Washington, USA - Congress removed a controversial provision in a military bill on Friday that would have permitted chaplains to offer sectarian prayer at mandatory nondenominational events. At the same time, lawmakers moved to rescind guidelines issued last year by the Air Force and Navy meant to curtail the risk of religious coercion and proselytizing within the ranks.
“The provisions in today’s bill represent a full step forward and a half step back,” said Representative Steve Israel, Democrat of New York and a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “We removed dangerous language undermining religious freedom and military effectiveness, but I am distressed that instead of moving forward with unequivocal religious tolerance in the military, we are reopening old loopholes that permitted some acts of coercion and proselytizing.”
For several weeks, wrangling over the chaplain prayer provision had stalled the National Defense Authorization Act, a bill that sets military spending levels.
The provision was championed by some evangelical chaplains and Christian groups, like Focus on the Family.
But it was opposed by the Pentagon, the National Association of Evangelicals and a dozen or so ecumenical groups, which maintained that offering sectarian prayer would create division within the military.
Congress did hand some evangelicals a victory by abrogating the Air Force and Navy guidelines on religious expression first issued in the wake of a 2004 scandal in the Air Force Academy, when some staff members, alumni and cadets accused evangelical Christians in leadership posts of aggressive proselytizing and discrimination.
Spokesmen for the Air Force and the Navy said Friday that they had not had a chance to review Congress’ decision and so had no comment on eliminating the guidelines.