Military Chaplain: Religious Education Helps Build Patriotism In Armed Forces

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This is stated in an Ukrinform publication titled“He put aside the cross and took up a rifle.”

“Religious education helps promote military-patriotic values in modern armed forces. After all, one cannot love God without loving one's homeland. A spiritually mature believer understands that they must defend their home and their country,” said Father Vasyl Borysevych, a chaplain with the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 123rd Unmanned Systems Brigade Code of Orion.

According to him, during confessions and conversations, service members often ask how they should reconcile their military duties with God's commandment,“Thou shalt not kill.” This is particularly relevant to deeply religious believers.

“They ask: 'What am I supposed to do? I have broken one of the main commandments. Will I now burn in hell?' We try to explain that in Scripture, the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' does not apply to warriors. It refers to those who want to take someone's life for some selfish purpose, for example, to seize another person's property. But protecting your family and loved ones is different. The Gospel of John says: 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,'” the chaplain explained.

He stressed that no religious denomination prohibits military service. Many service members serve in the rear, provide logistical support, work as medics, prepare food, and perform other duties.

“It is another matter when people use their faith as a pretext for failing to fulfill their duty to defend their homeland. There are even such cases among clergy who are mobilized after five years of war and then complain that their rights are being violated,” the chaplain said.

Read also: Military chaplain s undergo training both in Ukraine and abroad

As reported by Ukrinform, representatives of different religious denominations in the Ukrainian Armed Forces coexist harmoniously and demonstrate a high level of military brotherhood.

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