Institutional chaplains perform or provide support for all people under their care. As a representative of their denomination, no chaplain is required to perform religious rites, sacraments, or ceremonies that are contrary to their conscience or the teaching of their religious body. Having said that, every chaplain is responsible for ensuring the protection of the First Amendment rights (i.e., free practice of religion) of those under their care.
In practical terms, this means that although your conscience or denominational teaching may forbid you to perform certain rites, sacraments, or ceremonies, you are still required to provide the religious support requested. Keep in mind that performing religious support and providing religious support are two different things. When performing support, you are directly participating in the activity. When providing religious support, your role is to help the individual(s) find a chaplain who can provide the requested religious activity.
There are many different kinds of social issues you will encounter such as gossip, poor interpersonal communication, foul language, toxic leadership, discrimination, sexual harassment/abuse, to name a few. And perhaps the two most common activities engaging chaplains that can raise social issues are Marriage Ceremonies and Public Prayers. In the institutional setting, it is customary for a chaplain to be asked to begin a secular event with an invocation (Opening Prayer). In the pluralistic environment, the purpose of such prayers is purely ceremonial. As such, it is imperative to be as inclusive as possible without violating your own conscience. By doing this, you acknowledge the First Amendment rights of others while promoting the dignified and respectful treatment of different faiths and traditions. An example of an inclusive prayer, might be to start it with: “I invite you to pray in your own faith as I pray in mine…. Let us pray…” Or even less distracting, simply give the prayer without including personal Names of God. Jesus, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Dianna are personal Names of gods. But the following are titles – not Names: Lord, God, Savior, Master, Divine Friend, Creator. Prayers using titles instead of names fit into the pluralistic environment.
Likewise, marriage is an ancient tradition that is still important in many cultures around the world. As same-sex relationships become normalized, you should expect that at some point, you will be asked to perform a same-sex wedding. As a PCG chaplain, you are not permitted to perform such a ceremony. When asked, however, you are still required to assist the couple in finding a chaplain or other religious leader who can. Once again, this is about protecting First Amendment rights and treating others with dignity and respect. Samesex personnel and their dependents will have access to the chapel Worship, Sunday School, Outreach, Music Programs, and other areas of the Commanding Officer’s religious program. The PCG Chaplains Commission advises its chaplains to use their personal discretion and conscience, in determining in which part of “Strong-Bonds” training they will participate.
