Petition for Chaplains Prayer Reaches 150,000

We have now heard from over 150,000 of our members from around the country in support of protecting our military chaplains right to pray.  This has been an important effort championed by Congressman Walter Jones.  As we reported on our radio broadcasts over the last several weeks, military chaplains are increasingly being restricted in their ability to pray.  Specifically, some chaplains have been told to not use Jesus name as part of their prayer.
 
Military chaplains play a vital role in providing comfort and spiritual support for our men and women who serve this country protecting our freedoms.  It is troubling to learn that efforts are underway inside the military to censor chaplains and to prevent them from praying according to their faith.  The fact is that chaplains have a constitutional right to adhere to the religious expressions of their faith and exercise them freely without censorship.  For Christian chaplains to refrain from praying in the name of Jesusas some have suggestedrepresents a serious disservice not only to the chaplains, but to the many Christian service men and women who turn to their chaplains for comfort, inspiration, and support.  It is gratifying that more than 150,000 Americans are standing with us to protect military prayer, and we urge President Bush to enact an Executive Order protecting the constitutional rights of military chaplains to pray according to their faith. 

In addition to working with members of Congress and conducting a national petition campaign in support of military prayer, we also provided the Air Force with a legal analysis of proposed guidelines which would restrict how Air Force chaplains can pray.  In our analysis, we concluded that Air Force chaplainsand all military chaplainshave a constitutional right to pray according to their faith.  We recommended that the Air Force abide by legal precedent which supports the constitutionality of faith-specific prayer for military chaplains.
 
In an October 25th letter to President Bush, Congressman Jones requested President Bush, as Commander and Chief, to protect by Executive Order the constitutional right of military chaplains to pray according to their faith.  Nearly 75 members of Congress have signed on to the letter sent to President Bush.