The Alliance Defense Fund has previously stated its position that the “repeal” of DADT would ultimately result in untenable conflicts between the moral, religious positions of military Chaplains and the new policy.  The ADF is now publicizing a 6-page letter signed by 41 “distinguished” Chaplains opposing the policy change.

The letter says, in essence, that if homosexuals were allowed to serve openly by direct military policy, the Chaplains would be forced to choose “to obey God or to obey men.”  Chaplains would be forced to avoid preaching on certain topics, or would face punishment if they did so, even if those sermons were entirely consistent with their theological beliefs.

The letter contains a variety of explanations on how the policy change would negatively affect a Chaplain’s service, using some interesting points of comparison.  For example, Chaplains can “discriminate,” so to speak, against heterosexuals because heterosexual immorality has not been normalized by military policy:

At least one of the undersigned chaplains was faced with a choice between two qualified candidates for a ministry role, but chose not to hire one of them since she was involved in a heterosexual relationship he believed to be immoral.  That ministry-based choice was permissible because the armed forces have not normalized heterosexual immorality, like adultery or fornication.

By contrast, normalizing homosexuality would eliminate the ability to make an equivalent “ministry-based choice” for someone who was homosexual.

Ultimately, the letter accurately notes that the role of the Chaplaincy is to support the free exercise rights of military members.  It concludes that restricting or diminishing the roles of Chaplains whose faiths were inconsistent with homosexuality would essentially establish “preferred religions or religious beliefs.”

The letter recommends the policy not be changed, or if it is, that “robust religious liberty protections” are included.