Religion in the Canadian Forces & in Canadian Society

tonykeene

New Member
Reaction score
0
Points
110
First of all I'd really like to comment on the cordial and courteous nature of all these posts.  This was not the case 18 years ago when I logged on here and commented on the issue of Lt(N) Scott who was court-martialled for keeping his lid on during prayers.
Both he and I were subjected to a lot of snark, to say the least.  But times and people and circumstances do change, and we are witness to that.
Some of the comments here are about things like smudging ceremonies.  Great.  These are a perfect example of what I meant earlier by bottom-up religious events.  The Aborginal members ask for it, and the CO and padre provide support and assistance.  The entire unit is not praded for it under command.
Similarly, one of my colleagues in Public Affairs one day got together with some like-minded members, and held a session in one of the conference rooms at NDHQ for giving witness, which is an evangelical Christian tradition.  Again, help was provided by a chaplain, and the various members' bosses gave them the time to go and take part.
Nothing I have said here is about preventing people from performing religious rituals or ceremonies.  It is about ending top-down command directed religion, such as prayer on parade, at the opening of buildings, change of command etc.  Once you are on parade you are a captive audience; there should be nothing done or said that in any way excludes you because of your race, religion or gender, or any of the other grounds we now recognize.
Then there is Remembrance Day (We might also include here Battle of Britain and Battle of the Atlantic), which in Ottawa for the past three years, I think, has involved only the Chaplain-General speaking about sacrifice and service, and inviting people to reflect according to their conscience.
Oh how I wish it were so elsewhere.  In the city near where I live every single one of these events is an all-out Christian tent revival.  They go from opening prayers to blessings, to joint recital of The Lord's Prayer, to blessing of the wreaths followed by the Book of John and on and on and on.
And yet this is a very diverse community.  There are turbans and hijabs visible on parade, and the crowd also contains women in shalwar kameez etc.
I've given up, after a decade of trying to talk the Legion into at least acknowledging diversity and making some kind of invitational statement.  I wonder why someone from the nearby base, or the hometown reserve unit, hasn't said something to them about it.
They remain deadpan adamantly opposed.  And yet they wonder why today's veterans don't join them.
Here's something to think about.  We who are retired depend on the Legion for help in dealing with VAC.  I myself have used this, and I'm very grateful.  The Legion has done great service to veterans for almost 100 years.
But it is failing, at a rate of about 10,000 members per year.  It is almost entirely white, male dominated and comes down somewhere to the far right of Archie Bunker.  There are 250,000 members, and only about 55,000 in the category that includes veterans.  Yet this group also includes Coast Guard and all police services.
I've been tracking the numbers for 30 years.  They are losing at least 10,000 per year, on average, and the gap between veterans and the others is widening.
Yet they remain adamant in their defence of Christian religion on any and all occasions, and it seems as if the racist incidents are increasing too.  And not to make too much of it, their Vera Lynn and Brussel Sprouts view of our military history.
How long can it last? 

 

Remius

Army.ca Veteran
Reaction score
100
Points
630
The chaplain general does speak at the national remembrance day ceremony.  But so does Rabbi Bulka and a representative of the aboriginal community.
 

tonykeene

New Member
Reaction score
0
Points
110
Yes, Speak is the operative word.  But they don't pray in any sense.  Their presence as representatives of the inclusive and welcoming nature of Canada is eloquent.

I think as this evolves we will eventually see this become the norm.  It simply has to.

 

mariomike

Army.ca Legend
Staff member
Directing Staff
Subscriber
Mentor
Reaction score
56
Points
630
tonykeene said:
There are 250,000 members, and only about 55,000 in the category that includes veterans.

At a typical Legion branch, how many worked with, or even knew each other prior to retirement?

Personally, having known those in my little group for decades before we retired, I've come to love every damn one of them.

So, as far as religion is concerned, if the chaplain does a lunchtime prayer, I'm ok with that.  :)
 

gwp

Full Member
Reaction score
0
Points
0
tonykeene said:
Yes, Speak is the operative word.  But they don't pray in any sense.  Their presence as representatives of the inclusive and welcoming nature of Canada is eloquent.

I think as this evolves we will eventually see this become the norm.  It simply has to.

