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Holidays offer chance to reflect on religion-military balance

What is the proper role of religion in the military workplace and in the war zone?

Judging from mail I’ve received from readers, service members have no problem when bosses or buddies talk in a general way about spirituality in the back shops or on the battlefield.

However, military members are not all comfortable when the talk becomes specific to Christianity. Even when the issue seems innocuous — one unit planned a “Christmas party” until troops asked the commander to make it a “holiday party” — some military members don’t want sectarian beliefs extolled in a work setting.

More important, most troops don’t want others, especially those of higher rank, trying to convert them. That’s called proselytizing, and it’s not supposed to be permitted in the workplace.

Most of us know what is appropriate and what isn’t. But the line gets crossed too often. A sampling:

• At a base in the South, an aircraft commander urged his crew to spend a moment praying together before stepping to the flight line to climb aboard. The prayer lasted less than 30 thirty seconds, but included mention of Jesus Christ and not everyone in the crew was Christian.

• At an airfield in Europe, a suicide-prevention briefing drew heavily on writings from Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life.” The briefing linked U.S. foreign policy to Christian belief and described U.S. adversaries as godless.

• Confronted with a series of important personal decisions, including whether to remain in the Air Force, a field-grade officer sought his wing commander’s advice. In a private meeting in the latter’s office, the wing commander suggested that they kneel and “pray on it” together.

I wasn’t in the room when these events took place, but I have reliable accounts and a copy of the briefing described.

A handful of Air Force people, including some of very high rank, believe the U.S. is fighting a holy war. Except for rare gaffes, no general has said publicly that we’re fighting for Jesus. Most are too smart to say anything like that except in the company of fellow believers. But the holy warriors sometimes use catchphrases that make moderate Christians and non-Christians alike uncomfortable. The largest group that has written to me are Jewish service members, who say they’re repeatedly exposed to beliefs they don’t share.

“There’s a lack of awareness by people that not everyone is Christian and not everyone is religious,” said a field-grade officer at a base in the South. “They don’t understand how uncomfortable they can make people feel. I don’t see any egregious transgressions ... but I think people in senior positions need to be more considerate.”

The arrival of the holidays is the right time to remember that religious beliefs don’t belong in the work setting. Everyone is free to hold beliefs and to express them in private social groups or in chapel. But when we share the joyous season and savor the bonds that unite us, we need to speak of faith only in generalities and, above all, avoid proselytizing. That way, we’ll all have happy holidays.