Air Force Community - Air Force Times

Prayers should be private

Before the Air Force can move past its reputation for religious intolerance, it must do one more thing: Eliminate prayers from official events.

The service tried to take a stand against such organized prayers five years ago after allegations that evangelical Christian commanders were proselytizing and harassing cadets of other faiths at the Air Force Academy.

But under pressure from evangelical groups and members of Congress, leaders backed down.

Today’s guidelines state “public prayer is appropriate, but should not imply government endorsement of a specific religion. Mutual respect, common sense, circumstances and needs of the command all apply.”

But in an Air Force where one in five airmen is not Christian and may not have any religious beliefs, public prayer is not appropriate.

Many of these airmen find public prayers to be Christian in tone, if not in word, and believe these prayers represent a de facto establishment of religion, in violation of the Constitution.

Some Christians might dismiss the complaints, pointing out chaplains today don’t mention God but refer to “the Heavenly Creator” or “a higher power.” But not everyone believes in a Heavenly Creator or even a higher power. And if these names aren’t euphemisms for God, what are they? And what’s the point of the prayer?

Besides calling on God for guidance, a second purpose of public prayer is to unite the group. But if prayers do exactly the opposite, the practice can undermine unit cohesion. Rather than come together to focus on the mission, the prayer becomes a moment of division or even ostracism. That’s simply not right.

Here’s the answer: Provide time for prayer, but let it be private. The military supports the private practice of religion with chapels, chapel services and chaplains of many faiths. It need not establish organized prayer for all.

A moment of silence or reflection can satisfy the same purpose. Those who wish to pray may feel free to do so, while those who do not can be free to use the moment to prepare for their next task or to focus on the mission at hand.