Former US Army Chief of Chaplains, MajGen Douglas Carver, recently told a conference sponsored by the American Religious Freedom Program that the repeal of the policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has caused tension and questions over morality in the US military:

“I can assure you that a tension exists in this area,” Carver [said]. “For example, the Department of Defense no longer considers homosexuality a moral issue. [To the department,] it is an amoral issue. To them, it’s a concern of human dignity, respect, discipline and professionalism. However, a number of our chaplains and troops believe that homosexuality is a moral issue.”

Chaplain Carver also said there was an apparent increasing “intolerance toward religion” in the US military:

An increasing intolerance toward religion appears to be a by-product of the ongoing controversy over religious expression in the armed services, said Douglas Carver, executive director of chaplaincy services for the North American Mission Board.

It is questionable whether Chaplain Carver could have publicly expressed these views before he retired last year.  The official public military stance remains that the open acceptance of homosexuality has been a non-issue, though, as Chaplain Ron Crews points out, that may be partly due to misperception — since those who oppose the policy change are unable to express that opposition.  For example, Chaplain Crews noted:

Service members who have come out as homosexuals since DADT’s reversal often are quoted in news stories, but those who hold views opposed to the repeal are not permitted to speak to reporters, Crews said.

These discussions align with moves in Congress to codify the protection of servicemembers who express views contrary to the official acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle.