made. One of the most common things I run into living in a very liberal city is the surprise on peoples faces when I try to explain why as a Christian I have a different view on something. It's as though they have never heard the reasons. I would hate to see the upper echelon of our military believe that the liberal views in Christianity are representative of Biblical Christianity.
Since this article is about the Navy, a Captain is an O-6. There are very few of them in the Navy. The Navy is smaller than the Army by a lot. If the army has approx 1200 to 1300 chaplains, then I’m guessing the Navy has only 700-900. I’m just guessing.
In any case, lower numbers means FEWER at a higher rank.
In the army a Captain is an O-3. In the navy it is an O-6, and that is 3 ranks higher.
If they were members of the same church I can see this application.
For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12
FWIW, Wm, the most recent chief of chaplains was Doug Carver, a southern baptist chaplain. I had the pleasure of serving with Doug at Ft Campbell, KY years ago, and he is a godly man, a wonderful chaplain, and a preacher you’d love to sit under.
Since he was in the highest ranking seat, and chaplains being promoted to higher rank were of his denomination, then rest assured that there are plenty of S. Baptists in higher ranks. And this is even more so because SBapts are represented in the military FAR BEYOND their numbers in the American population.
This is not what is being borne out statistically. Apparently the denomination of the chief of chaplains is a greater factor. As the chief of chaplains changes and is represented by someone from a different denomination that denomination then sees a higher promotion rate. During the 20 year period in question the chiefs have been from more liberal denominations.
While in theory I agree with this, as it seems to be just common sense, if we take this to it's logical conclusion then we would be forced to discharge any soldier who engages in unprotected sex and not just the sodomites, otherwise they would have a legitimate complaint about discrimination.
My personal preference in the matter would be to outlaw homosexual behavior completely on the grounds that it is a threat to the well-being of the rest of society, due not only to the increased exposure to blood-borne pathogens but also due to the detrimental effect upon the societal mores as a whole, but I don't have a say in the matter.
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