Comments on: Today’s Reading List – September 19, 2007 http://www.article6blog.com/2007/09/19/todays-reading-list-september-19-2007/ "Religion, Politics, the Presidency: Commentary by a Mormon, an Evangelical, and an Orthodox Christian" Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:15:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: coltakashi http://www.article6blog.com/2007/09/19/todays-reading-list-september-19-2007/comment-page-1/#comment-7413 coltakashi Wed, 19 Sep 2007 21:23:57 +0000 http://www.article6blog.com/2007/09/19/todays-reading-list-september-19-2007/#comment-7413 With respect to Senator McCain--since his dad was in the Navy, as was he, I suspect he may have been raised attending church in the "generic Protestant" mode of military chaplains which deemphasizes denominational differences in on-base Sunday services--heck, even the Mormon chaplains get assigned in rotation to run those services! The actual Mormons, since the adult men all are ordained priests, don't need a chaplain to run their Sunday meetings. The function of Mormon chaplains is to look out for the interests of Mormons in the competition among other chaplains for use of chapels and other facilities and resources (they would just as soon ignore the Mormons, even when they are the biggest congregation in the base chapel each Sunday, as was the case at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo in 1980), as well as "show the flag" for the LDS Church in the chaplain corps and earn some respect for LDS worship and worshipers. An LDS chaplain might be called as a branch president or a bishop for a local congregation, or serve on a "high council" of twelve men that oversees several congregations in a city, but so could any other worthy adult male member of the congregation. Ray Swenson Lt. Colonel, USAF (Retired) With respect to Senator McCain–since his dad was in the Navy, as was he, I suspect he may have been raised attending church in the “generic Protestant” mode of military chaplains which deemphasizes denominational differences in on-base Sunday services–heck, even the Mormon chaplains get assigned in rotation to run those services!

The actual Mormons, since the adult men all are ordained priests, don’t need a chaplain to run their Sunday meetings. The function of Mormon chaplains is to look out for the interests of Mormons in the competition among other chaplains for use of chapels and other facilities and resources (they would just as soon ignore the Mormons, even when they are the biggest congregation in the base chapel each Sunday, as was the case at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo in 1980), as well as “show the flag” for the LDS Church in the chaplain corps and earn some respect for LDS worship and worshipers. An LDS chaplain might be called as a branch president or a bishop for a local congregation, or serve on a “high council” of twelve men that oversees several congregations in a city, but so could any other worthy adult male member of the congregation.

Ray Swenson
Lt. Colonel, USAF (Retired)

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