House votes against Humanist chaplains.

[afleitch]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/25/humanist-military-chaplain-_n_3651125.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

"House lawmakers late Tuesday (July 23) approved an amendment to a Pentagon spending bill to prevent the appointment of nonreligious military chaplains.

The amendment, sponsored by Rep. John C. Fleming, R-La., requires that only religious organizations be permitted to endorse chaplains for the military.

“The amendment holds the military to its current standards on endorsing agencies, which must be recognized religious and faith-based organizations,” said Fleming’s spokesman, Doug Sachtleben.

Currently, the Department of Defense recognizes more than 200 endorsing agents, all of them based on a belief in God. But there has been a recent push by Humanists, who do not recognize a supernatural divinity, to endorse their own military chaplains.

It is unclear if the amendment will affect the application of Jason Heap to become the Navy’s first Humanist chaplain. Heap, a 38-year-old graduate of Brite Divinity School and Oxford University, has the endorsement of the Humanist Society. His supporters are asking the Navy to add the society to its list of endorsers and appoint Heap a chaplain."

Shameful.

[DC Al Fine]

Is there demand for this sort of thing? I've never heard tell of a humanist chaplain before. Who would make use of their services? What are their services? Presumably they won't be administering the sacraments like I'd expect from my clergy.

I can kind of see not allowing it if there was no demand for a humanist chaplain and some secular group was pushing just to make a point, but if secular soldiers want it, they should get it.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

The amendment, sponsored by Rep. John C. Fleming, R-La., requires that only religious organizations be permitted to endorse chaplains for the military.

The worst congressman in America strikes again.

Fleming is the same guy who owns the Subway shop that refused to serve a Muslim couple.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Is there demand for this sort of thing?

Is there demand for this bill?

[tpfkaw]

This is the reason people hate atheists (note, I am one).  Nobody wants a "humanist chaplain."  If this isn't like the preventing Sharia law in Oklahoma thing (i.e. not something anyone was pushing for in the first place), then it's just a douchebaggy and insulting way of wasting taxpayer dollars.

[memphis]

Administering the sacraments? Seriously? That's what the military is blowing money on?

[All Along The Watchtower]

Stupid red meat for the GOP base, of course.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Hey, if you want a humanist chaplain, a Unitarian Universalist would almost certainly do the trick.  Indeed, my own pastor explicitly identifies himself as a humanist, albeit not as a secular humanist.

[Dr. Cynic]

Do we really have time for this bullsh**t? What a waste of time.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

The vote on this amendment was 253-173. 26 Democrats voted in favor and Amash and Cotton voted against.

I have a friend who is a Christian military chaplain, and supports allowing humanists to have chaplains and the other benefits of religious organizations.  Chaplains play an important role as counselors and advisers, and those who don't believe in God or religion still have a need for dealing with what might be called spiritual issues in the broadest sense and living life according to the values of one's beliefs.  Any chaplain has to be respectful of the beliefs of those they encounter in order to properly fill their role, so this isn't a matter of atheist proselytization.

[politicallefty]

Religious chaplains should be considered entirely unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause. If anything, only nonreligious chaplains should be allowed (provided they are at the same time not anti-religious).