On July 29, Canada’s Department of National Defense issued a directive for all Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and particularly Canada’s military chaplains that whenever they make a public address they:
“shall uphold the principle of state religious and spiritual neutrality by not using words, actions, or symbols that are specific to a particular SFT [Spiritual or Faith Tradition] on the part of the Government of Canada.”
The policy states that “spiritual reflections do not use religious specific language, including references to God.” In other words, Christian chaplains have to speak in a manner that could have their audience confusing them for any other religion. Is he Christian, or Hindu, a humanist, or is he just some self-help guru? Who can tell?
Explaining their rationale, the policy states that “CAF has a duty of religious neutrality. It cannot favour certain beliefs to the exclusion of others.” The policy clarifies that it is meant to apply when members of the CAF are called to deliver a reflection at ceremonies and gatherings such as Remembrance Day. It doesn’t apply to voluntary gatherings or funerals. It also clarifies that “indigenous practices” are still allowed, as part of an “ongoing commitment to reconciliation.”
There are numerous ironies and contradictions in this decision.
Ordering a Christian chaplain to not mention God because others worship other gods is like ordering a lawyer to not refer to the law because some in the listening audience hold to a different law code. Would that be “neutral” or nonsense? We can’t hold to more than one law code, and if we try to, that only leaves us with lawlessness – there is no middle option. That’s what we have here too: requiring a Christless Christianity isn’t neutral – it’s a lukewarm travesty God will spit out (Rev. 3:16). This is what happens when a Christian nation stops being one – a form of worship might linger, but not of a sort that will please God. When godless leaders tell us how to worship, we shouldn’t be shocked when they require godless worship.