Daniel Blomberg of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty wrote an interesting article at the beginning of the month entitled “Why the Constitution Demands Government-Paid Priests, Imams, Pastors, and Rabbis.” He concisely addresses both the need not only for the chaplaincy itself, but also very specific religious faith leaders within that chaplaincy:

Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have unique religious needs because the government can snatch them away from their religious communities at a moment’s notice and for indefinite periods…Indeed, “[u]nless the [military] provided a chaplaincy, it would deprive the [service member] of his right under the Establishment Clause not to have religion inhibited and of his right under the Free Exercise Clause to practice his freely chosen religion.” Katcoff v. Marsh…

Blomberg explains why chaplains of specific faiths are necessary, and why “generic” chaplains cannot pass muster:

The government does not—and cannot—hire generic “religious” chaplains because there are no generic “religious” service members.

Blomberg’s summary defends the chaplaincy in strong terms [emphasis added]:

The chaplaincy’s support of authentic religious diversity is a military necessity both to secure the constitutional liberty of the men and women protecting liberty for the rest of us and to respect what it means to be religious in the first place.

Read more.

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