Army Must Halt Iraq Chaplain's Coerced Baptisms 

PRESS RELEASE / Americans United for Separation of Church and State 9apr03

Civil Liberties Group Urges Military To Stop Activities Of ‘Southern Baptist Evangelist’

U.S. military officials should order a chaplain in Iraq to stop offering food and fresh water for bathing to soldiers in exchange for being baptized and listening to his sermons, Americans United for Separation of Church and State told the Army today.

Americans United has asked the Army to rein in the activities of Chaplain Josh Llano at Camp Bushmaster in Iraq. On April 4, the Miami Herald reported that Llano bragged about enticing soldiers to become baptized by offering them clean water in his baptismal font.

“It’s simple,” Llano said. “They want water. I have it, as long as they agree to get baptized.”

The newspaper reported that before going through the hour-long baptism, the soldiers must agree to listen to Llano, who calls himself a “Southern Baptist evangelist,” deliver a 90-minute sermon. Llano admitted that some of the soldiers might just want the opportunity to take a bath but added, “Regardless of their motives, I get the chance to take them closer to the Lord.”

Llano also added that if portable showers are installed in the area, he plans to bribe soldiers with scarce fruit and juice boxes.

“Chaplain Llano’s actions are unconstitutional and unacceptable,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Our soldiers in Iraq have suffered enough hardships without having religious coercion piled on. It’s time for Llano to be shipped back home.”

In an April 9 letter to Army officials, AU Legal Director Ayesha Khan and Litigation Counsel Ilana R. Fisher asked that Llano immediately be told to cease and desist.

The AU legal team noted that chaplains are supposed to provide a variety of religious services to soldiers, not engage in proselytism.

“Especially at this time, it is imperative to be sensitive to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of all our soldiers regardless of faith,” observes the letter. “In fact, that is one of the requirements of the job description of an army chaplain. According to the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, a chaplain is required to be ‘[s]ensitive to religious pluralism and able to provide for the free exercise of religion by all military personnel, their family members and civilians who work for the Army.’ Chaplain Llano's actions do not exemplify this commitment to religious pluralism and are therefore not in the best interest of our troops.”

Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.

source: http://www.au.org/press/pr030409a.htm 10apr03