You know, I'm something of a pope myself
Excuse me. I’m an antipope if anything. I say we bring back the warring popes period
Hail Eris!
Can you be a non-religious chaplain? That feels like discrimination if there’s a religious requirement.
Edit: As of 2018 at least, nope.
I saw a Navy chaplain when I was going through some tough times in the Marines. I told him right off the bat that I was an atheist and he didn't push any religious shit on me. He just talked to me and worked with my command to get me seen by a trained therapist. Other Marines I knew had similar experiences. Chaplains are officers outside the normal command structure and are trained to provide services to everyone regardless of their faith or lack there of. Also a lot of military members are at least nominally religious so it makes sense to have someone to coordinate religious activity, especially overseas where there aren't local religious institutions.
I disagree that it "makes sense" to pander to magical beliefs in the military and elsewhere. Many mental health issues are due to this refusal to individuate and evolve into a fully functioning adult. The natural progression of humans is to evolve mentally and discard childish thinking and ways. Churches intentionally keep people in this child like state so they are easy to manipulate and abuse. There is nothing to be gained from retarding evolution into adulthood and in fact doing so causes disorder.
I think there's a requirement to render counseling services to all denominations, including atheists/agnostics, because the chaplain corps is pretty much the closest the Navy gets to mental health care while deployed. Not the greatest system, in all honesty.
Part of the roles of a Navy Chaplain are to provide religious services. This is inherently a religious role, it should not be expected that an atheist or “non-theist” will perform these roles correctly.
So what exactly do you think UU Ministers and ToS clergy do?
Chaplain: a member of the clergy attached to a private chapel, institution, ship, branch of the armed forces, etc.
By definition, a Chaplain is a religious insurgent.
Insurgent: a rebel or revolutionary.
So, an Insurgent Chaplain: An individual who is a Champlain in a country founded on the concept of separation of Church and State, but insists on being a paid state official to enforce their religion on members of the state.
Oh look a religious test for a government position... What the fuck.
Wow. I was thinking of Buddhist and Taoist chaplains, Or UU. personal gods may or not be held, but they don't usually push them on people, although the former two can and do have abuse allegations brought, some substantiated. Idk about UU.
Nevermind that this role is basically a deployable mental health professional and the only MHP that many of these unfortunate souls have access to.
I swear, this all or nothingness is just rotting to see. Maybe we do need to nuke ourselves.
I'm autistic. One commonality among many autists is aggravation at witnessing unfairness. Furthermore, I can't stand it when things don't finalize (e.g. a puzzle with no discernable solution or a film with an unresolved plot line in a TV series.)
Having to bear witness to this darkest of timelines and being forced to endlessly await its culminating event, the downfall of capitalism and Western civilization (which is absolutely what deserves to happen), is driving me up the fucking wall.
i mean, i see nothing wrong with the “non-denominational chaplain” position itself or targeted recruitment advertising for it, aside from the underlying implication that access to mental health services for members of the armed forces is essential an afterthought.
but all that is a completely different situation than using a baptismal portrait as recruitment creative. how is that “all or nothing”?
You aren’t wrong but that is sad.
Also this is leaving me curious of us weird religions could be chaplains. Like, could we wind up with a unit of marines bitching that their chaplain is a neodruid?
There's a joke in there somewhere about a priest and a boat full of sailors
It's pronounced seamen
I'm sure the Chaplain and the Rear Admiral engage well.
"God wants you to kill for your country" - Navy Chaplain, presumably
“God wants you to split atoms so we can move airplanes across the ocean” - frustrated navy chaplains wondering why they took this job
Repent, cleanse your soul
Wololo
Huh. I really feel like wearing red all of a sudden
Something, something, separation of church and state
No government money should be spent on religion. If you as a private citizen decide to donate your money towards theology enjoy — in fact, I’ll provide an account number that you can throw it into, but keep the theology out of things that I already detest my tax dollars funding.
I don’t want the war machine. I don’t want its BS themes!!
Chaplains aren't really religious - yes they have that association but aren't "preachy" if that makes sense. They are there to guide and support.
To be honest actual Chaplains (and christians) could take a lesson from armed forces Chaplains.
No Oxford comma? I'm out
Hard to get soldiers to die for the interests of the rich and powerful that the soldiers don’t benefit from without a magical afterlife. Tale as old as humanity.
Religion and armed forces: two of the worst professions. I know – we'll combine 'em!
The crusades never actually ended..
....Souls are real enough for the military to be concerned with them?
People have been dying for religion since recorded history. You think the military wouldn't exploit that?
Ah yes
Only American souls are real.
Get some sailor ass too ;)
Ad victoriam, Brother.
Meh, this isn't really dystopian imo, they provide a really good service. They will provide limited mental health/crisis counseling to you (regardless of faith/lack therof), with no written documentation. Unless you're telling them you plan to actively hurt yourself or someone else, then they're 100% confidential.
The military has gotten better in recent years about this, but when I was a young Airman 15 years ago, it was drilled into our heads that you DO NOT go to Mental Health for ANY reason if you wanted to stay in and keep your career. It was viewed as an instant career killer if you went back then.So Chaplains became the "go between" in a lot of instances. Because there was no record.
I used them 3 or 4 times before I finally bit the bullet and went to Mental Health back in December. 3 of the 4 Chaplains I saw were awesome and just listened to my anxieties and then talked me down as to how unlikely they were to pass. The fourth did ask me if he could pray for me at the end, and I'm sure I could have said no, but I was more like "Sure, I guess." So he said some kind of generic prayer, handed me a pocket bible and sent me on my way. He wasn't bad, still listened to my issue, but I could see someone who is very uncomfortable with prayer being too nervous/anxious to say "no" if they didn't really want it.
That fucker looks like a flesh puppet.
Growing up with the GOAT exam, I was always designated the Vault Chaplain. I took the GOAT the other day and got Shift Supervisor. I'm a little relieved.
What's dystopian about having chaplains in militaries? Because how dare someone assist someone else in their faith which involves worshipping someone other than our lord and saviour Darwin and Pope Dawkins?
There are humanist chaplains that work for the military too.
Good. Freedom of religion should be given to people in armies too, whether they are Christian, Muslim or Atheist. There's nothing wrong with recruiting a minister in those religions to help out with their adherents.
Just finished watching Praying for Armaggedon and my mind went straight back to my comment here about the crusades never ending. I know they probably won't, but all the people here who see no issue with OP really need to watch this film. Everyone does.
