On Prayer and Conscience

Ethics Daily has posted a story about how a bill for the military in Congress has a provision that would allow chaplains to pray according to their "Conscience."

Most of what I have to say is in the article. Here's the full text of the comments and a link that I gave to Ethics Daily reporter Bob Allen:

I think the bill reflects a mistaken understanding of conscience.

Conscience is looking at yourself through the eyes of others. Here's a link that explains this definition more fully.

If chaplains are praying out loud in public, they need to look at what they are doing through the eyes of the people listening to their prayers. If people of minority faiths are present, they need to be considerate of their consciences and say non-sectarian prayers.

If God is the audience for their prayers, they ought to follow Jesus' instructions and go into a closet and pray in secret. (Matthew 6:5-6)

If prayers by chaplains are merely perfunctory and part of their ceremonial duties, they are not addressed to God.

If prayers are addressed to God, it is an act of worship. It violates the First Amendment to force everyone to participate in an act of worship.

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