Hegseth to overhaul chaplain corps, toss ‘unacceptable’ Army spiritual fitness guide, 'streamline' list of recognized religions soldiers can have

I'm guessing Wicca will be out, and Alcoholism will be in as official religions. Oh, and the First Amendment; that's out. Can't have religious freedom for everybody.

I think an official Army program identified as a "spiritual fitness guide" is questionable. The Army should not have created a official "spiritual" program beyond what is available in the Chaplain Corps, because official military programs tend to gain "required for advancement" status. I'm okay with that being tossed.

Currently the religions for which the military requests chaplains is based on the population in the military service of those religions. The chaplaincy exists to balance two constitutional obligations that pull in opposite directions: The Free Exercise Clause so that service members must be able to practice their religion, even while deployed and the Establishment Clause; the government cannot endorse or promote a particular religion or any religion.

So the military does not certify doctrine or truth claims. Instead, it asks: Is this a bona fide religious organization, and are there enough service members to justify support? It's a bureaucratic decision, not a doctrinal decision. I would be troubled to see that equation changed. I expect a court battle if that equation changes.

It also bothers me what Hegseth has in mind of what a chaplain's duty is. The Chaplain Corps does perform more than religions duties, but also valuable general moral and mental support for all troops, regardless of the religious affiliation of either the specific chaplain or the specific troop. They are the "gateway" therapists that can carry a troop to more specific assistance.

The most valuable facet of chaplains, one that I used myself as a military leader of people, is that chaplains have absolute confidentiality. Nobody else in uniform has that. As a supervisor, I had to report to the commander. I carried an "Article 31" card in my wallet; this is the military version of the Fifth Amendment. If I were in a counseling session with a troop, and it sounded like the troop was about to confess to something incriminated, I'd have to pull out my Article 31 card and read it to them. If they told me something incriminating, I'd have to report it to the commander.

"Your" military doctor or lawyer has to report to the commander in the same way. Only chaplains have absolute confidentiality. That's been proven in court multiple times: Chaplains are not required to report on people they counsel...ever.

I set appoints with our unit chaplain for troops more than once. A good chaplain may even get further help for the troop outside military channels.