I have great news to share with you.
On
May 9th, the House Armed Services Committee will be voting on
amendments to H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act, which
will protect the rights of conscience for our military chaplains serving
in our armed forces!
Thanks to the pressure you have put on Congress, we are on the verge of getting this critical change made.
These three amendments are critical changes that will rollback Obama's edict on
conscience protections:
- Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) will put forward an amendment that says military service members will never be forced to compromise their religious beliefs or conscience in order to serve.
- Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) has an amendment that will prevent the government from punishing members of the armed services for holding moral beliefs,
- Rep. Steve Palazzo (R-MS) will prevent Department of Defense regulations from violating the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) by banning the use of military facilities from hosting homosexual marriages.
Over
237 years ago, General George Washington petitioned the Second
Continental Congress to institute the military chaplaincy for the
fledgling United States Army. On 29 July 1776, Washington introduced the
chaplaincy as follows:
The Hon. Continental Congress
having been pleased to allow a Chaplain to each Regiment, with the pay
of Thirty-three Dollars
and one third pr month--The Colonels or commanding officers of each
regiment are directed to procure Chaplains accordingly; persons of good
Characters and exemplary lives--To see that all
inferior officers and soldiers pay them a suitable respect and attend
carefully upon religious exercises. The blessing and protection of
Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public
distress and danger--The General hopes and trusts, that every officer
and man, will endeavour so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian
Soldier defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country.
Since
Washington’s order, federal courts have protected
the military chaplaincy as constitutional under both the Free Exercise
Clause and the Establishment Clause. To doubt the constitutionality and
the rights of conscience enshrined in the military chaplaincy would be a
total revocation of 237 years of mutual understanding and
constitutional law.
Right now, thousands of military chaplains are under threat from new regulations that prevent them from speaking out in any way against homosexuality and other sound Biblical teaching.
Should
our military chaplains be brave enough
to preach or counsel one of our men and women in uniform contrary to the
desires of Obama-led Defense Department, the new regulations repealing
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” can ultimately ruin the careers of these
military chaplains, up to and including dishonorable discharge -- all
because our chaplains refuse to compromise their consciences!
So serious and dire is this threat that over 18 Christian denominations have reached out to Congress and urged them to
reverse the Defense Department’s course. Some denominations such as the Catholic Military Archdiocese have threatened to remove all of their military chaplains, should Obama
refuse to backtrack on his violations of our religious freedoms.
The threat is real, and the media isn’t talking about it.
Can
I count on you to help send a message to your member of Congress asking
them to support this language protecting military chaplains today?
I
am counting on you to be our voice with your friends and supporters.
Forward this to as many people as you can, and encourage them to do the
same. If America does not rise up as one voice against this
unprecedented assault on General Washington’s military chaplaincy… who
else will?
Sincerely,
Rev. Louis P.
Sheldon
Chairman and
Founder
Traditional Values Coalition
source
ACTION ALERT: Conscience Protections for Military Chaplains
From:
"Rev. Louis P. Sheldon" <grassroots@traditionalvalues.org>
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