50. "Officer Organization"
"...[T]he chaplain whould have a base of operations... Here the chaplain will maintain... rosters of personnel active in various phases of the religious program..." (p. 15)
This might not be anything other than the type of thing like how in churches they keep track of who their members are. But for an organization like the Army to mandate it, I just thought I'd mention it, for whatever it's worth. It could just be their bureaucratic side affecting chaplains too.
***
We're moving on to Chapter 4, "The Installation Chaplain," Section II, "Responsibilitie.""60. Character Guidance Instruction
The installation chaplain will coordinate with the training officer in supervising character guidance instruction for all instrallation units. Generally, he need not be concerned with providing character guidance instruction for lodger [sic] units unless these do not have assigned chaplains. The installed chaplain will inspect character guidance instruction for which the installation commander is responsible, and will recommend necessary corrective action in case of deficiency or recognize outstanding performance. In the discharge of this responsibility, the chaplain should check the following:
a. The suitability of the location provided.
b. The suitability of the time scheduled
c. The percentage of unit strengch in attendance, including reason for low attendance.
d. Attitude and control of those in charge of the group.
e. Appearance and attitude of the instructor.
f. Quality of the instruction, including use of proper instructional methods, training aids, maintenance of attendion, etc." (p. 20-21)
Once again we have the chaplain being a sort of nanny for the Army. That is, the chaplain is taking part in raising up the soldiers according to what the Army things they should be like, not according to what the chaplain's denomination says they should be like.
I'm harping on this because I want you to see that in the Vienna mission this kind of dual commitment also existed, but the mission didn't want you to see it until you made that pledge of total commitment. The lives of deception, which I saw practically as soon as my feet touched the Austrian soil - and it had nothing to do with Austria, but everything to do with the mission, were split like this. Maybe not 100% just like in the Army, but Christians do it there all the time. The North American director was a Vietnam vet and the 2 H.R. directors were military chaplains, and I have not idea what other influences they had, such as from their board and the other missions.
But I also bring this out because of the word attitude. Attitude was huge in Vienna (at the mission I mean), just like it would have been in the Army. At the end of my time in Vienna when I was told (more than once) the parable about the boy who was standing up on the inside, which was clearly referring to myself, if they had known what I was really thinking, that my attitude wasn't just a matter of "not submitting", well I had to think what would have happened. If I were in the Army I would have been court martialed, I'm sure. Because attitude was just as important in either place. And maybe for not so different reasons either.
Unfortunately, the Vienna mission decided to use some of the world's means to do the Lord's work.
If the Vienna mission had known that my "attitude" was as bad as it really was they would have spun me around and turned me around so that I wouldn't have known what was what and they'd basically have sent me home in a straight jacket and you know that journal entry I wrote in post # 382? It wouldn't have happened. I would have been too much of a loony tune to write even that lucidly. I kid you not. They really would do that. And attitude was that important.
And chaplains, they know a thing or two about attitude, I'm sure, so they're probably just the ones to be going around checking to make sure that other character guidance instructers have the proper attitude. I wonder if the chaplains at the Vienna mission had ever had to do this?
***
"62. Training
...
a.... The installation chaplain will hold periodic meetings of all chaplains of installations units... Briefing sessions and critiques of character guidance instruction will be held." (p. 21)
So when you become a military chaplain you really have to believe in the Army and what it does and stands for and its values, etc., because the chaplains are part of the army "machine." But when you join the military chaplaincy, you know what you're getting into, right? I mean, you pretty much go in with eyes wide open, although there are probably always surprises along the way as is true in any job. But generally you have a lot of ways to find out before hand what to espect. If nothing else, you can always just go to your denomination and ask them, ask some of their chaplains and you'd get a good idea there.
But what if you want to go with a mission and they don't want to let people know what they are really like? So nobody really knows till they get there. How do you find out then? And what if there's there's the extra problem of your dad being in a job that's a national security concern but nobody really wants to tell you anything about that either. How could I find out in advance that there might be a could different ethics going on with the mission before I arrived there (like the chaplain doing chaplain things and character guidance things)?
Really, when you think of it, these military chaplains got it nice, to have everything upfront and clearcut. Heck, they even have a handbook that means something! That's amazing in Vienna mission terms. The Vienna mission policy manual was a worthless piece of paper that maybe should have been used as toilet paper along with the Pravda.
***
"64. Public Relations
In time of peace, when the need and functions of a large Army are not as obvious as in war time, civilian relationships assume increased importance. Because of the chaplain's church relationships, his training and experience in meeting people and in public speaking, the commander will frequently call on him for activities in his field. See AR 165-15, and paragraph 17 of this manual." (p. 22)
My immediate reaction to this is that makes a mockery of the faith, belittles it. But then maybe some of the other things do too, but I just hadn't noticed it. This especially though, strikes me that way. Religion is used just as a token sort of feather in the Army's cap or something. Whether or not the chaplain supports this kind of thing, I do think it, in general is belittling of the faith. There could be ways that it might be handled better than others though.
I think that this does reveal maybe the whole charade of how the Army uses the chaplain. It's probably a bit of a dance between the chaplain and the Army (both individually and collectively), but the Army wants someone who will help with its soldiers and, evidently, it's P.R., while the chaplain should want to instill spiritual life and growth in those he serves. So maybe some of the other ways the Army uses the chaplain could also be considered making a mockery of faith, but the two have made the compromise in order to work together.
I don't understand the compromise the Army chaplain makes, and not just because I've become a pacifist, either, but also because I just don't agree with those kind of compromises even that don't have anything to do with weaponry and the like. And I couldn't make the compromise with the Vienna mission, either.
***
I think that's it for now.