Ethics

Another Bill About Military Chaplains Praying in Jesus' Name

By Ed Brayton

Here we go again -- the new session of Congress has just begun and another bill about military chaplains praying in Jesus' name has already been introduced.

On January 7, Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-NC) introduced H.R. 268, a bill "To amend title 10, United States Code, to ensure that every military chaplain has the prerogative to close a prayer outside of a religious service according to the dictates of the chaplain's own conscience." H.R. 268, a regurgitation of H.R. 6514, which was introduced in the last congress but never made it to the floor, would amend Title 10 of the U.S. Code to state, in five separate sections:

"If called upon to lead a prayer outside of a religious service, a chaplain shall have the prerogative to close the prayer according to the dictates of the chaplain's own conscience."

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on January 11, 2009 (boomark / email).