No. Nor can a rabbi. Or a Protestant minister. An Orthodox (Christian) priest could, or a priest from one of the uniate Catholic churches (Maronites, for example).
By Jove! I think you’re on to something. Let’s get William Christopher out into the field and everyone can take their spiritual issues to him!
There’s a WIDE gulf between being openly gay in the armed forces and having an extra person hired by the government to practice the homosexuality…ooh, that does sound really hot, but that’s what having a chaplain would amount to. A not-only-condoning-but-here’s-a-facilitator type person.
Knew them Episcopalians were good for something . . .
I was, rather intemperately, speaking to the "keep it in private and don’t let anyone know: aspects. Besides, aren’t at least some chaplains funded by the denomination they belong to?
I’m not sure where the “keep it private” thing was gleaned from in my posts. Care to share me where you think I said such a thing as that is not my intent.
I would support clergy in the military if it meant clones of Father Mulcahy. He was one froopy dude.
You mean “hoopy frood”, right? 
I’ve been Jewish in the Army and the Coast Guard, so I do have some thoughts on this. IMO, military chaplains fulfill 2 roles. 1, as ministers of their particular religion and 2) as sort of social workers/sympathetic ears to all comers.
Now, I have no problem with anyone practicing their religion except when they practice it AT me and I don’t want them to. I’ve experienced this from members of the more evangelical Christian denominations. Once I contacted the IG to get a Major (chaplain corps) to back the fuck off because I wasn’t going to become a Christian.
Him: “But I want to pray for you, sergeant!”
Me: “Go for it, just don’t do it where I have to listen to it.”
or “If you want to make yourself useful, can you get me Kosher C-rations?”
And there were a couple cases reported at the USAF academy. In one, a LtC was a pastor at some local church and a professor of some subject. To pass his course, he required his students to attend his church services. And in another case, an upperclassman (some sort of cadet sergeant or whatever they have at the USAF academy) misused his authority to repeated berate Jewish underclassmen under his command as “Christ-killers.” And there was more of this going on. This is wrong, imho.
On the other hand, in the CG, a protestant chaplain was very helpful in arranging for me to attend sabbath services at a local synagogue. And he searched me out to apologize for not thinking to see what he could do about me attending a Passover seder. This sort of thing makes me think kindly of military chaplains.
I’m so sorry to hear that. I won’t send prayers but I will hope that you find the necessary medical help to resolve your issues.
While it is possible for service members to get together on their own time to read the bible/torah/quran/necronomicon, services do require an officiant. As has been mentioned, preventing the members from practicing their faith is just as much of a constitutional violation as telling them that they all need to sacrifice goats to Odin. As long as no one is standing up and telling the members what/who/how/why to worship there is no problem. And, as I and others have said, the clergy also serve as counselors. My friends didn’t want the stigma of talking to a psychiatrist to appear on their records or even for word to get back to anyone in the chain of command. Talking to a priest was OK and wouldn’t make the security people nervous. Talking to a shrink might make them wonder if you have what it takes to turn the key.
I think that the RCC officially says that Anglican ordinations are invalid because Anglican bishops aren’t properly consecrated, or something. Anglicans/Episcopalians do not agree, of course.
Um… semi-true. Most but not all are deemed invalid.
Basing my comments here on the authority of my source, a woman who completed a course of study in theology at the Pontifical University and always researched her answers, Apostolicae Curae applies to the Church of England, and such churches as derive their succession exclusivel from it. Other Anglican orders, in particular Americans since the time we were in full communion with the Polish National Catholic Church, are examined on a case-by-case basis,
Indeed. It might be useful to link to the official citation for the Medal of Honor awarded to Chaplain Joseph Timothy O’Callahan for his actions while serving on the USS Franklin when it became a blazing inferno, was in serious danger of sinking, and was the most heavily damaged US carrier to survive n WW2, with a casualty total of 807 dead. It reads:
In World War 2 some Catholics (not sure which army) refused to fight on a Friday but other than that things weren’t so bad. The US Navy still celebrates The Three Chaplains Day, right?
isn’t it Four Chaplins?
Baptist, Methodist, Jewish, Catholic. Thanks. Why is my memory going? I’m only 50. Read about it in Reader’s Digest.
Maronites are in communion with Rome so it shouldn’t be an issue for Roman Catholics.
I’m an atheist, and the military chaplaincy is the solitary exception I’m willing to make on the separation of church & state because of the unique nature of military service. I am however in favour of a zero-tolerance policy for anything resembling proselytizing and chaplains should be required to service members of all faiths and of none. If they can’t be relied upon to provide completely non-religious counselling services then the military should provide counsellors who can. And none of this nonsense where religious servicemembers are given time off to attend services while non-religious servicemembers can stuck with work detail.
IIRC one of the more challenging duties of military chaplains is to help soldiers* deal with the morality of killing. Many feel understandably conflicted by the belief that it is wrong to kill and yet being in a position where killing is frequently necessary. Chaplains are trained to mitigate these moral qualms, although I suspect Scriptural integrity often suffers collateral damage in these discussions.
*Sorry for using “soldiers” as a shorthand for “all people in the military”.
I’m reviving this slightly moribund thread with a Rick Santorum quotation from the recent NRA convention in my fair city.
Well, yes. This is from a Daily Kos article on Jon Stewart’s coverage of the event; specifically, the section where Stewart pointed out all the non-gun-related issues raised by the speakers. I’m sure the whole speech is available elsewhere but I’m not a glutton for punishment. (Just as I managed to stay away from the convention center during that period.)
Relevant to this thread: Military chaplains minister to members of their faith; they also counsel service members of all faiths–or none. Santorum is objecting because he wants chaplains to able to convert nonbelievers; although most of the objectionable evangelization has been done by officers & cadets who were not chaplains…
Gosh, Santorum was wrong. Surprise! At least even he knows that nobody has been threatening to kick chaplains out of the service…