Mandated universal prayer is not an attack on Christianity
From Bearing Drift:
“The latest assault on Christianity and the ability of human beings to profess their faith publicly comes from the state police.
Earlier this month, Col. W. Steven Flaherty, the State Police superintendent, made a decision that is supported by the governor that state police chaplains will no longer be able to mention Christ in their public prayers.”
From HamptonRoads.com:
Thou shalt not mention specific deities in public prayers.
That command was handed down recently to Virginia State Police troopers who work as chaplains, prompting several to resign the religious part of their jobs because they are forbidden to mention a particular god by name.
Republican legislators blasted the policy Wednesday, marking the latest flare-up in the debate over how much religion is appropriate in government.
Del. Charles W. “Bill” Carrico Sr., R-Grayson, declared the decision an “attack on Christianity” and is leading a campaign to have it reversed.
“Censoring what these chaplains can say is a violation of their First Amendment right to freedom of expression,” said Carrico, a former state trooper who plans legislation to undo the restriction if it isn’t rescinded.
As we become a more pluralistic nation, we have to account for other ideas and religions that are not our own. Chaplains, in my view, may keep their faith and profess it from the mountaintops. However, when in service to the the public through public prayer, or tending to the spiritual needs of someone not of their faith, they should apply a type of universal spirituality. This doesn’t require them to understand the details of the faith of others, or give up their own. However, providing a Christian prayer for a group that could be composed of a mixture of faiths is an act of exclusion. It is divisive. It is disrespectful.
The decision made by Col. W. Steven Flaherty was not an attack on Christ, any more or any less than it was an attack on any other deity. The decision is the result of further understanding the spiritual needs of Virginia State Police troopers, and the need to accommodate the various faiths of the troopers.
