Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Mormon and Catholic leaders with strong military ties joined together Dec. 18, 2015, in urging the military to give greater respect to the diverse religious practices of service members throughout the armed forces. The brief, filed in the nation’s highest military court, criticizes a Navy ruling that allows commanders to censor religious activity on the grounds that religion is too “divisive” and “contentious” a topic for our nation’s Marines.
“Even before the Continental Army, the military has always set the tone for the nation by protecting religious diversity,” said Daniel Blomberg, counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. “Strength comes from mutual respect for religious differences, not enforced silence.”
The lawsuit involves a Marine who was ordered by her commander to remove from her desk three small strips of paper with Scripture verses printed on them. In February 2015 the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the conviction of Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling for refusing to remove them, even though co-workers were permitted to keep nonreligious personal items on their desks, such as career accolades and pictures of family.
The lower court held that posting personal religious messages was not protected under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
Douglas L. Carver, former U.S. Army chief of chaplains who currently serves as the executive director of chaplaincy for the North American Mission Board, said this ruling could possibly have been “a preemptive decision to avoid a long battle over religious liberty and the freedom of religious expression.”
‘Uncertain’ on limits
“The increased levels of plurality and diversity within the Armed Forces coupled with the tension of remaining neutral in all matters of religion has become an increasing challenge for military leaders. In the current ‘politically correct’ environment, I think our military commanders are somewhat uncertain on the left and right limits of what they can do when dealing with religious liberty issues in their organization.”
Carver questions if a chaplain was consulted when the issue first came up with Sterling.
“[RFRA] is complex and that’s what the chaplains are there for — to help [commanders] walk through the complexity of managing religious diversity,” he said. “Chaplains play an important role as the primary staff advisor to military commanders on all matters of religion, including the responsibility to make sure every service member’s religious freedom is honored or allowed.”
The court also justified allowing commanders to suppress religious speech, claiming that Marines would suffer “detrimental effect” from being “exposed to biblical quotations in the military workplace.”
Carver, however, thinks the exposure of biblical influences has the opposite effect.
“We’ve … recognized the importance of religious liberty since our founding. It’s affected our ethics, morals and behaviors in every sector of society,” he said. “I would argue that the freedom of religion and the freedom of our troops to grow in their personal faith enables them to be courageous, confident and humane in combat while avoiding barbaric practices against the enemy.
“I’m concerned about the growing hostility toward religion and people of faith. If we lose the freedom of religious liberty in the workplace and the public square, it will have a negative effect on how we live our lives and treat each other.”
Government leaders cannot fear controversy regarding religious issues, he said.
“It almost seems that, in this culturally sensitive world where we don’t want to offend anyone, religion can ignite so much controversy that we’re just not going to talk or allow conversations about it at all — that’s censorship,” Carver said.
“If we have people in authority who begin to arbitrarily make decisions on religious matters without considering the impact on the First Amendment, we are headed for chaotic and dangerous times.”
The religious leaders’ brief — whose signatories include high-ranking veterans from every branch of the military who have served in every major U.S. conflict since Vietnam — was filed in support of Sterling’s appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and shows how religious diversity promotes the military’s mission.
Blomberg said, “Throughout history, religion has been an essential source of both courage and comfort for those called to defend our freedoms. The least we can do is respect their personal religious beliefs and practices.”
(Maggie Walsh, Becket Fund)
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