Commentary; Posted: 11/7/07
Religion in the Armed Forces
Rev. John C. Blackford,
Religion Columnist
On Sunday, Nov. 11, our grateful nation will remember our Armed Forces members, past and present, on what we call Veterans Day. Previously known as Armistice Day, it commemorates the end of World War I on November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m. (“the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”) when the peace treaty was signed.
America will honor its 24 million veterans, including the fewer than 10 still living who served in the first World War.
Over the years Judeo-Christian values have been an important part in the shaping of the U.S. military, and have had a large impact on the lives of those in uniform. As a World War II Navy/Marine Corps chaplain, this writer was able to observe and participate in the sharing of these moral and spiritual benefits to large numbers of service personnel.
But the emphasis on the importance of religion in the Armed Forces has a long history.
Twenty years before the Declaration of Independence General George Washington had a clergyman detached to his regiment. Both sides in the U.S. Civil War were led by devout men, and they and their forces relied on the spiritual guidance of the chaplains, four of whom were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor (for valor in combat).
It was this war that gave us “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and its line: “As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.”
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill rendezvoused in the North Atlantic in the second World War, they led their troops in singing “Onward, Christian Soldiers.”
The Cold War following World War II was considered by many as a conflict between godless communism and religious freedom, and this view was reflected in the closing words of President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address when he declared that “here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own.”
9/11, just six years ago, ushered us into a different type of war. At its outset President George W. Bush, sounding like a minister of the Gospel, said, “The Lord of life holds all who die and all who mourn.”
In today’s military Christianity is by far the largest religious segment. In 2001 a study showed that a large majority, 68 percent, identified themselves as Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, or “other Christian.” Serving the 1.4 million men and women on active duty are 2860 chaplains. They represent 240 religious organizations that endorse chaplains, up from only 10 in 1945.
In addition to the Christian and Jewish chaplains of 60 years ago, there are now those from Buddhist, Islamic, Hindu and other non-Christian groups. They are few in number, but reflect the diverse faith backgrounds of our military personnel. Southern Baptist (451) and Roman Catholic (355) chaplains lead in the number ministering.
Because of the many religious traditions in the military, it is important that a balance is maintained between sharing ones faith and proselytizing. The proper balance is not knocking down doors to share ones faith, but walking through open doors, according to one observer.
A veteran of the Marine Corps and the National Guard agrees, and says, “I’ve never thought the best way to share the Christian message is to shove it down someone’s throat.”
There is an old saying that “there are no atheists in foxholes.” Serving in wartime puts a different light on what is significant. “You are dealing with life and death,” says a pilot of fighter-bombers over Serbia and Iraq, and Manhattan and Washington after 9/11, before leaving the service in 2005. “When people realize they’re not in control of what comes next, it affects how they live and what they believe.”
Active duty often leads to active faith.
“Faith without works is dead,” declared James (Ch. 2, V. 20).
Many in the Armed Forces see their service as a way to let their works demonstrate their faith. One veteran recalls how Christians in his unit traveled to Thai orphanages when they were off-duty. There they worked with local missionaries to clean up buildings, do construction, serve meals and baby-sit.
Another tells of connecting with a pastor who ran an orphanage near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Along with his battalion chaplain he delivered surplus foodstuffs from their unit weekly to the hungry orphans. They were letting their actions do the talking.
And they are among the many in uniform who are doing similar good works, whether noticed or not.
World conditions are not good, and the war in the Mideast is tragic for great numbers of people, both there and in our nation. Yet, the spirit of faith from our religious heritage shines in the lives of our servicemen and women, a tribute to them and a challenge to us on this Veterans Day.
Acknowledgments: American Legion magazines for December, 2005 and September, 2006; in the latter an article by Alan W. Dowd, a senior fellow at Sagamore Institute for Policy Research.
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