The following comes from a March 11 Military Times article by Andrew Tilghman:
A Pentecostal chaplain once assigned to elite Navy SEAL units may be kicked out of the Navy for allegedly scolding sailors for homosexuality and premarital sex.
Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Modder was given a “detachment for cause” letter on Feb. 17 after his commanders concluded that he is “intolerant” and “unable to function in the diverse and pluralistic environment” of his current assignment at the Navy Nuclear Power Training Command in South Carolina.
Modder denies any wrongdoing and is fighting the dismissal with attorneys from the Liberty Institute, which advocates for religious expression in the military and in public institutions. Modder has served more than 19 years and could lose his retirement benefits if the Navy convenes a board of inquiry and officially separate him before he completes 20 years of service.
Navy Capt. Jon Fahs, NNPTC commander, cited several specific incidents in which Modder offered inappropriate counseling to sailors in the command, according to the detachment for cause letter. The letter states that Modder:
Told a female that she was “shaming herself in the eyes of god” for having premarital sex.
Told another student that homosexuality was wrong and that “the penis was meant for the vagina and not for the anus.”
Suggested to a student that he, Modder, had the ability to “save” gay people.
“Berated” a student for becoming pregnant while not married.
Christianne Witten, a spokeswoman for the Navy Chaplain Corps, said Modder has been temporarily reassigned to Naval Support Activity Charleston as one of the staff chaplains while Navy Personnel Command officials review the detachment for cause action.
Modder’s 19 years of service includes many glowing fitness reports. He spent several years providing spiritual counsel to Navy SEALS, and in December received a letter of commendation from the head of the Navy Special Warfare Command, who called Modder the “best of the best” and a “talented and inspirational leader.”
Modder’s Liberty Institute attorney, Michael Berry, said the effort to fire him reflects a broader cultural change in the military.
“I think what we are seeing is a hostility to religious expression in the military now,” Berry said. “What we’re seeing is this new modern, pluralistic, Navy where service members are encouraged to be hypersensitive, especially about issues of faith, marriage and family.”
Why would homosexuals go to any Christian or Jewish Minister for advice about homosexual issues if they did not want the truth as stated in the Bible ?
Those who commit homosexual acts, and are unrepentant, and do not resolve not to commit the sin again – are going to Hell.
That is what they will hear.
Christians: Gen 19:1-29; Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:9-10; 1 Tim 1:10; Jude 1:7
Jewish: Gen 19:1-29; Lev 18:22: Lev 20:13. (Old Testament)
We should never be TOLERANT of any Mortal Sin.
If you love your neighbor as yourself as commanded by God, you must help him or her get to Heaven, not support their efforts in going to Hell.
” Christian love bears evil, but it does not tolerate it.
It does penance for the sins of others, but it is not broadminded about sin.
The cry for tolerance never induces it to quench its hatred of the evil philosophies that have entered into contest with the Truth.
It forgives the sinner, and it hates the sin; it is unmerciful to the error in his mind.
The sinner it will always take back into the bosom of the Mystical Body;
but his lie will never be taken into the treasury of His Wisdom.
Real love involves real hatred:
whoever has lost the power of moral indignation and the urge to drive the buyers and sellers from the temples
has also lost a living, fervent love of Truth.
Charity, then, is not a mild philosophy of “live and let live”;
it is not a species of sloppy sentiment.
Charity is the infusion of the Spirit of God,
which makes us love the beautiful and hate the morally ugly. ” –
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
Gee PAUL, the homofascists will have you in their crosshairs with talk like that. Notice that it is the “tolerant left” that wants to shut down constitutionally protected free speech – particularly that of Christians? We are not haters because we believe and proclaim God’s Word.
The officers that seek to run Chaplain Modder out of the Navy need to be discharged — dishonorably. He is living his faith, the Christian Faith, and likely on a higher plain than a vast number of Catholic priests.
The US Navy is fallen, from a proud warrior, protecting American ideals, to a jack boot regime, intent on crushing out leading a faith-filled man seeking to save the soul of fornicators, homosexuals, and others on the wrong side of sexual morality.
Protest, shout out this crime, although you will surely be ignored. Obama is not Christian and does not purport to lead the Nation in acting consistent with Judeo-Christian moral principles. The Navy enforcers are disgusting. They sound like the good chaplain was doing something wrong, when he was acting out of love.
Too bad pompous, bloviating, clerics, like Cardinal Dolan, were not like Rev. Modder. Then, instead of giving succor to homosexuals and fornicators, the Cardinal would be counseling them to “take the narrow path” of righteousness by adhering to Christ’s teachings and avoiding their sins. That would be mercy, not the complete scandal that Dolan and Wuerl and so many others practice, with religious fervor, on a near daily basis.
Mr. Modder you are my hero, you are a real man, speaking the truth! Fight this all the way, don’t back down, they have no right to silence you! If those who did not welcome his advice, they can just walk away and move on, why shut him up just because he will tell them the truth If witches can have the freedom to practice their evil deeds, then good people have the same right to practice their faith freely as well! People can choose and go where they want to go, they should not be taking away this man’s right to speak his mind especially when they freely went to him for the truth!
God bless Mr. Modder, you are honest and God fearing man! Its what this world needs today! Its what we need to return to. Fight this all the way! Please. The military has no right to push you around just because people chose to come to you for morals, they choose freely, people can just choose to walk away. May God bless you and help you with this case, fight it and may you be blessed with good attorneys. I hope your church supports you as well so you won’t feel alone. Right now we are watching a loyal and humble Archbishop from San Francisco be trashed because he is standing up for what is right but its a good thing that he has the lay faithful standing by his side so he is not ever alone
well said, abeca. those on the far left are trying to remove any religious influence from our lives—and create “a naked public square”, as the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus called it.
