Should the military have Pagan chaplains for soldiers?

Question

Charles Colson wrote an essay saying no on Newsweek's religion site. He is the founder of the Prison Fellowship Ministries (conservative Evangelical Christian), which he founded after going to jail for his involvement in the Watergate scandal.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/charles_w_chuck_colson/2007/07/paganism_may_not_pass_religiou.html

What do you think?

Answer 1

I'm in the military...and the only times i see other soldiers/airmen in church is when we are about to get deployed...and I'm a christian (non-denominational). but they do have Muslim, catholic and other Chaplin's..so why not? i think they should.

Answer 2

I believe most military chaplains are versed in most religions as to take care of the troops that need them. I know there is a section in the handbook for Wiccans. I am pretty sure any how. No you can't make everyone happy. It's just not possible there are too many faiths. But as long as the Chaplain is respective and somewhat versed in the the faith, its a good faith effort.
I will admit some of what he says is just plain uneducated though.
"would have great difficulty supporting an explicit Wiccan or pagan for high public office. There are tenets of their belief that, I think, are incompatible with the requirements of American democratic governance"
We do?

Answer 3

If this nation can ask that a Pagan or a Wiccan lay down his/her LIFE to ensure the freedoms that we all enjjoy then it is only right and proper that their spiritual needs be met and addressed. There are over 13,000 "neo-Pagans" in the U. S. Military. There are Religions with MUCH smaller representation in the service who have Chaplains. Therefore pagans should and must have a chaplain to adress their spiritual needs just as members of every other Faith.

Raji the Green Witch

Answer 4

I truly believe that there should be Pagan Chaplains as soldiers, and why shouldn't there be? Why should the other people have chaplains for their religions and the Pagans can not. And for the ones that say NO there shouldn't be, well I got news for you. Since we now are putting the Pagan Symbol on our headstones, then it is only right for us to have Pagan Chaplains. I feel that one religion is no better than the next.

Answer 5

I am a Distinctive Faith Group Leader for the military. The Sacred Well Congregation of Texas sponsors military faith groups, with the support of the Commander or Chaplain within the servicemember's chain of command.

Bear with me as I make sure we're on the same page, here:
Paganism is a broad term, like Christian, which does not denote a specific belief like Baptist or Protestant. Wiccans are Pagans just like Baptists are Christians.
"Pagan" is an old term that meant "country folk" and most rural cultures had a nature-based religion that celebrated the changing of the seasons and different cycles that happen in nature. However, the term pagan has come to be associated with Polytheism, the belief in multiple gods instead of one omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God.
(last one, promise)
Wiccans vary in their beliefs as much as Baptists and Protestants, and only share a few basic precepts. The short way to sum it up: Don't do bad stuff. Wiccans don't do bad stuff (like sacrifice and evil spells) because the Law of Three would apply. (just Google the Law of Three so I can keep this shorter)

Now that we have all that...
No. The military does not have Pagan Chaplains, they have Distinctive Faith Group Leaders (like me) to provide services for Wiccans, Druids, Shamans, Herbalists, New-agers, Spiritualists, etc.
We will not have Pagan Chaplains because the process to become a Chaplain requires seminary, where you learn your religion and the one way to practice it. Since there is more than one way to practice paganism, seminary is not possible. No seminary, no selection for Chaplaincy. See?

We do have support structures in place for "alternate faiths" as long as they abide certain regulations (like keeping your clothes on) but won't have a Chaplain until the Council of American Witches compromises their belief system to conform to the Judeo-Christian structure of religious support.

*whew!* Okay, I'm done. Blessed Be.

Answer 6

Charles Colson? Didn't he go to federal prison for his obstruction of justice crimes during the Wategate era?

It boggles my mind that anyone would take statements from someone like that -- someone who is as slippery as an eel -- as moral pronouncements. Not to mention the fact that the article in question is very poorly written and constructed. "It is debatable whether paganism is a religion, per say"? HAH!

Answer 7

I disagree with many of the 'mainstream' posts...Pagan and other forms of religion/spirituality can be 'fundamentally' different. Although it is difficult to service each of these, unless the chaplains are aware of them...and at least can offer support...without trying to 'convert' them to, say, Christianity...then, we need more types of chaplains!

Answer 8

The word pagan was made up by catholics to describe all religions that did not believe in christ. It was immediately associated with the word evil or devil worshiper. However, christianity stole most of its own beliefs from other pagan religions. So basically, by being christian, you are pagan.

Worship whatever you want.

Answer 9

Yes, there are pagan soldiers so why should they not have a pagan chaplain to talke with and practice their religion with.

Answer 10

I think that first of all he needs to understand that "Paganism" isn't a religion. It is a term that refers to a broad collection of religions.

Secondly, he needs to get his head out of his butt and enter the 21st Century.

Thirdly, this passage is pretty much representative of just how ignorant he is: "Not being as familiar with paganism in its various forms, I do not wish to condemn it unfairly. But from what I know of it, I do not think it can provide the “indispensable supports” Washington wrote about."

Maybe he ought to try LEARNING about something before he spouts his fool mouth off about it.