What happens if a US military chaplain condemns homosexuality from the pulpit and a service member objects?
“Chaplains have the right to express their religious beliefs during their conduct of a service of worship or religious duty,” to include “direct statements that homosexuality is a sin and that marriage should be only between a man and woman.”
As a result, “Unless a chaplain’s speech is otherwise prohibited, such as publicly maligning senior leaders, their sermons and/or teachings cannot be restricted, even with regard to socially controversial topics,” according to the implementation plan.
This does not mean, however, that there can’t be some way to confront the objections to such a sermon. In fact, the plan notes in one of its hypothetical vignettes that, “This situation is an excellent opportunity to have a discussion with the service member about religious respect and the proper boundaries of religious expression in the military.”
The plan acknowledges, too, that “these boundaries are not always clearly defined.” In such cases, too, troops may request that the chaplain’s office help them find “a different religious service to attend.”
