Brian Dijkema: Forcing religious neutrality on CAF chaplains robs troops of support
- The federal government is again restricting military chaplains from offering religious prayers, encouraging them instead to deliver non-religious “spiritual reflections” to promote inclusivity.
- The policy, originally introduced in 2023, mandates chaplains avoid religious symbols and specific language during public events, aiming for neutrality but effectively enforcing secular uniformity.
- Research shows that most Canadians, including those religiously committed or agnostic, tolerate various faith expressions, suggesting that genuine religious prayers would better support diverse faith needs than bland spiritual reflections.
- The article argues that chaplains are being asked to abandon their faith language publicly, which narrows their ministry and disregards the spiritual needs of service members, calling for a policy that embraces pluralistic religious expression instead of enforced neutrality.
Here we go again.
As it did in 2023, the federal government is seeking to restrict prayers by military chaplains, instead encouraging them to offer “spiritual reflections” — essentially life lessons or other inspirational bon mots.
To jog memories: A 2023 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) directive updating a 2013 military policy told chaplains to avoid using religious symbols at public events, to filter religious expression through “Gender Based Analysis” to avoid asking anyone to remove a hat or headwear during their presentations, and, most infamously, to replace prayer with nebulous, sanitized alternatives called “spiritual reflections.” This new document, taking the form of Military Personnel Instructions, clarifies that such reflections “do not use religious specific language” but rather “reflect upon lessons learned, beliefs, values, and experiences to inspire gratitude, remembrance, hope, and integrity.”
The federal government is once again presenting this change as a more inclusive measure while achieving the exact opposite. As my colleagues said in 2023, prayers across different faith lines are not interchangeable. A spiritual reflection that applies to all ultimately applies to none. Trying to appease everyone actually makes no one happy.
So would more religious prayers actually be a preferable option? We believe the research says yes. Working with the Angus Reid Institute, we have polled Canadians several times on the subject of religious tolerance. The religiously committed, privately faithful, and spiritually uncertain, by and large, view most faiths positively. While a Hindu prayer might not suit the needs of a Catholic, there is a broad endurance by those who are believers or consider themselves agnostic for other people living out their faith lives. It is only atheists, representing just a third of Canadians, who hold a negative perception of all other religions.
What the government calls inclusion, in this case, is an effort to achieve neutrality that instead turns into secular uniformity, which is not the same thing.
CAF leadership in 2023 argued that this change was necessary to comply with a 2015 Supreme Court ruling that enforced “state neutrality” which said “it must neither favour nor hinder any particular belief, and the same holds true for non-belief.” Yet the policy the CAF has adopted plainly favours non-belief.
The CAF defends its policy by assuring that it “does not limit a chaplain’s personal beliefs or ability to provide spiritual or religious care,” which is a false statement. If chaplains are prohibited from praying in contexts where prayer has historically been expected, their ability to exercise their ministry has, in fact, been narrowed.
This same new policy states that “the spiritual and moral health and well-being of CAF members are essential.” How do those faithful members of the CAF feel today, I wonder, when finding out how their command structure feels towards their choice of faith?
A better approach would be one that is rooted in the pluralistic thinking that emerged from thousands of years of thought and hard-won experience by western states. A wider array of prayers, offering value and meaning to more members of the CAF and the broader community, is of greater value than a one-size-fits-all Valedictorian speech.
This new policy is not the best use of the talents of our military chaplains and it doesn’t align with the job they were hired to do. Chaplains are not generic wellness coaches or motivational speakers. They are representatives of particular faith traditions invited into military life because service members seek spiritual care rooted in those traditions. Asking chaplains to set aside the very language of their faith in public settings misunderstands both the vocation of chaplaincy and the needs of those they serve.
CAF members are best supported when chaplains come to work as their whole selves, and when their leaders focus on the real issues. This is critical at a time when the CAF is facing decaying equipment, ammunition shortages, recruitment woes and an increasingly unsteady world.
It is our prayer that this policy will be revisited to ensure broader faith representation in public events. Because if there is anything the CAF needs now, it’s exactly that.
National Post
Brian Dijkema is the president of Cardus.