Congressman Adam Smith of Washington State thinks an increase of religious freedom in the military is "extremely dangerous, and immoral." HOUSE PANEL VOTES FOR MORE FREEDOM TO EXPRESS RELIGION by Rick Maze, Military Times A House committee moved June 6 to allow greater freedom of religious expression in the military while balking at the idea of allowing atheists into the chaplains corps. The 2014 defense policy bill, HR 1960, passed by the House Armed Services Committee, would allow chaplains to follow traditions of their own faith when leading prayers instead of having to stick to nondenominational prayers. Chaplains already were allowed to follow the practices of their religious group during formal services, but they have been under pressure to lead only generic prayers in other settings, said Rep.Walter Jones, R-N.C., who sponsored an amendment that passed by voice vote. Christian faiths that pray “in the name of Jesus” felt particularly restricted by previous law, Jones said. On a 33-26 vote, the committee passed another religious freedom amendment that would modify a law enacted last year allowing military members to hold personal beliefs as long as they did not express them in a way that harmed other service members. That amendment was sponsored by Rep. John Fleming, R-La., who said comments made in private and even the presence of a Bible on an officer’s desk have resulted in rebukes about limits on personal expression. While Fleming said the amendment was aimed at restoring free speech rights, Rep.Adam Smith of Washington, the committee’s ranking Democrat, said such a change is “extremely dangerous, it’s immoral and it could have a dramatic effect on good order and discipline.” The change “would allow members of the armed services and chaplains to express their beliefs—in the form of action or speech—without taking responsibility for the damage those beliefs may cause,” Smith said. “If a member of the armed services wants to disparage through action or speech the beliefs or lifestyle of another member of the armed services, they can now do so,” he said. On a 43-18 vote, the committee rejected a plan by Rep. Robert Andrews, D-N.J., to add atheists, humanists and “ethical culturalists” to the chaplains corps to provide guidance and counsel to service members. Andrews said the idea is to provide the same guidance and counsel to an atheist, agnostic or someone who belongs to no organized religious group that they could get from a chaplain if they followed a particular religion. Objections were raised because chaplains require a religious sponsor, an impossibility for someone who belongs to no group. Another concern was that general counseling services are available to service members through other military programs.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:47:17 +0000
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