Hypotheses on Religion in the Military

Military and Religion

“…9-15). Nevertheless, not only have militaries not been completely divorced from religiosity, but their permeation by religious authorities and trends has increased during and since the Cold-War era, as Hassner (2016a) noted.…”

“…In the post-Cold War era, there were many indications that religious authorities had expanded their influence within the military, leading to growing interference in military affairs and provoking political debates. However, as Ron Hassner (2016a) identified, the scholarship on religion in the military lags behind post-Cold War developments, especially those prevalent in the US military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nonetheless, he considers the most developed area to be the study of religion in the context of civil-military relations.…”

Theorizing Desecularization of the Military: The United States and Israel

“…Attempting to remedy this lacuna, Hassner’s collection analyzed military-religious relations from different perspectives. Thereafter, Hassner (2016a) offered several hypotheses about the role of religion in the military but still left several significant gaps.…”

“…As part of their traditional, spiritual, semipsychological roles (Hassner, 2016a, p. 9; Herspring, 2001, p. 46), chaplains increasingly provided a variety of therapeutic resources. The novelty was not necessarily in the services per se; rather, it was in their increasing value to the military as it became more concerned with psychological issues in society, arising from increasing intolerance of the sacrifices demanded in Iraq and Afghanistan.…”

“…The novelty was not necessarily in the services per se; rather, it was in their increasing value to the military as it became more concerned with psychological issues in society, arising from increasing intolerance of the sacrifices demanded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Chaplains created group rituals and consultative sessions that offered soldiers psychological support by developing a sense of cohesion, camaraderie, and an emotional outlet through which they could manage their fears, traumas, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (Hassner, 2016a, pp. 13, 14).…”