To create a more unifying and open-minded ritual, the Norwegian Armed Forces abolish the prayer ritual during the roll calls of the Norwegian Armed Forces.
The Armed Forces Joint Services (FST) recommended last week that an “ethical appeal” should replace the ritual, Vartland reports. The purpose of replacing the prayer is to create a unifying tradition that embraces everyone, regardless of worldview. No one will be able to apply for an exemption.
Lieutenant Colonel Torstein Holton says that the prayer is a very old tradition, which takes place just before soldiers are sent into battle or another action. According to him, the practice allowed the commander to provide the soldiers with final warnings in advance of an operation and was at the same time a tool for increasing unity and morality among soldiers. Holton says that the tradition goes back to a time when Christianity played a much more significant role in society and the lives of individuals.” The prayer typically includes the Lord's prayer, the Blessing and a few words of reflection, Holton tells Vårt Land. He adds that what the ethical appeal will look like depends on the situation.
According to Brigadier Knut Espen Høidal, the leader of the Armed Forces' faith and philosophy corps, it is essential to maintain a platform where the Armed Forces' ethical and value base is communicated. He thinks that this purpose will be fulfilled by an ethical appeal as well.
A significant change will be that the Faith and Philosophy Corps does not have to lead the ethical appeal. A company commander, troop commander, or other soldiers are also allowed to speak. At the same time, the Faith and Philosophy Corps will remain responsible for the ethical education of the troops, Holten says.
The Bishop of Oslo, Kari Veiteberg, says that the changes are in line with the church's assessment. Veiteberg is responsible for the Faith and Philosophy Church. She states that it is self-evident that one moves away from the common prayer. “Religious practice must be voluntary.”
Christian Tybring-Sjedde, the Defense policy spokesman for the Progress Party, criticises the decision to abolish the prayer ritual. He says to Dagen that this is part of the “de-Christianisation” in secular society. “You tear off our own cultural identity.” According to Tybring-Sjedde, minorities are not excluded by the religious ritual because everyone is invited to participate. “How this great voluntary unity is turned into being exclusive and negative is beyond all reason”, he says. “As long as all religious practice is voluntary, which it is, and the Armed Forces do not conduct missionary activities, which do not happen, current practice in the Armed Forces is both justifiable and desirable.”
It is not the first time that the prayer ritual has been disputed. Last autumn, the debate flared up again after a columnist criticised the practice. Earlier, the Ministry of Defence asked the Council for Ethics on the Defense Sector to assess the role of Christianity in the Armed Forces.
The Council concluded that Christianity has become too prominent in the Armed Forces, Vårt Land reported. One of the recommendations of the Council was that joint ceremonies should not be linked to a denomination or specific religion.
