Navy Chaplain Fired for Expressing Religious Views
Recently, news broke about the Lt. Commander Wes Modder, a Navy chaplain who served the U.S. Navy SEALs, who was targeted by the U.S. Navy for being honest about his faith.
Family Research Council has some details on the case:
“[T]he 19-year veteran has been stripped of his duties for sharing the good news he was hired to share. In a stunning turn of events, the chaplain was sabotaged by one of his own men, who secretly gathered enough information on Modder’s beliefs and private counseling sessions to file a formal complaint. Believe it or not, he was targeted by his own assistant — who Modder didn’t realize was gay. Looking back, the chaplain says the young officer asked a lot of questions about homosexuality, which Modder answered as most would expect: in accordance with the Bible’s teachings.
“The mask finally slipped in December, when representatives with the Equal Opportunity office served Modder with papers accusing him of ‘discrimination.’ Captain Jon Fahs — who five months earlier praised Modder as the ‘best of the best’ — now insists that he ‘failed to show tolerance and respect.’ Worse, he didn’t have a chance to defend himself. Almost immediately, the dad of four was relieved of his duties and told to clean out his office.
“He was guilty before proven innocent. And of what? Fulfilling his job description?”
Chaplains have been a part of the U.S. military since the days of George Washington. A chaplain’s duty is religious in nature. If chaplains are not free to discuss their faith, then what are they free to discuss? What’s the point of having chaplains in the military if they are not free to be religious and share the tenets of the faith that motivates their service? It simply does not make sense.
We will continue to monitor this situation in the days to come.
A few people have been asking how each senator on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on House Bill 1228 (the religious freedom bill) yesterday.
As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, many schools and teachers are preparing educational material and programs that coincide with the holidays. In recent years, it seems like Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations at school have come under increased scrutiny from atheist groups and others who allege schools somehow are violating the U.S. Constitution when students sing Christmas carols or learn about Puritans.