The federal government now wants to stop Canadian Armed Forces chaplains from praying during official military functions like the annual Remembrance Day ceremonies.
What this amounts to is another assault by this woke government on the shared values of Canadians of multiple faiths.
You see, the government isn’t banning prayer if it first redefines prayer so that the concept is virtually meaningless. The new directive, entitled “Chaplains’ Spiritual Reflection in Public Settings,” makes it quite clear that prayer is no longer prayer, but only “reflections.”
“While the dimension of prayer may occupy a significant place for some of our members, we do not all pray in the same way; for some, prayer does not play a role in their lives,” notes the Oct. 11 directive signed by the Chaplain General, Brigadier-General Guy Belisle. “Public reflections must be done in an appropriate manner to engage all those gathered.”
It admonishes chaplains to be “sensitive and inclusive” when they are talking publicly to CAF members. None of that hellfire and damnation stuff!
“Chaplains must ensure that all members feel respected and included by undertaking inclusive practices that respect the diversity of beliefs within the CAF,” it says.
On Oct. 19, National Defence Minister Bill Blair took to social media to accuse the Conservative Party of spreading “misinformation.”
“Let’s be very clear: [Canadian Forces] chaplains are not – and will not be – banned from prayer on Remembrance Day, nor at any other time,” Mr. Blair wrote on X.
“When the Conservatives spread misinformation about our military, we’ll always call it out.”
Blair said that the dictate is “about expanding participation in the reflections of military chaplains – not about limiting it.”
If this directive had not been revealed by the media and the Conservative Party, you can be certain that Canadians would know nothing about it. As a former military public affairs officer, I can tell you with a complete degree of certainty that this is the sort of document that Blair would have instructed the military to hold very close to their chests and pretend it simply doesn’t exist.
The problem is that so many military members, from privates to general officers, are satiated with diversity, equity, and inclusiveness navel-gazing programs that have nothing to do with operational capability and are nothing but short-sighted excursions into an environment of woke ideology that seeks to solve problems that don’t exist.
And these sailors, soldiers, and airmen/women are weary of being acolytes for woke policies and weak ministers who do not put military facts above political fiction.
Let’s be clear about something else. A prayer is not a reflection; it is a petition to God—no matter how you want to identify Him—to answer a request or an offering of thanks to that same Higher Power.
This is not some ethereal “reflection” on how nice the weather is or what wonderfully politically correct people we are in Canada.
The Liberals have managed to insult all faiths by siding with that tiny minority of people who don’t believe that prayer is efficacious, necessary, or a source of comfort. They don’t believe in prayer at all. But why should prayer be redefined to suit a miniscule group that probably isn’t even offended in the least if military chaplains offer prayers at public events.
Blair did not address another issue in the directive that is insulting and almost sacrilegious: Chaplains have also been told to remove the scarves they wear to denote their particular faith, such as a cross for a Christian, a star of David for Judaism, and a crescent for Muslims.
“Chaplains must consider the potential that some items or symbols may cause discomfort or traumatic feelings when choosing the dress they wear during public occasions,” the directive says.
The Bible talks about the cross being a stumbling block for unbelievers. For the federal government, it appears any faith is a stumbling block and that’s why they should get their hands off of our military.
