In a largely Christian military, is "don't ask, don't tell" morally defensible? What policy should replace it?

Question

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The policy seems to foster dishonesty and deceit, hardly Christian nor military values.

Many people are pushing for a change in policy. What should the new policy be?

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Answer 1

No. The "keep quiet" rules are not fair or moral in a secular government. I agree with the military minding its own business in personal matters, but you can still be discharged if they realize you are gay.

Soldiers should be able to serve openly, without having to hide the fact that they are gay anymore than a man hides that he is straight. Sexual disposition does not change competence, they follow the same rules as their straight counterparts and do not stir up malcontent. This is not a new concept, as the British government does not discharge homosexuals and their policy is more open than our military of the states.

The U.S. military discharged a number of Arabic translators over the past couple of years because they found out the men were gay - how stupid is that? I didn't realize that only straight, Christian men were allowed to serve our country.

Answer 2

When someone used to join the military, the paperwork specifically asked if you were homosexual. Now that question has been completely omitted. What is dishonest or deceitful about not asking the question anymore? Would you rather have them ask "Are you a homosexual, because that's okay if you are, we just want to know"? Or not even ask the question. That is all the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy is. The government is just saying that your sexual preferences are your private business and private stuff has no place in the military.

Answer 3

I disagree that it fosters dishonesty. Remember the "don't ask" part will protect people from the necessity of lying.

And as to the military being "largely Christian," that's getting to be a scary thing. Did you know military people have been proselytizing in uniform, on government time? Are you aware of the fact that they hold Bible study, prayer meetings and the like on government property and government time? Did you hear that they are handing out fundamentalist propaganda in Iran, infuriating the local authorities?

Answer 4

The military is not largely Christian. Not even close. But I can tell you that there would be huge problems allowing openly gay people to serve. I've seen the problems first hand when I served. It doesn't work. Either keep quiet or find other work. The policy should stay the same for the good of the people who serve. The military branches are not a social experiment.

It has nothing to do with Christianity.

Answer 5

Not any different from the rest of the world. FREEDOM. Isn't that what the military fights to defend in the first place? The policy should simply be harsh punishments for hate crimes, and a "It doesn't matter" policy. Military personnel aren't allowed to have sexual relations on base with anyone other than a spouse (I think that's the policy anyway), so punish anyone who breaks that rule too. Be open, fair, and just. Don't just force people into a closet because of a few ignorant people lacking in self-confidence.

Answer 6

"Don't ask, Don't tell" may not seem very Christian, but then again, the majority of, if not all, Christian religions are against gay marriage and civil union of homosexuals. If there is supposed to be separation of church and state, then Christianity wouldn't come into the policy anyway. It is not dishonesty, and it is not deceit. It is a way of saying that the sexual orientation of your roomate does not matter. What matters is that both of you are in the same fight for the freedom to do what you believe in in your own country. Under that idea, "Don't ask, don't tell," seems like a very good policy.

Answer 7

properly at the beginning Jesus Christ had dedicated no crime and of each man or woman who has walked this earth he merits an execution the least of all persons, in actuality he would not deserve it in any respect and all of us deserve it. The dying penalty is a stressful difficulty to talk for anybody, yet between the main issues we could think of approximately is the point of the dying. we can't kill a man or woman's soul and the dying penalty regularly is meant for punishing rather depraved crimes with a view to set a common so as that it will no longer take place returned, or a minimum of as in many situations. we've verses like Genesis 9:6: “Whoever sheds human blood, by human beings shall their blood be shed; for in a twin of God has God made mankind. Then we've verses from the ministry of Jesus with reference to the adulteress women being stoned, telling the sinless guy to throw the 1st stone. that's and has been an rather debated subject be counted and we possibly will never have an answer, yet one difficulty is for particular and that's that God is conscious conflict happens and crime and offender punishment is a lesser volume of conflict. There are hundreds of battles for the period of the bible from the very beginning up of the previous testomony all a thank you to the top in revelations. we've a battlefield occurring in our minds today, and despite the fact that devil might strike the heel of the Lord, ultimately the Lord will overwhelm devil's head. that's one difficulty to tutor the different cheek and to enable somebody pass off murdering hundreds of persons.

Answer 8

I don't agree with your premise that the military is "largely Christian." There may be a majority of Christians in the military, but that doesn't mean it's "Christian." The policy needs to be changed, but trying to argue it from that stance isn't going to work. It's a civil issue and needs to be addressed as an issue regarding equal rights and non-discrimination.

Answer 9

"Don't ask, don't tell"; it seems pretty uncomplicated to me.

The policy is not a religious doctrine or belief. It is solely about the United States Armed Forces, being able to govern their personnel under their rules and regulations. Logically speaking: IF you are not asked the question in the first place - how can that be considered telling a lie?

Answer 10

I don't think that the military should single out one sin to make a policy like this for. Not everyone is given the same temptations.