Military Chaplains: Serving Two Masters

A bit long (see links), but a good read on the corollary between the HHS Mandate and how the Catholic priests who are chaplains, and Catholics, in the military are already doing what the USCCB is supposedly fighting against.

Excerpt:

The issue at hand: forcing Catholics to purchase insurance which pays for contraception, etcetera is a rather moot point. The military healthcare insurance program already covers abortion, contraception, etc. Catholics are, by default, paying for it and have been for years. The USCCB, the Archdiocese of the Military, etc, ALL KNOW IT. Yet, they continue sending in priests to become commissioned officers to engage in what is, at best, false-ecumenism, if not religious pluralism. Indifference is part of that Chaplain's raising of the right hand at his swearing in ceremony; the chaplain candidate can at any time read the regulations to which he is submitting himself before doing so. He knows exactly that he will be hamstrung on preaching the Gospel. Did these men really think that wouldn't spread its tentacles into even their own hypocritical conscience and ability to choose God in their personal religious practice? In some way, often directly for any National Guard and Reserve Chaplains, and even regular enlisted soldiers they're paying for insurance (or participate in the program otherwise with no recourse to an alternative program outside of excessive personal expense) which covers abortion and contraception.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Serving two masters? You betcha. But subsidizing contraception is the parsley garnish on the heaping plateful of internal inconsistency.

"Thou shalt not kill..."

"Unless you're enlisted and we give you permission to kill and override your natural aversion to bloodshed. In which case, we will provide you a chaplain to slap a confessional band-aid on the subsequent stress and trauma. And he will accommodate that contradiction, and so will you."

It is interesting to look into chaplains/clerics who are placed into positions where they have to accommodate actions that violate the tenets of their religion. Another good example are the guys who provide succor to death-row inmates. One is providing a much needed source of spiritual comfort to those in desperate need, but only at the cost of compromising one's core values.

I respect these guys deeply, and I'm sure it isn't easy walk that sort of moral/ethical tightrope.

"Thou shall not kill" is most properly understood "thou shall not murder".

Otherwise, God Himself commands sin in executions, war, etc.

Read the article, it is going into the Chaplains' violation of duty and conscience against Catholic doctrine.

reply to post by Augustine62


I did graze it.

It was an excellent read.