In reply to Robert Bjornstad.

You are absolutely correct that when we take our oath as a military member we swear or affirm that we will support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, and we take the oath under the assumption that those who defend freedom also get to exercise the freedoms explicitly guaranteed in the Constitution. This is precisely why we wrote the letter to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. One of the most fundamental freedoms and liberties in our Constitution is that we have free exercise of religion. The Department of Defense needs to respect the constitutionally protected freedoms of medical doctors and all medical personnel (military and civilian) who do not want to be forced to participate in medical procedures that violate their faith. Neither should our military men and women be forced to compromise their conscience and deeply held religious beliefs on human sexuality by forcing them to celebrate and/or condone the LGBT lifestyle. One of the important roles of the LCMS Ministry to the Armed forces is to defend and maintain religious liberty and freedom of expression and conscience that the constitution guarantees our chaplains and those whom they serve. We pray that the United States of America continues to be a nation where all chaplains, and every military person whom they serve, may continue to freely exercise their God-given and constitutionally protected religious liberty without fear of reprisal.