STARS AND STRIPES – Rivals in military religious freedom dispute say rule is unclear

Selected Article Excerpts:

• WASHINGTON — Faith in Jesus might not be your solution, an Army Ranger chaplain told members of the 5th Ranger Training Battalion in a mandatory suicide prevention briefing last month, but that’s what helped him through his struggle with depression.The presentation prompted a sharply worded letter from the chaplain’s commander and rekindled a long-running dispute over whether the expression — and the promotion — of religious faith must remain private in the U.S. military or whether it is allowable on duty.

  Nearly a year after the Department of Defense issued a heavily revised religious expression policy that advocates said would bring a new level of religious freedom, the dispute at Fort Benning, Ga., is evidence that the new wording hasn’t done away with old disputes. The fight over what constitutes free exercise and what qualifies as government-imposed religion remains as heated as ever.

  The chaplain, Capt. Joe Lawhorn, also presented nonreligious ways to combat the military suicide epidemic at the session, held off base near Camp Merrill, Ga., on Nov. 20. When the men filed out, they carried handouts prepared by the former enlisted soldier, who attended seminary at Liberty University, a conservative Christian institution founded by televangelist Jerry Falwell.

  One side of the handout featured secular suicide-prevention tips. The other side presented Christianity as the answer.

  “Enduring and overcoming distress begins by maintaining your integrity of connectedness with God,” the handout said. “Invite Jesus into whatever you’re feeling. Remember, he will never let you down (Romans 8:1.)”

• Both sides agree on one point: There’s a “tsunami of confusion” over what the policy says.That’s the phrase used last month in Congressional testimony by Military Religious Freedom Foundation president Mikey Weinstein, a former Air Force lawyer who fights to prevent commanders from injecting mandatory religion into military life and work.

  The phrase was endorsed in the same hearing by a frequent opponent, Ron Crews, a retired Army chaplain who heads the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. Crews’ group advocates for chaplains, frequently evangelical Christians, who want to talk freely about their faith.

• For supporters of strict separation of church and state, the “adverse impact” exception of the law is key; any dissension in the ranks as a result of religious grudges or discord can only hurt the readiness of the unit.

“The bottom line is, we have to make sure our military is tough enough to be ready to kill the enemies of our country,” Weinstein said. Because of that imperative, the government has a compelling interest in limiting the kind of untrammeled religious expression civilians enjoy in order to maintain strong and unified military units, he said.

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