Garrett defends criticism of U.S. Air Force Academy guidance on proselytizing

defending the First Amendment against the Christian right ...

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Garrett defends criticism of U.S. Air Force Academy guidance on proselytizing

By Robert Wiener, New Jersey Jewish News, January 26, 2006

Responding to a complaint from the New Jersey region of the Anti-Defamation League, United States Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ Dist. 5) has defended his decision to sign a congressional letter critical of guidelines meant to prevent proselytizing at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Garrett was the lone NJ legislator to sign an Oct. 23 letter from 69 Republican members of the House of Representatives and two Republican senators. The letter complained that a set of guidelines meant to prevent proselytizing at the academy violates the First Amendment rights of Air Force chaplains.

The letter urged President George W. Bush to "protect by executive order the rights of military chaplains to pray according to their faith…. Praying in the name of Jesus is a fundamental part of Christian belief, and to suppress this form of expression would be a violation of religious freedom," it said.

The ADL, which complained about an atmosphere of religious coercion at the academy and praised the guidelines, objected to the letter.

"We expressed our disappointment and concern that Congressman Garrett was a signatory," Etzion Neuer, NJ ADL regional director, told NJ Jewish News.

"The signatories claimed they were 'gravely concerned' that the right of Christian military chaplains to pray according to their faith was in jeopardy.' That statement is something we don't think is accurate."

Added Neuer: "If one were to look at the guidelines, there is no doubt that chaplains can pray in whatever manner they want. They can pray privately. They can pray while they perform religious services at which attendance is voluntary. Additionally, when anybody comes to chaplains voluntarily, the chaplains can share their faith with these people. But we don't believe this is an example of suppression of religious freedom here."

Five weeks after Neuer mailed his critique to the congressman, Garrett replied.

In a Jan. 12 letter, he wrote to the ADL leader, "We must strive to protect the religious freedom of all Americans and that even though a clergyman has committed to serve his country as a military chaplain, he still has the right to practice his religion freely. Just as a doctor who dons the uniform has a duty to his medical oaths, a rabbi or pastor or priest who serves in the military has a duty to minister his faith.

"The fact of the matter is that part of an evangelical minister's mission is to evangelize," the congressman's letter continued. "This is not necessarily true of clergymen of other faiths whose missions may not have the same evangelical character. And, while chaplains who are evangelical ministers should be sensitive that not all students in their charge are comfortable with their evangelizing, we should not prohibit them from practicing their faith."

After receiving Garrett's reply, Neuer told NJJN, "We did find parts of his response wanting, specifically on the issue of proselytizing. The issue I have is that we would of course agree that a clergyman should have the right to practice freely and we would also argue that the terms are different depending on the circumstances. A chaplain, who is a government-paid employee, cannot be compared to a minister who is ministering to his flock."

Neuer said the issue is about voluntary prayer. "In a setting like the military, in which rank and seniority are integral parts of the system, the fear is that proselytizing may occur with the unwilling," he said.

In his letter to the ADL leader, Garrett , a two-term Republican whose Fifth District covers parts of Bergen, Warren, Passaic, and Sussex counties, praised the Air Force Academy for "dealing with the same issues that confront our society as a whole - trying to find the appropriate balance to protect our religious freedoms. This is a difficult balance to find, but one that we must continue to contemplate as our society grows in religious pluralism."

"No one is arguing with that," said Neuer, adding that he would be pleased to join the congressman in further discussions on the issue. "We appreciate the fact that we are going to be able to talk, and we are looking forward to that opportunity. If the answers were easy, this discussion wouldn't be taking place," said Neuer.

Michelle Presson, Garrett's chief of staff, said the congressman was unavailable for an interview because "we try to book him up as much as possible." She said Garrett invited Neuer "to be part of his Jewish advisory council" and "would try to set something up" in terms of a meeting to air differences over the role of chaplains at the academy.

"The basic gist is we are not going to be eye-to-eye on every issue but the most important thing we can all do is keep talking and have an open dialogue about these things," she said.

The guidelines were prompted by months of criticism charging that officials at the Air Force Academy were promoting or condoning a conservative evangelical brand of Christianity, often coercively, creating a hostile climate for non-believing members of the cadet corps.

The guidelines say military personnel "should respect the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs" and "should respect professional settings where mandatory participation may make expressions of religious faith inappropriate."

The guidelines also said "a brief nonsectarian prayer may be included in non-routing military ceremonies" but should not "advance specific religious beliefs."

In response, the legislators' Oct. 25 letter asserted that "the current demand in the guidelines for so-called 'non-sectarian' prayers is merely a euphemism declaring that prayers will be acceptable only so long as they censor Christian beliefs."

Noting that the Congress members' letter asserted that "upwards of 80 percent of soldiers identify themselves as Christians," Neuer pondered whether "there is a suggestion that the 20 percent who do not identify as Christians are somehow less deserving. These are some of the issues we would like to hear back on. I think all religious beliefs are entitled to equal degrees of respect."

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