Abdul Rahman Chaplain Klingenschmitt

What do these two Christians have in common?

65 Chaplains are suing the Navy since 1999

130 Chaplains recently complained to Congress

Navy Inspector General found “nothing wrong”

Navy JAG spends millions combating evangelical chaplains

75 Congressmen, 200,000 Americans, 34 pro-family groups

representing 50 million evangelicals wrote President Bush.

Perhaps 1,000,000 phone calls during Klingenschmitt fast

White House spokesman promised Presidential action

Proof C.O. punished Klingenschmitt’s prayers and sermons

“Chaplain Klingenschmitt over emphasized his own faith system, [in his sermons and prayers] and provided poor

pastorship to Sailors of other faith groups.”(CAPT Carr writes Navy board to end Klingenschmitt’s career, 7 Mar 05,

despite 84% of crew surveyed: “The Command Chaplain cares for alldenominations, regardless of faith or belief.”)

“Had you led a positive ecumenical service, focusing on the shared beliefs of all present... the service would have been well received. Instead, your sermon during this event was very secular [sectarian] and perceived by most attendees as proselytizing...”

(CAPT Carr punishes Klingenschmitt in writing, for quoting the Bible during optionally-attended sermon in chapel, 7 Jul 04)

Hunger strike: 18 days outside White House

Navy surrenders, renews Klingenschmitt’s contract

Navy still refuses to correct Klingenschmitt’s record

LT Marks, the Navy spokesman, said “chaplains are free to pray as they wish in any military chapel or worship service.” (Washington Post, 10 Jan 06)

Is Navy spokesman lying to the press?

Marks said Klingenschmitt was never disciplined for the way he conducted his services. (Navy Times, 10 Jan 06)

Marks also questioned the appropriateness of a 2004 memorial service sermon for which Klingenschmitt was reprimanded in which he gave an invitation to embrace Christianity. “This was not a religious service,” Marks said. “It was a simple memorial ceremony.” (WorldNetDaily, 5Jan06)

The sermon was 1) optionally-attended 2) in the chapel 3) advertised as “Christian Memorial Service” 4) honoring faith of deceased, 5) pre-approved by commander, 6) same sermon deceased loved

“Any chaplain’s continued insistence on ending public prayers ‘in Jesus name’ in all situations, without using discretion or regards to the venue or audience, could reasonably tend to denigrate those with different forms of faith.”

Rear Adm. Louis V. Iasiello memo to Chaplain Klingenschmitt, 23 Aug 05

Did Chief of Navy Chaplains lie to Washington Post?

“We don’t direct how a person’s going to pray. Because everyone’s own denomination or faith group has certain directives or certain ways of doing things, and we would never -- it’s that whole separation-of-church-and-state thing -- we would never want to direct institutionally that a person could or couldn’t do something.”

Rear Adm. Iasiello to Washington Post, 30 Aug 05 (that same week)

Anyone accepting a commander’s invitation to provide religious elements [prayers] at a command function is accountable for following the commander’s guidance.”

(SECNAV Donald C. Winter, SECNAVINST 1730.7C, 21 Feb 06)

Is Secretary Winter censoring prayer content?

“At other than Divine/Religious Services, religious elements [prayers] for a command function, absent extraordinary circumstances, should be non-sectarian in nature....

“The only thing we ask is that chaplains be inclusive of the people in their audience,” Lt. Marks said. “We've never said they can't invoke Jesus in their prayers. You aren't going to get into trouble for that.”

(Washington Times, 23 Mar 06)

But the bottom line has not changed. “Clergy may not invoke the name of Jesus Christ while offering prayers at official government ceremonies,” Rabbi Resnicoff said. Jewish Week, 10 Feb 06

“Neither life nor prayer is that simple...When someone explains to me that an offense is the ‘Christian’ thing to do, it is the same as a white man offending a black and then offering the weak apology that he had done the ‘white’ thing.” Rabbi Resnicoff, “Prayers that Hurt,” Military Chaplains Review, Winter 1987

Did Rabbi Resnicoff defeat 75 Congressmen?

US Code Title 10 Section 6031 (Navy Regs since 1860)

“An officer in the chaplain corps may conduct public worship according to the manner and forms of the church of which he is a member.”

(In 2006 he simply re-defines “public worship”)

“Command functions, other than Divine/Religious Services, that include religious elements do not constitute public worship.”

SECNAV Donald C. Winter, 21 Feb 06, reversing 231 years of Naval history of the evening prayer, emasculating federal law since 1860.

How SECNAV policy gets around Federal Law

"As in our day, questions about the manner and forms of worship have also long been a part of the history of the Chaplain Corps. Early regulations specified that the duties of chaplains included having to “read” prayers. In 1859, the Speaker of the House of Representatives asked the Secretary of the Navy whether chaplains were required to “read” prayers or follow any particular forms or ceremony in leading worship, and if the Navy had any evidence of a requirement that non-Episcopal chaplains had to follow the Episcopal liturgy. In replying, the Secretary explained that he was not aware that the instruction to “read” had ever been construed to require a literal reading from a particular prayer book, but rather as a requirement that prayers be offered aloud without specifying they be read from a book, written down by the chaplain beforehand to be read later, or offered extemporaneously. To further reassure the Speaker and his colleagues in Congress, the Secretary announced a new order officially interpreting the requirement that prayers be “read” to mean that prayers be “offered,” thus leaving the chaplain free to follow the dictates of his own religious tradition. Perhaps in response to such communication with Congress, new Navy Regulations adopted in 1860 included this addition: “Every chaplain shall be permitted to conduct public worship according to the manner and forms of the church of which he may be a member.” No longer merely a regulation, that language is now in force as part of the United States Code."

(CDR Wildhack, Naval Law Review Vol 51, Summer 2005)

Origins of 1860 Chaplain “Public Prayer” Law

25. For those in the Armed Forces of our Country: Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER:

ONCE MANDATORY,

NOW BANNED

JUST HOW FAR HAS THIS PENDULUM SWUNG?

What are we fighting for?