Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.15 (765 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0674972155 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-02-10 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Today it counts Jews, Mormons, Muslims, Christian Scientists, Buddhists, Seventh-day Adventists, Hindus, and evangelicals among its ranks. But religious citizens pushed back, challenging the state to uphold constitutional promises and moral standards.Despite the constitutional separation of church and state, the federal government authorized and managed religion in the military. Stahl reveals how the military borrowed from and battled religion. At times the state used religion to advance imperial goals. While officials debated which clergy could serve, what insignia they would wear, and what religions appeared on dog tags, chaplains led worship for a range of faiths, navigated questions of conscience, struggled with discrimination, and confronted untimely death. A century ago, as the United States prepared to enter World War I, the military chaplaincy included only mainline Protestants and Catholics. Just as the state relied on religion to sanction war and sanctify death, so too did religious groups seek recognition as American faiths. Enlisting Faith traces the uneven processes through which the military struggled with, encouraged, and regulated religious pluralism over the twentieth century.Moving from the battlefields of Europe to the jungles of Vietnam and between the forests of Civilian Conservation Corps c
Stahl vividly shows how the military chaplaincy has offered the means for Washington to encourage proper religious expression in a pluralist society, and for faith communities to earn political legitimacy in the eyes of their peers. (Sarah Barringer Gordon, author of The Spirit of the Law)The federal government used the military chaplaincy to unify diverse Americans, promote 'ethical' personal behavior, and marshal faith on behalf of domestic and foreign policy goals. (Wendy L. In Stahl's illuminating book, we listen as chaplains, GIs, and their families wrestle with issues posed by race riots, rape, pacifism, feminism, proselytizing, interfaith marriage, and untimely death. She adds enormously to our understanding of the evolving relationship between religion and the American state across much of the twentieth century. Stahl's excellent work is a must-read for anyone interested in religious freedom, separation (or not) of church and state, war, politics, and the many challenge
Stahl is a fellow in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. Ronit Y.