The United States Army Chaplaincy Norton H A Struggling For Recognition 1791 1865

This volume is one of a series of five prepared by various authors, designed to be useful and instructive regarding the long history of the United States Army Chaplaincy. The emphasis throughout is on how chaplains did their ministry in the contexts of both war and peace. The series seeks to present as full and as balanced an account as limitations of space and research time permit. The bibliography in each volume offers opportunities for further research.This volume covers the period from 1791 to 1865.This volume is the work of Chaplain Herman A. Norton, a Reserve Component chaplain of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Chaplain Norton is a native of Virginia and received his A.B. degree from Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, Virginia. His B.D., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees were earned at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, where he has taught since 1951. He served as a chaplain for two years in the Pacific during World War II, and has been active in the United States Army Reserve since 1947. He has attained the grade of Brigadier General in the Army Reserve.

Americans of the Early Republic devoted close attention to the question of what should be the proper relationship between church and state. Kabala examines this debate across six decades and shows that an understanding of this period is not possible without appreciating the key role religion played in the formation of the nation.

How does religion shape the modern battlefield? Ron E. Hassner proposes that religion acts as a force multiplier, both enabling and constraining military operations. This is true not only for religiously radicalized fighters but also for professional soldiers. In the last century, religion has influenced modern militaries in the timing of attacks, the selection of targets for assault, the zeal with which units execute their mission, and the ability of individual soldiers to face the challenge of war. Religious ideas have not provided the reasons why conventional militaries fight, but religious practices have influenced their ability to do so effectively. In Religion on the Battlefield, Hassner focuses on the everyday practice of religion in a military context: the prayers, rituals, fasts, and feasts of the religious practitioners who make up the bulk of the adversaries, bystanders, and observers during armed conflicts. To show that religious practices have influenced battlefield decision making, Hassner draws most of his examples from major wars involving Western militaries. They include British soldiers in the trenches of World War I, U.S. pilots in World War II, and U.S. Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hassner shows that even modern, rational, and bureaucratized military organizations have taken—and must take—religious practice into account in the conduct of war.