The Canadian Forces Chaplain's manual is a worthy read.
https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/24851/documents/2020/8/ICCMC%20Handbook%20Bilingual%20-%20March%2020192305843009231559303.pdf

Along with the Legion Chaplain's Manual
http://portal.legion.ca/docs/default-source/branch-and-command-resources/Ritual-Awards-Protocol/chaplainsmanual_2015_e.pdf?sfvrsn=a65c7a58_0
 

FJAG

Army.ca Veteran
Reaction score
143
Points
680
mariomike said:
...
So, as far as religion is concerned, if the chaplain does a lunchtime prayer, I'm ok with that.  :)

And I'm not. I may silently tolerate it but I'm not okay with it. And therein lies the problem when it comes to faith issues. Who get's the final say as to whether or not you have to be an unwilling bystander to something you disagree with?

Sure, a prayer before a lunch or before a council meeting is a small thing and prayer wasn't the thing that kept me out of the legion when I transferred from the regular force and my out clearance included a form to join the legion. At the time it was that I had to swear to God that I'd never been a member of the Nazi Party or the Communist Party and their intolerable smoking that made me crumple the form up and ash can it.

Just an aside on Chaplains. During my career I've known over a dozen different ones both Protestant and Catholic. Some became my friends and all of them were really decent guys who cared about the troops and did a really great job. Any comments I have made about my dislike for religion in general has nothing to do with the folks in the Chaplain Corps who I respect as individuals very much.

:cheers:
 

Jarnhamar

Army.ca Legend
Reaction score
187
Points
680
mariomike said:
It's pensioners. I've known some for almost half a century. Never heard anyone complain, until now.

Serious question, would your pensioner friends complain if the chaplain was sick for a few weeks and an imam from a local mosque read some prayers from the Quran?
 

RangerRay

Sr. Member
Reaction score
55
Points
330
When I was in back in the ‘90s, I remember given a choice between Church Parade and something even less interesting. Usually the choice was “Church Parade” or “hang out at the shacks with the DS doing tasks”.  Everyone chose Church Parade.

Once when someone objected to Church Parade, we were told we could hang out with the Atheist Discussion Group instead. I don’t think anyone chose the last option.
 

tonykeene

New Member
Reaction score
0
Points
110
I guess it varies branch to branch.  Some are more adamantine that others.

Oddly I live near a major base, where personnel have been deploying on operations for decades, yet all the Legion branches around here give the impression that our military activity ceased on VE Day.  They often don't even have anything about Korea on display (It took the Legion 30 years to admit those veterans), and apart from one scrunched up little blue beret in the back corner of a display case, I've found nothing from Cyprus, the Middle East, Bosnia etc.

Every year in November they run up flags on the lampposts with pictures of Second World War personnel, and set up displays in local businesses, full of battledress, Spitfires, Vera Lynn and white Christian crosses.

It's as if they are willing away any changes that have taken place in the past 75 years.
 

mariomike

Army.ca Legend
Staff member
Directing Staff
Subscriber
Mentor
Reaction score
56
Points
630
FJAG said:
Who get's the final say as to whether or not you have to be an unwilling bystander to something you disagree with?

:cheers:

The Chief. Don't like it? Don't come.  :)
 

SupersonicMax

Army.ca Veteran
Mentor
Reaction score
55
Points
530
mariomike said:
The Chief. Don't like it? Don't come.  :)

I hope this is tongue in cheek.  This attitude, regarding religion or any protected rights, has no place in any government institution. We've made great strides in being more inclusive and provide an environment where people can shine. Let's not go back in time where you had to be a white, anglo saxon, christian male to feel at home in the CAF.
 

mariomike

Army.ca Legend
Staff member
Directing Staff
Subscriber
Mentor
Reaction score
56
Points
630
SupersonicMax said:
I hope this is tongue in cheek.  This attitude, regarding religion or any protected rights, has no place in any government institution. We've made great strides in being more inclusive and provide an environment where people can shine. Let's not go back in time where you had to be a while, anglo saxon, christian male to feel at home in the CAF.

It's not the CAF. And it's not the Legion.
 

