Religion in the Military: From the Founding Fathers to WWII

A recent article by the Liberty Institute highlights 5 Reasons to Keep Religion in the Military. And of course our nation founded on the tide of a revolution, with God fearing founding fathers, has always tried to meet the freedom of religious expression in the military.

3 of their 5 reasons were based on our past Presidents actions to preserve religious expression in the military:

Reason #1 President George Washington

Common decency, Sir, in a camp calls for the services of a divine, and which out not to be dispensed with, altho’ the world should be so uncharitable as to think us void of religion.

George Washington

This quote from Washington during the French and Indian war, underlines the fact that his British superiors often refused his requests for religious activities. Washington believed that religion was essential to the well-being of the military.

Reason #2 President John Adams

Known as ‘The Father of the American Navy’, President Adams pressed for establishing naval chaplains. A desire which congress accepted and lead to a sermon being preached each Sunday on all naval vessels.

I know not whether the commanders of our ships have given much attention to this subject [chaplains], but in my humble opinion, we shall be very unskillful politicians as well as bad Christians and unwise men if we neglect this important office in our infant navy. – Adams, 1799

John Adams

Reason #4 President Franklin D. Roosevelt

President Roosevelt was so committed to preserving religion and ‘spiritual fitness’ during World War II that he used federal funds to print and distribute Bibles to our military:

I want every father and every mother who has a son in the service to know – again, from what I have seen with my own eyes – that the men in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps are receiving today the best possible training, equipment, and medical care. And we will never fail to provide for the spiritual needs of our officers and men.

Franklin Roosevelt

Read the full article here: 5 Reasons to Keep Religion in the Military