Posted on May 7, 2015
Boot camp officials stand by decision to bar some religious services
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From: Navy Times
Despite pressure from both sides of the religious divide, Navy boot camp officials are standing firm on their decision to bar more than a half dozen civilian volunteer religious leaders from conducting services on the base.
In late April, Capt. Douglas Pfeifle, head of Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Ill., ordered the volunteers, who represent a cross section of minority religious faiths, to stop conducting services on base. He also ordered that the recruits be given time and materials to worship on their own.
That provoked an immediate reaction from Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, who lodged a complaint on behalf of one the volunteers, a practicing Druid, and gave Pfeifle 24 hours to reverse himself.
That didn't happen. But it produced some mighty strange bedfellows.
Weinstein joined forces with Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, who is frequently at loggerheads with Weinstein over MRFF's very public opposition to Christian influences in the military.
They put out a joint statement calling for the reinstatement of the volunteer religious leaders at boot camp.
"We have testified before the same congressional panels. We have spoken out on the same incidents in the services. And, we are always on opposing sides," they wrote, "but in this instance it is easy for us both to say that the Navy went too far and is clearly in violation of the constitutional religious liberty rights of American sailors at the Recruit Training Command."
In an April 30 letter to Weinstein, however, Pfeifle stated that the policy is staying put. In fact, he said, the policy has been well-received.
"Since our realignment, my command staff has received only positive feedback from the recruits," Pfeifle wrote. "Not one recruit has complained or filed a request."
The change of policy, which took effect in April, upset at least some of the volunteers who were leading Sunday services during holiday routine. John Chantry, the Druid volunteer, said he led earth-centered services for as many as 200 recruits each week.
But base officials said that, per the Navy's instruction, services should be conducted by a uniformed chaplain. If no chaplain is available, then an accredited military member should conduct the services, followed by a contracted chaplain or — if no one else can do it — civilian volunteers.
Recruits who practice minority religions will still be provided with time and materials during holiday routine to worship as they see fit. If recruits request a spiritual leader, the Navy will follow the guidance for identifying a suitable candidate, the official said.
In addition to Druids, Unitarian Universalist, Buddhist, Baha'i, Church of Christ, Christian Science and non-liturgical Protestant recruits were left without clergy at boot camp.
Last Tuesday, the attorney for MRFF sent a letter to Pfeifle claiming the group was violating recruits' constitutional rights.
Specifically, attorney Robert Eye said, Pfeifle's order violates the First Amendment's prohibition of establishing religious "winners and losers," in which one religion is given preference over another.
"Discrimination on the basis of religion should not be tolerated in the U.S. Navy," the letter reads. "But discrimination is what the subject order sanctions."
Crews said in the statement that Pfeifle went too far.
"Religious liberty is guaranteed to all, whether you are Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Druid, or any other small group faith," Crews said. "If the freedom to worship and live your faith is not available to one service member, it's not available to any. We sincerely hope that the command will reread the Navy regulation and reverse course on this dangerous and unconstitutional decision."
Weinsteing said he will continue to press the issue.
"This isn't about civil privileges," he wrote. "It's about civil rights. ...
"We will not rest until the Navy reinstates religious services for the approximately 250 earth-based worshippers impacted by this misguided decision."
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/05/06/mikey-weinstein-ron-crews-boot-camp-druid-some-religious-services-denied/70905518/
Despite pressure from both sides of the religious divide, Navy boot camp officials are standing firm on their decision to bar more than a half dozen civilian volunteer religious leaders from conducting services on the base.
In late April, Capt. Douglas Pfeifle, head of Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Ill., ordered the volunteers, who represent a cross section of minority religious faiths, to stop conducting services on base. He also ordered that the recruits be given time and materials to worship on their own.
That provoked an immediate reaction from Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, who lodged a complaint on behalf of one the volunteers, a practicing Druid, and gave Pfeifle 24 hours to reverse himself.
That didn't happen. But it produced some mighty strange bedfellows.
Weinstein joined forces with Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, who is frequently at loggerheads with Weinstein over MRFF's very public opposition to Christian influences in the military.
They put out a joint statement calling for the reinstatement of the volunteer religious leaders at boot camp.
"We have testified before the same congressional panels. We have spoken out on the same incidents in the services. And, we are always on opposing sides," they wrote, "but in this instance it is easy for us both to say that the Navy went too far and is clearly in violation of the constitutional religious liberty rights of American sailors at the Recruit Training Command."
In an April 30 letter to Weinstein, however, Pfeifle stated that the policy is staying put. In fact, he said, the policy has been well-received.
"Since our realignment, my command staff has received only positive feedback from the recruits," Pfeifle wrote. "Not one recruit has complained or filed a request."
The change of policy, which took effect in April, upset at least some of the volunteers who were leading Sunday services during holiday routine. John Chantry, the Druid volunteer, said he led earth-centered services for as many as 200 recruits each week.