Jarnhamar

Army.ca Legend
Reaction score
187
Points
680
FJAG said:
And I'm not. I may silently tolerate it but I'm not okay with it.

I really like and enjoy Native American mythology, history and spirituality. I've been to a few sweat lodge ceremonies and loved it.

First Nations ceremony while in uniform? Super weird and awkward. Feels out of place to have soldiers in uniform sitting through something like that (ie task force tomahawk)

I'm a non-practicing non-believing catholic(if that make sense). I'm not really bothered by christian ceremonies because I've been exposed a bit growing up and since joining the army, I've been exposed to it. So conditioning and inoculation? I can easily tune it out.

I would imagine for someone without the years of exposure it could be really weird and awkward.

I found exposure to 'the church' way more prevalent in the reserves than regular force.
 

Jarnhamar

Army.ca Legend
Reaction score
187
Points
680
mariomike said:
It's not the CAF. And it's not the Legion.

You brought it up in a conversation predominately about religion in the Canadian Forces, where people were talking about religion in the Canadian Forces.
 

mariomike

Army.ca Legend
Staff member
Directing Staff
Subscriber
Mentor
Reaction score
56
Points
630
Jarnhamar said:
You brought it up in a conversation predominately about religion in the Canadian Forces, where people were talking about religion in the Canadian Forces.

So was I. I was in the PRes, and our unit did Church Parades.

Not going to apologise for that either.

You should re-title the Subject: Religion in the Canadian Forces & in Canadian Society


 

FJAG

Army.ca Veteran
Reaction score
143
Points
680
Jarnhamar said:
I really like and enjoy Native American mythology, history and spirituality. I've been to a few sweat lodge ceremonies and loved it.

First Nations ceremony while in uniform? Super weird and awkward. Feels out of place to have soldiers in uniform sitting through something like that (ie task force tomahawk)

I'm a non-practicing non-believing catholic(if that make sense). I'm not really bothered by christian ceremonies because I've been exposed a bit growing up and since joining the army, I've been exposed to it. So conditioning and inoculation? I can easily tune it out.

I would imagine for someone without the years of exposure it could be really weird and awkward.

I found exposure to 'the church' way more prevalent in the reserves than regular force.

I've always liked the way the Kiwis have incorporated Maori customs into their basic military culture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI6TRTBZUMM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wumW-zeBV6c

:cheers:
 

daftandbarmy

Army.ca Myth
Reaction score
383
Points
880
The closer soldiers get to the meat grinder, the more important it is to have a good Padre on the team, whatever the 'flavour':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k_ab0XjOII

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seARBWmT_S4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GmX_ItYC-w
 

Ostrozac

Sr. Member
Reaction score
24
Points
180
daftandbarmy said:
The closer soldiers get to the meat grinder, the more important it is to have a good Padre on the team, whatever the 'flavour':

That’s one perspective. Another perspective was shown in the Vietnam War, where the People’s Army of Vietnam acquitted itself well, even though it lacked chaplins and was officially nonreligious, as was the communist government of North Vietnam that it served. The NVA certainly had more than a few atheists in foxholes.

You could say that the spiritual support to an army needs to match the specific needs of that army. And armies change over time. Canadian society is both more diverse and more secular than it was a hundred years ago. The Chaplain General seems to understand that, but it seems that not everyone has gotten the message.
 

Drallib

Member
Subscriber
Reaction score
2
Points
230
I became a Christian 6 years ago after joining the military, and I'd like to share my thoughts on the topic.

Before putting my faith in Christ, in the military, we would say the 'Engineer Prayer'. I never thought anything about it. To the non-believer, it's just words (Edit: when I was a non-believer, it was just words). Even the prayers by Padres, like someone else mentioned, they state that you can pray how you see fit (or something like that), and I don't think they're allowed to say Jesus' name.

As a believer, do I want people to hear the Word of God, yes. But at the same time, I would understand if the Muslim (or other religion) would opt-out of the Christian service. If I were in their position, and we were told "you're going to go to a mosque and go on your knees to pray to Allah" I would probably refuse and take the consequences. Now, if I were told we were going in to sit in the back and just observe, that's fine. I know many Christians who were invited to mosques and they would check it out.
 
Top