On the recordJune 19, 2014
It is interesting. The gentleman argues that-- amazingly--somehow a chaplain is not going to be open to serving the spiritual needs of all, whether they be gay or otherwise. There is nothing in this amendment that says anything about the choice of one's sexual partner whatsoever. In fact, remember that we already have in our chaplaincy Wiccans, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Many of those accept same-sex marriages. This argument that the gentleman makes is for another debate, not for this one. This deals purely with atheism. It is very interesting because the scene is that, on the battlefield, you have a chaplain who is serving the spiritual needs of a dying soldier and the soldier asks the chaplain: What happens now? What happens after my death? The answer from the atheist chaplain is: There is nothing for you after death. That is really a very disturbing thought, and I yield back the balance of my time.
