Rutherford Institute Urges Navy to Revise Chaplain Prayer Policy
by Chad Groening
April 5, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The head of a conservative civil liberties organization is urging the U.S. Navy to amend its new guidelines governing how chaplains can pray in non-worship settings.John Whitehead, president of the Virginia-based Rutherford Institute, has sent a letter to the Secretary of the Navy expressing disagreement with the branch's recently released prayer policy. According to the Institute's leader, the new guidelines prohibit Navy chaplains from being able to pray in the name of Jesus in most situations, not just in formal worship settings.
In the letter, Whitehead points out the potential of the new policy to chill religious expression, affecting such expression on ships, in battle zones, and on military bases and installations. Furthermore, it voiced the concern that the policy could potentially undermine U.S. Supreme Court precedent, certain acts of Congress, and even the express will of America's founding fathers by substantially interfering with the free exercise rights of chaplains and other religious members of the armed services.
The Navy's policy on chaplains' prayers violates the rights of these military personnel under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Whitehead asserts. "Our service people have a right to say, 'I want to hear a prayer to my God,'" he says. "A lot of Christians we're getting contact from are outraged by this policy, and obviously it should be changed."
The letter expressing these concerns has been copied to President Bush, Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld, and a number of members of Congress, the Rutherford Institute spokesman notes. "Someone needs to take action," he asserts.
"What, in effect, the Navy has done, is they've created a politically correct policy," Whitehead contends. "Obviously they don't want to offend anyone, whether it's an atheist or a Muslim or a Jewish or Christian fellow, whoever might be offended by another religion's prayer," he says. But regardless of the branch's original intent, he insists, the Navy undoubtedly seems to be targeting Christians unfairly with the new guidelines.
"We feel it violates religious freedom and federal law," Whitehead explains, "and there are several Supreme Court cases that have been pretty clear [in affirming that, just] because people are in the military, they don't give up their constitutional rights." And whatever a proper Navy prayer policy would require, he asserts, it certainly should not discriminate against religion by censoring all sectarian references.
In his letter, the Rutherford Institute president called on Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter to revise the branch's policy on prayer. He urged guidelines through which the military would remain neutral in matters of religion and allow chaplains of various faiths to present their religious points of view on a free, open, and equal basis.
Chad Groening, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
