Members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been informed that they should not mention God during public spiritual reflections.
A new set of instructions for military personnel, issued at the end of July, essentially treats military chaplains not as spiritual guides with their own faith traditions, but as spokespeople for the Canadian government.
The guidance states that during public addresses members of the Canadian Armed Forces “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”.
However, it goes further by stating that even public “spiritual reflections” must be “inclusive” and should “not use religious specific language, including references to God”. The guidance states that “spiritual reflections” must take the place of prayers at public events, although this does not apply to funerals.
Chaplains are still permitted to pray and mention God in private pastoral settings.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada said it is “deeply concerned” by the development.
Bruce Clemenger, Senior Ambassador and President Emeritus of the EFC, and member of the Interfaith Committee for Canadian Military Chaplaincy, said, “This policy goes beyond banning prayer and prohibits even the acknowledgment to those gathered that some may believe in the divine and others not.
“This exclusion restricts the spiritual reflection of chaplains to a secularist and characteristically humanist expression.”
