There are likely many atheists in foxholes these days

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/11/2023 (1063 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“Our veterans don’t have a prayer under Trudeau.”

That’s what Conservative party Leader Pierre Poilievre tweeted (Xed?) last month following news that chaplains in the Canadian Armed Forces had been asked to be sensitive when praying at public events where people of many faiths, or no faith, might be gathered.

“Now his government is banning Muslim, Jewish and Christian military chaplains from praying at Remembrance Day ceremonies,” Poilievre said, adding “I will reverse this insanity when I am Prime Minister.”

Poilievre got that information from the Epoch Times, a far-right publication. It was later picked up by other right-leaning news outlets. But it was wrong, and he was wrong to repeat it. Chaplains were not told to not pray at Remembrance Day ceremonies. They were just instructed to be careful when praying in multi-faith settings.

As Chaplain Brigadier General Guy Bélisle noted in a memo sent to all chaplains: “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. Therefore, it is essential for chaplains to adopt a sensitive and inclusive approach when publicly addressing military members.”

In issuing the directive, the Chaplain General noted he was following a ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada that set a strict standard for religious neutrality by the state, something military chaplains have a legal obligation to abide by.

For the military, the court’s ruling means it must be neutral when it comes to religion; chaplains, he said, “must neither favour nor hinder any particular belief, and the same holds true for non-belief.”

In an email, Derek Abma, senior communications advisor for military personnel public affairs, dismissed Poilievre’s claim.

Chaplains, he said, are “not banned from prayer on Remembrance Day, or at any other time. The Chaplain General’s directive seeks to ensure that public addresses reflect the spiritual and religious diversity of Canadians.”

In ceremonies like Remembrance Day, where the faith stance of participants is unknown or likely to include people of no expressed faith, chaplains should “avoid faith-specific and exclusive language, and instead speak words that will help participants remember those who have offered their lives in the service of Canada,” he added.

In settings where there is a clear uniformity of faith expression, such as at a church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship, chaplains should feel free to use “the language used within that community, subject to the requirements of their own spiritual or faith tradition,” Abma said.

The Opposition Leader may not like it, but the Chaplain General’s directive simply reflects the changing face of religion — and non-religion — in Canada.

”There was a time when Canada was more uniformly Christian. But those days are gone.”

There was a time when Canada was more uniformly Christian. But those days are gone. Today, we live in a society of many faiths — and, increasingly, no faith, as growing numbers of people disaffiliate from organized religion and stop attending religious services.

The directive also reflects the make-up of the military itself, which is made up of men and women from many religious traditions or no religion at all.

That’s the finding of a 2008 study titled “Between 9/11 and Kandahar: Attitudes of Canadian Forces Officers in Transition.” It found that:

• 51 per cent of military personnel were uncomfortable with prayer in public schools;
• only 26 per cent believed “Canadian society would have fewer problems if people took God’s will more seriously;”
• only eight per cent said religion provided them with a great deal of guidance in their lives (29 per cent said it provided no guidance); and
• only nine per cent said they attended religious services at least weekly. (Thirty-four per cent never attended.)

Given that, it’s no wonder then that the military wants chaplains to be sensitive when it comes to religion.

This isn’t to say there isn’t a role for chaplains in the military. Many members of the service can find help there, especially during times of conflict.

One study found that soldiers in conflict zones were more likely to go to a chaplain to talk when the stress was overwhelming — there was less stigma doing that than seeing a mental health professional.

A saying made popular during the Second World War was: “There are no atheists in foxholes.” Today, in fact, there are likely many atheists in foxholes, along with those from various faiths or no religion at all.

The Chaplain General’s instructions simply recognize this new reality. And there’s nothing anyone, including any politician, can do to reverse it.

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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John Longhurst
Faith columnist & reporter

John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.

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