Sekulow: New Air Force Guidelines for Chaplains 'Appropriate and Constitutional'
by Jody Brown
February 10, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Revised guidelines affecting the prayers of military chaplains in the U.S. Air Force appear to take into account concerns expressed by Evangelicals about an earlier version -- and that has upset Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.The Air Force has released new guidelines that "respect the rights of chaplains to adhere to the tenets" of their religion. Some chaplains had complained that they were being prohibited from praying in Jesus' name. Associated Press reports that the revised guidelines state that chaplains will not be required to lead public prayer in a way that is "inconsistent with their faiths."
The guidelines also omit a statement in the earlier version that chaplains "should respect the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs." The revision also allows "voluntary discussions of religion" among all members of the Air Force as long as they're "personal, not official" and do not appear to be coercive.
The new regulations, says the American Center for Law and Justice, are "appropriate and constitutional." The ACLJ was active in bringing about changes to proposed restrictions on military prayer for Air Force chaplains that, if adopted, could have affected the rights of chaplains in all branches of the military.
"This is an important move by the Air Force to protect the free-speech rights of chaplains to pray according to their faith," says ACLU chief counsel Jay Sekulow. "From the very beginning, we have maintained that chaplains have a constitutional right to adhere to the religious expressions of their faith and exercise them freely."
Chaplains, says Sekulow, play a crucial role in providing comfort and spiritual support for military personnel. "The revised guidelines ... not only protect the rights of [Air Force] chaplains, [they] should serve as a model for the other branches as well," he urges.
But the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State does not share Sekulow's feelings about the revised guidelines. It was that group's calls last year for the Air Force to examine allegations of what AU describes as "heavy-handed forms of proselytization" as well as "official preference toward evangelical Christianity" at the U.S. Air Force Academy that prompted the first set of guidelines. AU says it sees the new regulations as a step backward from that earlier version.
"Air Force officials appear to be more concerned with appeasing the powerful Religious Right lobbyists who have argued against any guidelines that seek to respect and protect the rights of all cadets -- not just those adhering to majority religious beliefs," says AU executive director Barry Lynn.
Lynn contends the revised set of guidelines "focus heavily on protecting the rights of chaplains" while ignoring those of other faiths -- or those who claim no particular faith at all.
"[This] is a clear retreat on ensuring that no cadets or Air Force personnel feel compelled to engage in religious activities," he states, adding that it is clear to him that the Air Force does not understand that all prayer is an "inherently religious activity" that not all those at the Academy wish to be subjected to.
Sekulow, however, says it goes beyond just the Air Force and the Air Force Academy. "Hundreds of thousands of Americans understood the importance of this issue," he says, "and we're gratified that it has been resolved through the actions taken by the Air Force."
