Religious Support in the Homeland: The Establishment Clause in Perspective

Abstract

As America prosecutes the Global War on Terror and struggles to mitigate the effects of natural disasters, mature guidance and policy for providing religious support to US citizens during disaster relief operations in the homeland have yet to emerge. As Joint doctrine and Service Component doctrine continue to evolve, the employment of military chaplains in this role remains contentious. Forthcoming objections from the legal community cite such use of military chaplains as being in violation of the US Constitution's First Amendment, with a particular appeal to the Establishment Clause. The paper will examine the First Amendment with a view toward resolving this impasse. It will consider the Establishment Clause within its socio-political and historical context, paying particular attention to its language. It will explore judicial trends, bringing to light any seminal cases informing religious support issues in the homeland. Finally, the paper will make recommendations affecting policy for the same.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 31, 2007
Accession Number
ADA469108

Entities

People

  • Steven L. Berry

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Chaplains
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Disasters
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Homeland Security
  • Law
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Personnel
  • National Governments
  • Personnel Management
  • Supreme Court
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.