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Outrageous! U.S. Navy orders commanders to implement a “religious test” for all sailors! [1]

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Date: 2023-02-09  

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Article VI, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution couldn’t be more clear:

“… no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”

But now the U.S. Navy has come up with a new regulation that couldn’t violate this “no religious test” clause more if the Navy had sat down and said, ‘Hey, let’s try as hard as we can to come up with something that totally violates the Constitution.’

The new regulation, OPNAVINST 1730.1F, “Religious Ministry in the Navy,” issued on November 9, 2022, replaces 2012’s version, OPNAVINST 1730.1E, and although the old Instruction had the same title as the new one, they couldn’t be more different.

First of all, so-called “Spiritual Readiness” is now the job of commanders, or, in the words of the regulation, “commanders own the requirement.” And what is it that commanders “own?” Well, in part, they are now required to “offer new check-ins the opportunity to complete a religious needs assessment.” In other words, new check-ins will have to declare to their new commander what their religion is, i.e. A RELIGIOUS TEST!

Don’t let that word “offer” fool you into thinking that this “religious needs assessment” will be voluntary. Declining this “offer” will obviously let a sailor’s new commander know that they are not religious, subjecting them to A RELIGIOUS TEST every bit as much as accepting this kind “offer” will.

Here is the entire “Spiritual Readiness” section from the new regulation (emphasis added):

(2) Spiritual Readiness. Spiritual Readiness is the strength of spirit that enables the warfighters to accomplish the mission with honor. Spiritual Readiness speaks to the will to fight and the ability to overcome adversity in the moment of combat or crisis. The skill to fight without the will to fight leaves a hollow force. While the CHC creates, increases and sustains Spiritual Readiness by PNC (reference (b)), commanders own the requirement. The technical definition of Spiritual Readiness is: (a) Spiritual Readiness is the capacity for mission accomplishment that results from the warfighter’s connection to the transcendent, defined by: 1. A connection to the divine; 2. Participation in a community of faith; 3. Sacrifice for the greater good; or, 4. The pursuit of meaning, purpose, value and service. (b) Spiritual Readiness is an element of military readiness that is created, increased, and sustained by PNC [Professional Naval Chaplaincy]. (c) Spiritual Readiness is measured in commands by access to a chaplain; Service members’ engagement with the Command Religious Program (CRP); and, the training, equipage, facilities and resources of the religious ministry team (RMT). (3) Commanders must offer new check-ins the opportunity to complete a religious needs assessment.

But wait, you might say, two of those four “connections to the transcendent” in that list don’t sound religious. Well, just cast your eyes down to Section (c), and you’ll see that the only “measures” of these “Spiritual Readiness” options are all religious — “access to a chaplain; Service members’ engagement with the Command Religious Program (CRP); and, the training, equipage, facilities and resources of the religious ministry team (RMT).” Options numbers 3 and 4, “Sacrifice for the greater good” and “The pursuit of meaning, purpose, value and service” are really not options at all. There are only two options — “A connection to the divine” or “Participation in a community of faith.”

Even the very clearly stated “Purpose” at the beginning of the regulation says that this is all about religion (emphasis added):

1. Purpose. This instruction implements reference (a) for the delivery of Religious Ministry (RM) within the Navy. This is a complete revision and should be reviewed in its entirety.

No matter how hard the military tries to make “spiritual” not mean “religion” it always fails.

The Army failed over a decade ago with its infamous “Spiritual Fitness Test,” with non-religious soldiers failing the test being told they weren’t “fit,” and, as I wrote about back in 2011, in some cases reported to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), were forced to see a chaplain. And who did the Army come to in 2013 for input to create a new, less-completely-offensive-and-unconstitutional program? Why, MRFF, of course!

“No religious test” means “NO RELIGIOUS TEST!” The Navy’s masking it as an “offer” of an “opportunity” for a “religious needs assessment” fails spectacularly in making this new mandate not A RELIGIOUS TEST!!!

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/9/2152021/-Outrageous-U-S-Navy-orders-commanders-to-implement-a-religious-test-for-all-sailors

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