Two pieces from Liberty Headlines;
Will Navy Approve an Atheist chaplain?
(Quin Hillyer, Liberty Headlines) Within a week of re-assigning (and possibly firing) one chaplain for expressing traditionalist Christian beliefs, the Navy is seriously considering the approval of an avowed “non-theistic humanist” for a spot in its Chaplain Corps.
Conservative U.S. House and Senate members are formally urging the Navy not to approve the atheist for the post, noting the Navy can provide all sorts of other programs for non-believers without altering the mission of the long-established Chaplain Corps.
The secular-humanist applicant is Dr. Jason Heap – described by ConservativeHQ.com as a “militant atheist” – the executive director of the United Coalition of Reason who had sued the Navy in 2014 when it rejected his earlier application to become a Navy chaplain.
That suit ended with a non-public settlement, but Heap is back at it again.
He and his supporters, including prominent atheist groups, say that non-theistic service members may need the confidentiality in seeking counseling that only a chaplaincy can provide.
And this time, the Navy Chaplain Appointment and Retention Eligibility Advisory group actually has recommended that Heap be approved.
Now the decision goes to the Navy Chief of Chaplains, Rear Admiral Margaret Kibben, who is retiring soon…..
[Later in the piece, why the Navy chaplains exist:] As explained by Spc. Samuel Keenan in a recent article on the U.S. Army’s web site, “As clergy, military chaplains are subject matter experts in spiritual resiliency, one of the five pillars of the military resiliency program. Spiritual resiliency is the inner strength that can be used when all hope seems lost.”
[The full story is here.]
First Amendment Defense Act is Reintroduced. (Quin Hillyer, Liberty Headlines) Braving the gods of political correctness again, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah on Thursday reintroduced the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), which he says is designed to “prevent the federal government from discriminating against individuals or institutions based on their beliefs about marriage.”
[The full story is here.]
