Senator Shelby,
I urge you to take immediate action in the Senate to affirm the right of military chaplains and all military personnel and civilian employees to pray according to the dictates of their own religious traditions.
As a current Army Reserve officer who has applied for an active duty appointment as an Army chaplain, I am appalled that senior leadership in our armed forces are systematically stamping out the free exercise of religion of our chaplains who wish to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. This is unconscionable and the rights of all soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines must be protected.
Chaplains in the military are required to be ordained and endorsed by their respective faith groups and are required to perform the religious services of their faith groups. To deny chaplains the right to perform these duties is contrary to the U.S. Constitution, the religious liberty of the chaplains, and the good order and discipline of the U.S. military. I am frightened to think of what straits American liberty will be in if we allow government policy to dictate whether clergy may pray in the name of the Lord.
Senator Shelby, will you do the right thing to affirm religious liberty and defend our constitutional rights?
Sincerely,
The Rev. Daniel J. Sparks
[Likewise submitted to Senator Jeff Sessions, Representative Spencer Bachus, President George Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney.]
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