FRC, Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition Deliver 100,000 Petitions in Support of Navy Chaplain Modder

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Mar 30, 2015, 01:31 ET

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Family Research Council (FRC) and fellow members of the Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition today delivered a petition with 101,215 signatures to the Pentagon in support of Lt. Commander Wes Modder. The decorated U.S. Navy Chaplain was removed from his duties, will be brought before an official Board of Inquiry, and could be ultimately forced out of the military simply because he expressed biblical views of sexual morality, including homosexuality, when counseling another officer.

The petition asks Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and the Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to fully restore Chaplain Modder and drop all charges against him.

Of the petition Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said:

"More than 100,000 Americans are joining together in this petition to say they will not stand for service members being punished and driven out simply for living in accordance with their religious beliefs. The case of Chaplain Modder has the Navy's attention, as it should. Religious liberty is being targeted. We not only delivered petitions, we delivered a message – we will not back down from defending the religious liberty of those in the military."

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, Family Research Council's executive vice president, added:

"Chaplain Modder -- a Christian chaplain -- gave biblical counsel about sexual morality, and now he's in danger of losing his job. This kind of intimidation must not be allowed to continue. The chaplaincy exists in order to give spiritual care to men and women who serve our country, sacrifice much, and are often daily in harm's way. When a chaplain is not allowed to speak the tenets of his or her faith, what is left to speak?

"The action taken against Chaplain Wes Modder is unacceptable, and must be rescinded immediately. Chaplains in the military must be allowed to fully and freely represent in word and in deed the faith communities that have endorsed them," concluded Boykin.

To read the petition, click here: http://www.frc.org/alert/another-chaplain-needs-your-help

To learn more about the coalition, click here: http://militaryfreedom.org/

Chaplain Modder is legally represented by the Liberty Institute, one of dozens of groups that comprise the Restore Military Freedom Coalition, which is dedicated to defending religious expression in the U.S. Armed Forces.

SOURCE Family Research Council