(Fox News)--The military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy,” will be no more as of Sept. 20, when homosexual men and women will be allowed to serve openly in all branches of the U.S. armed forces.
But a number of military chaplains fear an unofficial version of the policy will take its place, one that muzzles and marginalizes chaplains who hold strict biblical beliefs about homosexuality.
"We've already seen that a chaplain had an assignment pulled because he was critical of the repeal of DADT," says retired Col. Ron Crews, a former U.S. Army chaplain.
"We need to cover our chaplains and all military personnel who hold traditional orthodox views on homosexuality, that their constitutional rights will not be infringed upon in this new environment," said Crews.
The government is assuring chaplains they have nothing to fear. A Department of Defense statement says, "Chaplains will continue to have freedom to practice their religion according to the tenets of their faith. Chaplains are not required to take actions that are inconsistent with their religious counseling ... or modifying forms of prayer or worship."
But Crews believes otherwise saying, "That line from the DOD is not the truth. They say there are no issues, but the issues are there."
One example, Crews says, is the military's “Strong Bonds” program, where chaplains council couples, often during retreats, on how to strengthen their marriages and family structures under the pressure of serving their country. Crews says the Department of Defense has had no instructions or guidelines on how to deal with same-sex couples.
If a chaplain holds Biblical orthodox views that see homosexuality as a sin, will he or she be reprimanded or disciplined or reassigned? Crews wonders, "Will they have to cut out chunks of the Bible that they can speak to soldiers about?"
But Chaplain Carleton Birch, spokesperson for the Army Chief of Chaplains, says the military as of right now doesn't recognize same sex marriages, even though six states have legalized it.
"We're working under the assumption that DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) is the law of the land and we haven't been working in anticipation of anything else right now," said Birch.
Crews says that's precisely the point. All the training that chaplains have been receiving for months anticipating the end of DADT was conditioned on DOMA being in place. But the White House announced back in the spring that the Defense of Marriage Act, which says marriage is only between a man and a woman, was not legally defensible. Several members of Congress last week also held hearings on the "Respect for Marriage Act," introduced by Sen. Diane Feinstin (D-Calif) in March, which aims to repeal DOMA.
Birch and others agree all bets are off if DOMA is repealed. "I don't think we know the implications yet."
Even though chaplains are free to exercise their religious beliefs in the pulpit, there are no guidelines for the trenches. And there are also no guidelines for soldiers who may be uncomfortable sharing close living and sleeping quarters with a gay or lesbian soldier. Crews asks "If a private first class is a assigned a homosexual bunk mate, will he be able to share his personal story about what his view on what sin is?"
Without guidelines or uniform rules, commanders will become judge and jury. That is why Crews and the conservative legal advocacy group The Alliance Defense Fund" are making this preemptive move.
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