Surely you should be allowed to say any prayer you want, in private. To
give a Christian prayer in church is no problem for me, and if you pray
to Jesus in a military service for Christians, fine.
To pray to Jesus in a general military service is improper, and I see
problems with any law which expressly allows you to do that.
I respect your feeling deeply about what you see as an important issue.
Allow me to feel equally deeply about your imposing a Christian prayer
on non-Christians. You don't see a violation of the separation of church
and state here?
Susan
Gordon James Klingenschmitt wrote:
Since Eugene gave us the green light to talk politics....
Below is my op-ed for today's Worldnet Daily, explaining the likely
views of four Presidential candidates (Clinton, Obama, Brownback,
Hunter) on a military chaplain's right to pray publicly "in Jesus name."
Jesus for President?
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55725
Enjoy!
Chaplain Klingenschmitt
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WND Exclusive Commentary
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Jesus for president?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: May 17, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Gordon James Klingenschmitt
OK, I admit, Jesus Christ is not running for president this year. He
promised to return soon enough, to assume public office, but
meanwhile, where do the 2008 presidential candidates stand on a
military chaplain's right to pray publicly "in Jesus' name"?
I'm not naming names, but let's start with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
When the Navy punished me, a chaplain, for quoting the Bible in the
chapel during optionally attended Christian worship, I faxed a formal
whistleblower complaint to my New York senator, asking for help. Did
she protect her evangelical chaplain? No.
I called her office nearly every day, but nobody returned my phone
calls for weeks, until finally, I voice-mailed her press secretary
about my interview with "Jewish Week" newspaper
<http://www.persuade.tv/againstgoliath/JewishWeekStewartAin3Jun05.pdf>,
telling how I was punished for requesting Kosher meals for my Jewish
sailor. "Shall I tell them Senator Clinton doesn't care about Jewish
service members?" I asked. Fearing bad press, Clinton signed a "letter
of inquiry" to the Navy
<http://www.persuade.tv/againstgoliath/Senators.pdf> for me that same
day.
But later, after Navy officials justified to her how I was also
"properly punished" for praying "in Jesus' name" and how chaplains
really should pray "non-sectarian" prayers in public, my sources
witnessed Sen. Clinton taking bold action /against me/. Opposing a
House bill to let chaplains pray according to their faith
<http://www.persuade.tv/Frenzy6/WarnerSpeech2.pdf>, Clinton personally
attended meetings to block our legislation, preferring to let the
Pentagon censor our prayers.
Sen. Barrack Hussein Obama wasn't any better.
While campaigning in Iowa last month, Obama was asked his opinion
about Judge Roy Moore, who couldn't display the Ten Commandments in
the courthouse, and about me, a chaplain who was discharged for
praying in uniform.
First, Sen. Obama falsely claimed he wasn't aware of "the chaplain
situation," when I'd personally faxed my whistleblower complaints to
his office <http://www.persuade.tv/frenzy10/ChapsToObama.pdf>, and his
staff acknowledged placing them on his desk.
Even worse, Obama disrespected the Ten Commandments, claiming, "If you
are not a believer, there would be a feeling that you wouldn't be
treated as fairly as a Christian. We want everybody to feel they are
treated equally."
<http://thechurchreport.com/news_article.php?day=16&mon=04&yr=2007>
Apparently, Obama believes God's Ten Commandments are unfair since
they might hurt people's "feelings" (as if his pro-abortion laws don't
hurt the "feelings" of the unborn).
Would President Obama appoint judges who oppose Roy Moore and would
jackhammer the 44 displays of the Ten Commandments from our U.S.
Supreme Court? He still won't debate Judge Moore on the subject
<http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/04/judge_roy_moore_says_obama_nee.php>,
yet Barrack Hussein Obama campaigns like a good Christian,
soft-pedaling his Muslim upbringing.
Conversely, Sen. Sam Brownback votes like he says he believes.
When I first came to Washington, D.C., Sen. Brownback welcomed me to
speak at his weekly Values Action Team meeting, where I enlisted
dozens of pro-family groups and senators to vote for allowing prayers
in Jesus' name.
Brownback personally wrote President Bush to help chaplains, and when
our legislation came to the Senate, Sam Brownback again reminded
Values Action Team members to stand up for religious liberty. (But
he'd never brag about this; he's too humble.) If elected, I've no
doubt President Brownback would immediately sign an executive order
protecting all chaplains' right to pray according to their faith.
Presidential candidate Duncan Hunter also went to bat for chaplains.
Leading 75 members of Congress with Walter B. Jones, Rep. Hunter (then
chairman of the House Armed Services Committee) personally wrote and
passed a House bill to let chaplains pray according to their faith.
But when his bill got blocked by liberal senators, did he quit? No.
Fighting to the last, Duncan Hunter helped negotiate a compromise with
the Pentagon, forcing them to rescind their bad Navy prayer policy,
even letting Air Force chaplains pray publicly "in Jesus' name." As
commander in chief, I've no doubt Duncan Hunter would force the
Pentagon to respect the 1860 law and once again let chaplains pray
freely.
Will our next commander in chief protect chaplains? Although Jesus
isn't running for president, I remember his warning to discern true
prophets from false: "By their fruit ye shall know them." The fruit of
these candidates – Clinton, Obama, Brownback, Hunter – may be clearly
seen by their stand for (or against) public prayer in Jesus' name.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
/Gordon James Klingenschmitt is a former Navy chaplain who sacrificed
his career to help change national policy, allowing military chaplains
to publicly pray "in Jesus name" – even in uniform. He continues his
fight to be reinstated. Klingenschmitt is available to speak and can
be reached via email at: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. He encourages readers to sign his
petition to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates: /
https://secure.responseenterprises.com/DF_InJesusName/petition.php?a=
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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