Navy Chaplain is on a hunger strike

Lt. Gordon James Klingenschmitt is an officer in the U.S. Navy. He is also an Episcopal priest. That is right - he is a chaplain, a Christian chaplain.

When you picture a chaplain, who do you see? Probably a soldier or sailor who enters high-stress and high-danger situations, and happens to be a priest/rabbi/preacher who helps all soldiers and sailors, but specifically one of his own faith.

Lt. Klingenschmitt has been informed by the Navy that he is not allowed to "pray in Jesus' name." As a Christian minister, you can imagine this really throws a wrench in his ability to serve his sailors' spiritual needs.

"They taught mandatory lectures there to all chaplains, that you cannot pray to your God, you have to pray to the civic god," Klingenschmitt explained. "The Muslim chaplain can't pray to Allah, a Jewish chaplain can't pray to Adonai, a Roman Catholic can't pray in the name of the Trinity, and I couldn't pray in Jesus' name in public.
"They only let us do that in private. If it's in public, they tell us to just pray to God and say, 'Amen.'" (Source - http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48164)

This Navy regulation - in effect since 1998 - is against Title X of the U.S. Code. Since 1860, someone in Lt. Klingenschmitt's position to has been allowed to pray "according to the manners and form" of his own church.

The Chaplain was written up by his his commanding officer, Capt. James M. Carr, because Klingenschmitt emphasized his own "faith system" when praying and preaching. Captain Carr again wrote up the Chaplain for a sermon he preached at an optional chapel service. Then Captain Carr asked a Navy judge to end Chaplain Klingenschmitt's 14 year Naval career, which would keep him from getting any retirement.

Chaplain Klingenschmitt began a hunger strike when the Navy stripped him of his uniform for all public appearances that might include praying in Jesus' name. "I won't eat again until the president of the United States gives me back my uniform and lets me pray publicly in Jesus' name," he said.

Unfortunately, the good Chaplain might lose a lot of weight. In this government obsessed with the hatred of Christian religion, I don't think the President will do anything.

Our soldiers, sailors and airmen have enough to deal with. Why won't our government allow their spiritual helpers the freedom to do their work? I'll say a prayer for Lt. Klingenschmitt every day of his hunger strike - and I'll do it in Jesus' name, regardless of what the Navy, or any other branch of the government, thinks.