A decorated U.S. Army chaplain at Fort
Bragg (North Carolina) could face a possible court martial … and even military
prison … after he explained to a soldier he could not conduct a marriage retreat
that included same-sex couples because of his religious beliefs, his attorneys allege.
An Army investigator under the command
of Major General Kurt Sonntag recommended that Chaplain Scott Squires be found
guilty of “dereliction of duty” for taking three business days to reschedule
the “Strong Bonds” marriage retreat he was prohibited from facilitating.
Squires, who was officially accused of
discrimination, is endorsed by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American
Mission Board (SB-NAMB). According to SB-NAMB
policy, chaplains are prohibited from conducting “Strong Bonds” events for
same-sex couples. The policy clearly
states “endorsed chaplains will not conduct or attend a wedding ceremony for any
same-sex couple, bless such a union or perform counseling in support of such a
union ... nor offer any kind of relationship training or retreat, on or off a
military installation.”
When Squires realized he could not
participate in the “Strong Bonds” event, he rescheduled the conference to
accommodate a lesbian couple with a chaplain who could oversee the retreat. However, the same-sex couple chose not to
attend. Had Squires participated in the
marriage retreat he would have risked losing his endorsement by the
SB-NAMB. The Army acknowledges its chaplains
must adhere to their endorsers’ rules and religious tenets.
“I simply did what I’m required to do
under Army regulations and my endorser’s rules,” Chaplain Squires said. “I am shocked that I would even be
investigated, let alone threatened with punishment, for following the rules.”
The Army investigator determined that
while Chaplain Squires is protected by the “shield of the 1st Amendment from
being compelled to act in violation of his religious rules and beliefs”— there
are limitations. “The ‘shield’ that is
afforded to CH Squires does not permit CH Squires, or any Soldier, to use the ‘shield’
as a ‘sword’ to cut off the rights of another,” the investigator determined.
The investigator noted that the
soldier’s sexual orientation is a protected status that is prohibited from being
used to preclude her from benefits, such as Army programs, to which she is
otherwise entitled.
The investigator’s findings and
recommendations clearly violate the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. That policy states in part “no member of the
Armed Forces may require a chaplain to perform any rite, ritual or ceremony
that is contrary to the conscience, moral principles or religious beliefs of
the chaplain.”
“The United States Army, acting under
the command of Major General Sonntag, is threatening to punish one of its
chaplains because he followed the rules,” First Liberty Institute (FLI) Mike
Berry told Todd Starnes. “The Army, or
Congress, must hold Major General Sonntag accountable for allowing this
aggressive anti-religious hostility against its military chaplains to occur
under his command.”
FLI, one of the nation’s most
prominent religious liberty law firms is representing Squires as well as
Chaplain Assistant Kacie Griffin. Griffin,
too, is facing a “dereliction of duty” charge because she did not immediately
sign up the same-sex couple for the retreat.
Berry told Starnes federal law and
Army policy both make clear that chaplains must remain faithful to the tenets of
their faith. “Major General Sonntag must
immediately reject this investigation, if any chaplain under his command is to have
the confidence that he or she will be protected when following military policy,”
Berry says. “No chaplain should face the
specter of a court martial and military prison for following the rules of their
faith and the Army.”
Even more peculiar is the language
used by the Army investigator— specifically the use of the words “shield” and “sword.”
In 2015 People For the American Way
published an article titled, “Religious Liberty: Shield or Sword.” And in 2016 the former interim director of
the Secular Coalition for America co-authored an article titled, “Religious
Liberty is a Shield and Not a Sword.” “There
is a substantial likelihood that (the investigator) manifests an impermissible
hostility towards religion— conservative Christianity in particular, perhaps— that
has no place in the United States Army,” Berry said.
Even more puzzling is the behavior of
the same-sex couple. If they were so
determined to attend the marriage retreat— why didn’t they attend?
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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