But base officials said that, per the Navy's instruction, services should be conducted by a uniformed chaplain. If no chaplain is available, then an accredited military member should conduct the services, followed by a contracted chaplain or — if no one else can do it — civilian volunteers.
Recruits who practice minority religions will still be provided with time and materials during holiday routine to worship as they see fit. If recruits request a spiritual leader, the Navy will follow the guidance for identifying a suitable candidate, the official said.
In addition to Druids, Unitarian Universalist, Buddhist, Baha'i, Church of Christ, Christian Science and non-liturgical Protestant recruits were left without clergy at boot camp.
Last Tuesday, the attorney for MRFF sent a letter to Pfeifle claiming the group was violating recruits' constitutional rights.
Specifically, attorney Robert Eye said, Pfeifle's order violates the First Amendment's prohibition of establishing religious "winners and losers," in which one religion is given preference over another.
"Discrimination on the basis of religion should not be tolerated in the U.S. Navy," the letter reads. "But discrimination is what the subject order sanctions."
Crews said in the statement that Pfeifle went too far.
"Religious liberty is guaranteed to all, whether you are Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Druid, or any other small group faith," Crews said. "If the freedom to worship and live your faith is not available to one service member, it's not available to any. We sincerely hope that the command will reread the Navy regulation and reverse course on this dangerous and unconstitutional decision."
Weinsteing said he will continue to press the issue.
"This isn't about civil privileges," he wrote. "It's about civil rights. ...
"We will not rest until the Navy reinstates religious services for the approximately 250 earth-based worshippers impacted by this misguided decision."
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/05/06/mikey-weinstein-ron-crews-boot-camp-druid-some-religious-services-denied/70905518/
Navy
Religion
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 12
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Of course command staff have received nothing but positive feedback from recruits. They're too scared to speak out!
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PO1 (Join to see)
Boot camp is not like it used to be. Believe me just left Great Lakes not to long ago those recruits have more power than the RDC's there not scared of anything
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There are too many religious paths for the Military to cater to all of them. It is boot camp, not summer camp. There are major "high" holidays within every faith. In some it is a seasonal change, in some it is the birth/ resurrection, in some it is a fast. Those times, are a special circumstance in which allowances should be made. Beyond that, they really should remove ALL regular formal worship services from Boot Camp.
When I was at Great Lakes, we had Sunday Afternoons as semi down time. If we wanted to attend church services, we could. If we wanted to write letters home we could. It was a personal choice.
The other caveat to this is a recruit who is struggling with the process. Bringing in a religious volunteer who can speak to that recruit with the context of that recruits beliefs, would be beneficial to the recruit and to the Navy as a whole.
When I was at Great Lakes, we had Sunday Afternoons as semi down time. If we wanted to attend church services, we could. If we wanted to write letters home we could. It was a personal choice.
The other caveat to this is a recruit who is struggling with the process. Bringing in a religious volunteer who can speak to that recruit with the context of that recruits beliefs, would be beneficial to the recruit and to the Navy as a whole.
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SN Joyce Sunderland
I agree. Boot camp is supposed to be for the molding of sailors into the Navy Way... not for religious indoctrination.
I wasn't & still am not particularly religious, but I did go to church services in boot camp, mainly to get out of having to detail the showers with a toothbrush. LOL!
I think your idea of having a volunteer on standby for the recruits who need a bit of extra support is a good one. Unfortunately it makes so much sense that it probably would never happen.
I wasn't & still am not particularly religious, but I did go to church services in boot camp, mainly to get out of having to detail the showers with a toothbrush. LOL!
I think your idea of having a volunteer on standby for the recruits who need a bit of extra support is a good one. Unfortunately it makes so much sense that it probably would never happen.
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PO1 Donald Hammond
lol nothing ever changes. Yep. I went to boot camp in San Diego and we had a choice on Sundays. Go to church service or scrub the barracks with a toothbrush. Amazing how many "non-religious" boots suddenly had the overwhelming desire to go to church.
I think it was a plot by the Company Commanders to get some downtime themselves.
I think it was a plot by the Company Commanders to get some downtime themselves.
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SSG (Join to see)
Efforts should be made to accommodate the religious faith of everyone, not just those who practice majority faiths. That doesn't mean they can't be limited to a few hours a week or even a few hours a week on Sunday when their not in a field environment.
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I was required to attend a church service at least one time during boot camp in 1990. I felt this in the wrong but I had no place to voice my opinion during that time. I would be considered "rocking the boat."
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PO3 Steven Sherrill
PO3 Glenn Adair Part of the indoctrination. Letting the recruits know that they have one place of sanctuary to escape from the RDCs for a brief moment. YOU WILL COMPLY!!! YOU WILL CHURCH!!! Then if you don't want to go anymore, you cannot say that it was not available, and that you did not know how it worked.
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