Religion vs Duty: Ronnie's Rules

My desire to become an Army Chaplain is motivated by my call into the ministry, leadership experience, multiculturalism, education and exposure to pluralistic ministry with people of different traditions and perspectives. As a dynamic, enthusiastic pastor and a church leader, with a 12 year track record of transforming and revitalizing diverse congregations with a renewed desire for both growth and increase in faith focus; I am seeking this vast honor as a regular Army Chaplain because of the aforementioned reasons.

If this becomes more widely known it may make more people from different religions want to join the army

McPherson cites a British Army doctor who specialized in psychiatric casualties during World War II saying “Since History undoubtedly proves that sound religious faith is a strong component in high morale…it is clearly the duty of every officer, whatever his private beliefs, to be seen as a Christian, even if he can only be what I call an’ Army Christian” . This is what really peaked my interest in this chapter. Myself, being on the ROTC path to commission into the U.S. Army as an officer, I take that quote from the British Army doctor to heart, and I can see exactly what he means. Officers are often the ones that most soldiers look up to, especially in times of distress, confusion and fear. So when an officer has sound religious faith, and his soldiers witness it, the morale and faith in the troops increases dramatically.

Karen O. Donovan 's article about military culture explores military tradition, and the impact social changes in society has on the military. These changes included the policy change regarding gays six years ago. At that time gays were acknowledged in the military when the military ended years old

Deployments to war-zones change service members and their families. Some of the transformation are positive, for example, individual and career growth due to

Lately, there has been an outbreak of people of the LGBT community coming out in the military. Historically the United States has had a policy of discharging gays in the military. There has been an act called the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, it is basically saying that as long as somebody does not ask about your gender preferences, you do not have to tell. Even though the ban has been lifted, many militaries still say they cannot accept anyone from the LGBT inside. They do not care about how well you can perform or your strengths and that mindset is going to come back and hit them in the long run. Militaries that are judging these kids are taking them away from somewhere they feel safe and a place where they can finally belong. Members of the LGBT community find refuge in the military. It was one of the only places where they can prove their worth, where people aren’t focusing on their sexuality. They shouldn’t be judged based on their sexual preferences. Instead, they should be judged on their personality, performance, and their ability to get the job done precisely and correctly.

On June 5, 1917, Alvin York received the notification to join the Army to serve his country in the World War I. Although, he considered himself a patriotic American, serving in the Army was against his religious beliefs and tenets of his church (Perry, 1997). Alvin York was a religious man who had to make a decision that went against his beliefs. The draft tested his religious convictions. He consulted with the pastor of his church who advised him to plead conscientious objector (Birdwell, 2001). The country draft board reviewed his case and denied his request for the reason that the Church of Christ in Christian Union did not have a non-violence declaration established (Perry, 1997). York appealed the decision at the district level, but they rejected it.

In addition, the institute said the Air Force had discriminated against Madrid over his Christian beliefs on marriage and sexuality. The law firm then warned that it is prepared to resort to legal action if the “potentially career-ending punishments” are not rescinded.

The U.S. military produces some of the bravest most heroic men and women on earth. From the moment the oath of enlistment is made to the time of separation or retirement, these courageous souls endure a number of amazing, historic and sometimes unbelievable events. They are praise for their service and lift even higher for their sacrifice, although most are unaware of the true sacrifices are made by some of these men and women. The most visible sacrifices or “outer sacrifices” are loss of life or loss of limbs while the inner wounds are bouts with depression, sexual assault, divorce, and most common alcohol other drug abuse.

In navigating their wartime options, Friends of military age had to consider their identity as Quakers, as pacifists, as members of a local community of believers and of a national community of service. The United States' intense effort to raise a national army to fight the Great War forced many Friends to grapple with, likely for the first time in their young lives, what it meant to be a member of a pacifist organization. This challenged them to define their beliefs and evaluate their relationship to the religious community and the nation of which they were a part. However diverse their paths of service, these individuals are united by their drive to meaningfully contribute to institutions, communities, and ideals that they saw as larger than

Religion, whether we realize it or not, is a major element of American society (and also worldwide history). For many, religion is a significant part of their cultural identity. Religion plays a part in all levels of politics and is often an aspect of community events and organizations. Everyday, we all interact with people who have different religious backgrounds and personal beliefs. Children born into religious families are very connected with their religions from birth and this affects the way they will see the world for the rest of their lives. Even those who later explore other faiths or convert to other religious ideas will be affected in

The limits of free speech and expression upon members of the military are governed today by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The UCMJ is governed by Congress under the authority of the United States Constitution in Article I, Section 8; stating “To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States.” Thus giving the Congress special abilities to restrict First Amendment rights to military members as they deem necessary. There have been several court cases like, Parker v. Levy, Goldman v. Weinberger, and U.S. v. Howe that have all challenged the UCMJ under First Amendment rights and or found guilty under one of the Punitive Articles. All U.S. Military members joined under their own free will knowing about the extra laws that they would be held to. Freedom of speech limits are placed on military members due to them being a direct representation of the U.S. Government. They are also held to a higher stander due to this representation they hold. They are deemed a spate society then from the civilian sector and their actions are held to higher degree of responsibility.

The Clinton administration and military leaders defend the current policy and the way it has been enforced. They argue that allowing gay people to serve openly would harm military readiness by destroying troops' morale and disrupting order and discipline. Policy defenders argue that the military is a special institution that holds itself to stricter rules than those observed by the rest of society. Because the armed forces must fulfill the crucial mission of defending the U.S. and its allies, they say, its leaders' views on how to achieve optimal readiness should be respected. Pentagon officials say that while they believe the current policy is working well, they will investigate cases of alleged abuse.

This mentions how Islamic religious police, also known as “Morality Police” they enforce women to wear headscarves and black dresses in public. This helps with the viewpoint of how religion does impact and is a part of religion. But also viewing different religions and how their morals are tied to their religions so tightly.

Prejudice within the military can be found when service members of racial and sexual minorities are being the target of favoritism. Back in 1948, anti-Black approaches were widespread movements in the U.S. military, what made President Truman order an end to the racial discrimination in the armed forces. Even though Whites' approaches toward Blacks in the military have transformed in the past fifty years, racial prejudice is still common throughout the military society. Moreover, substantial numbers of heterosexual service members expressed negative attitudes toward gay men and lesbians (Race).