Gay Army couple says chaplain barred them from marriage retreat

Are military chaplains chaplains first or soldiers first? That is a simple question that has to be answered once and for all, and I do mean all. Not all Christians agree on anything and that needs to be clarified. Some have problems with gay people while others have no problem at all.. Who gets to decided which denomination wins? Who gets to decide which doctrine is "worthy" and which is not? Here is a pretty good list of churches and gay people.

But the military as part of the government these men and women vow to defend says this, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." In other words anything dealing with the freewill choice to believe or not shall not be taken out of their hands. It is their right to not join a church or group just as it is their right to decide on their own what they believe. The war on faith happens when one group tries to control everyone else but then screams their rights are being taken away from them. Nice little trick.

Gay Army couple says chaplain barred them from marriage retreat
Military Times
By Joe Gould
Staff writer
November 21, 2013

A same-sex couple at Fort Irwin, Calif., says they have been denied participation in an Army marriage enrichment program because of their sexual orientation, even though they are legally married.

Shakera Leigh Halford said her wife, a soldier at the post, approached a chaplain at Fort Irwin about participating in a “Strong Bonds” retreat at the base but was told the couple is “ineligible” because of their sexual orientation.

“I’m very sad and disappointed,” Halford said in a statement. “To know there are valuable resources available to soldiers and their families to help us through the challenges of military life, and then be told that we aren’t eligible because of our sexual orientation ... it hurts. It really hurts. We’re at a pretty secluded base and there aren’t many other resources out there for us, so what are we supposed to do?”

The retreat is one of the many services run by the Army’s Chaplain Corps. The Southern Baptist Convention, which provides the largest share of active-duty military chaplains, has barred members from taking part in weddings, counseling sessions and couples retreats for same-sex couples. Similar restrictions apply to Roman Catholic chaplains.
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