The gay mayor of Houston tried to subpoena the texts of Sunday sermons, sermon notes, etc.
Archbishop Cordileone is defied by teachers in Catholic schools because he expects them to teach—and live—in a way that is not a counter-example to the Catholic faith.
Now Chaplain Modder.
The saddest and most inexplicable thing is that vast numbers of Catholics vote the far-left loonies into office. We hand them the bullets to shoot us. Yet Catholics keep doing it. The concept of “cause-and-effect” is lost on them.
Thank you caritas. Yes we are definitely outgunned. I understand what you mean about Catholics voting that way, praise God that we know better and we are the Catholics who do not vote in those liberals. At least I can sleep at night knowing that I don’t support evil, those Catholics who do it willingly and even sometimes ignorantly without getting their facts, will have to answer to God. In this life we never rest, we have to keep on fighting the good fight when we can or are called to do so. At least this life isn’t forever and we must persevere with fortitude. We can support one another on what matters the most. God bless you and protect you, God’s courage and strength be with you always.
Poor guy. At worst, all he deserved was an eye roll and some awkward silence. Maybe some mockery behind his back. Encountering bigoted, cranky old people is an essential human experience. Then you become one. It’s a terrifying glimpse into the future.
Navy SEAL units are fairly small. Was he the only chaplain assigned to it? If your only recourse for spirituality in a combat setting is a Pentecostal chaplain, that sounds more hellish than the combat setting.
Hugh based upon your posts we know you support the immoral homosexual agenda – which stands in opposition to any Christian Bible.
You are the intolerant bigot. Why are you on a Catholic web site ?
Ah. The Homosexual Agenda. The great fictitious menace.
Didn’t realize that one was coined by the Family Research Council. As propaganda goes, it’s had a remarkable life.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_agenda
Hugh, since you are or support the immoral homosexual agenda, why would any homosexual go to a Christian or Jewish Minister – if they did not want to know what the Bible and Torah state?
Read the official document:
“LCDR Modder was unable to function in the diverse and pluralistic environment of NNPTC in that he was unable to provide counseling and attend to personal and relational needs outside of a specific faith group context. He failed to show tolerance and respect for the rights of individuals to determine their own religious convictions as required by reference (b). On multiple occasions he discriminated against students who were of different faiths and backgrounds.”
https://www.libertyinstitute.org/file/DETACHMENT-FOR-CAUSE-REQ–Redacted.pdf
A chaplain is required by a code of conduct to be respectful to those outside his faith. He very obviously failed at this.
Hugh, this is key – ” outside of a specific faith group context”.
We do not go for advise to those outside our own Faith Group, unless we want to know the teaching of that particular Faith.
For example a Catholic or Jew or atheist would not go to a Pentecostal chaplain for advise.
Why would homosexuals and those who do not want to hear what Pentecostal’s teach – go to a Pentecostal Minister for advice ?
You fail to answer this question.
” Modder’s 19 years of service includes many glowing fitness reports. He spent several years providing spiritual counsel to Navy SEALS, and in December received a letter of commendation from the head of the Navy Special Warfare Command, who called Modder the “best of the best” and a “talented and inspirational leader.” “
Unless there’s one chaplain per unit for every conceivable faith, the students were probably stuck with him as a representative for Protestant Christianity, all Christianity, or religion in general.
It’s unclear from the news coverage, but his administrative memo implies that.
“Hugh”: this is an example of post-hoc rationalization by the Navy to support its present pagan-centered life-view. It is inconsistent with “Christianity” for a chaplain to offer counsel and understanding to someone whose lifestyle is simply non-Christian.
A chaplain is not a social worker, or “life-coach”. Certainly, a chaplain should not proselytize, but he also cannot be expected to abandon why he became a chaplain in the first place: to teach about the Gospel, and the “Good News” of salvation.
Key words here are “diverse and pluralistic environment”. The Navy cannot simply make up a new chapter to Christianity in its insane attempt to integrate pagan notions into the Gospel. No legitimate chaplain can counsel a fornicating woman, or a homosexual man, into believing that what they are receiving is, in any way, a sanction for their behavior.
Remember that a new movement is toward recognizing polygamy, and lowering the age of consent for sex with children. Will chaplains also be expected to counsel people engaged in these activities (after, it is assumed, that the Navy again amends its job description to include them within the “diverse and pluralistic” definitions)? What the Navy did is absurdly illogical and Orwellian, along with being a blatant attack on Christianity.
Let me get this straight. A chaplain’s job is to see that those who come to him will one day see the face of God and live eternal life. And yet, this chaplain is being told to betray his God, betray his faith, and refuse the biblical truths to those who seek his guidance? And when this shepherd faces the Creator, who will be held accountable for his refusal to speak the truth? Better to serve God than to serve man. The time has come to choose Jesus. The sheep and the goats are being separated. Let’s make sure we end up with the sheep. “Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants, beyond my fears, from death into life.”
It seems that the U.S. Navy is not very tolerant of Christian religious views.
Further evidence that our nation is in turmoil and at great risk to lose its true identity. The saying is a fish starts rotting from the head.
This sounds like Rev Modder managed to get at cross purposes with some of the powers that be at his last command. With glowing reports from 19 years service, and absent a Court Martial offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, one would think the Navy could find a desk job for Rev Modder until he reaches exactly 20 years service. Then retirement.
A chaplain is supposed to counsel people, and he is obligated to teach them right from wrong. Christ basically said WHEN YOU SAY YES, MEAN YES, WHEN YOU SAY NO, MEAN NO. Today, because of all the wimps, many are afraid of offending people, so everything becomes relative. Anyway, I hope this chaplain is not punished, because he did NOTHING WRONG.