Chaplain Question

Published On: September 8, 2010|Categories: MRFF's Inbox|2 Comments|

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To whomever gets to read this,

I am an active duty member of the US Air Force that is coming up on a promotion. Mr. Weinstein, having spent time in the military, probably attended a promotion ceremony at some point. My question is this:

I am an atheist, and I am seeking advice about whether or not to have a chaplain give an invocation during the ceremony. Nobody I work with knows that I am non-religious, and for a variety of reasons I would like to keep it that way.

If I don’t have an invocation, it will be noticed by my co-workers and attendees, raising questions that I don’t really want to answer.

Is this a little thing that I should just let go? Should I just suck it up and have an invocation despite almost certainly not believing in what he/she will say? I am conflicted because I know I am taking a cowardly position about my (lack of) beliefs. I would love nothing more than to just let go, and not be worried about those who know of my lack of beliefs. My biggest problem is that I have seen people treat others differently once it has been revealed that the person in question have different/no beliefs when it comes to religion. I am worried that career opportunities will dissolve, and I will not be able to do what I want before I retire from the AF.

Regardless of the plausibility of that idea, that is how I feel, and I don’t know what to do. My base only has christian chaplains (of various denominations), and even though I was raised in a secular/non-denominational christian household, I have no desire to use one of them in my ceremony.

Just because I myself am not religious I firmly believe in the Bill of Rights, and the rights of people to practice their religion (or lack thereof). I wholeheartedly agree with most, if not all of the tenants the MRFF is founded on/fighting for, so I was hoping you all might be able to lend some advice to me on this issue, even if Mr. Weinstein himself is religious.

Any advice is appreciated. If you decide to use this email on your website in any way, I only ask that you remove any and all identifying information about me, including my email address. Thank you for your time.

(name withheld)

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2 Comments

  1. Paul September 9, 2010 at 12:46 pm

    I’m looking at the bottom of page 188 in the PDG right now (I’m actually WAPS testing tomorrow morning) and nowhere does it say that a promotion ceremony has to have a chaplain involved. Beyond the few standard elements of a promotion ceremony, the general format should conform to the desires of the promotee.

    As for professing your non-theism and the possible effect on your career…well, you take your chances there. I can’t say with certainty that my career hasn’t been affected by my clashes with dominionists, but I wouldn’t change anything I’ve done just to make my life easier. And ultimately, I’ll take a few hits if it means the situation improves for everyone else…service before self and all.

    As for the ceremony, if you’re a smart-ass like me, you could ask the chaplain to read Zelazny’s “The Agnostic’s Prayer”. Leave ‘em all wondering what just happened.

  2. Angela September 16, 2010 at 10:55 am

    Sir,

    I can tell you first hand that you do not need a chaplain present. It is not required and it is your ceremony. I can tell you first hand that there are many Airman out there that skip the invocation and benediction all together. Honestly, I do not think anyone will even notice. I work in the Chaplain Corps and can tell you that I don’t think I would even notice.

    Finally, I am sorry that you feel like you will be looked upon differently by your peers. However, when I look at you, you are just a person trying to finish your career…which we are all trying to do.

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