World Religions and Advisement

Welcome to the US Army Religious Leader Accademy (USARLA) World Religions and Advisement page. At USARLA, we teach students the theory and practice behind the required capability to advise the command on matters pertaining to religion within and external to the unit. Students learn to add analytical skills to their existing knowledge in a way that equips them to advise the command about religion's impact. 

Key components of World Religions and Advisement include:

-Religious Accommodation

-Religious Support in a Pluralistic Context (Perform or Provide)

-Managing Distinctive Religious Group Leaders

-Internal Advisement: advising the command about religion, morals, and morale within units and ethical decision making of the command

-External Advisement: advising the command about the mission impact of religion within an area of operations. Includes the external advisement products of Religious Area Analysis and Religious Impact Assessment and the external advisement activity of Soldier and Leader Engagement.

These and other issues are discussed in the World Religions and Advisement Smart Book: 2021.  It is a practical resource for Unit Ministry Teams and points to key references for more in-depth training and study. UMTs can also use this list of websites pertaining to several religious groups in learning or refreshing their knowledge of various world religions. 

Resources on Religious Accommodation and              Religious Freedom

HQDA EXORD 298-20: Religious Liberty and Religious Accommodation Training (15 October 2020). This EXORD requires senior CH Corps Leaders to train commanders and select staff within their organizations on revised AR 600-20 policies regarding religious accommodation and religious liberty. The OCCH RL/RA Training (02 MAY 23) is the current version suitable for all audiences. 

Office of the Chief of Chaplains Religious Liberty and Accommodation Training (02 MAY 23). This comprehensive training package includes foundations of religious liberty and accommodation, AR 600-20 policy and processes, the roles of commanders and UMTs in religious accommodation, supplementary resources and templates, and practical exercises. 

Expedient PCC Religious Accommodation Training. Much shortened version of the OCCH RL/RA training packet above for PCCs with limited time. It highlights the most pertinent command team religous accommodation facets. However, this does not substitue for the OCCH RL/RA training packet as it it lacks much material, to include AR 600-20's policy guidance and processes.

Religious Accommodation Interview Questionnaire. Contains a confidentiality waiver for the Soldier seeking a religious accommodation and lists specific questions pertaining to the religious basis of the request and the sincerity of the request. 

AR 600-20, Army Command Policy (24 July 2020). This updated version of the AR supersedes all previous ALARACTs and Army Directives pertaining to religious accommodation. See Paragraph 5-6 and Appendix P. 

Department of Defense Instruction 1300.17, Religious Liberty in the Military Services (1 September 2020). This updated version of the DoDI provides clear guidance on the free exercise of religion and the accommodation and expression of sincerely held beliefs in keeping with the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Historically Addressing Religion - Part 1. This product works in tandem with the Free Exercise of Religion special publication and presents how commanders may share thier religion in order to support Soldiers' spiritual readiness. You may further access the special publication at https://usarlatraining.army.mil/special-publications.

Historically Addressing Religion - Part 2. This product presents a much truncated Religious Accommodation brief. However, it lacks the necessary AR 600-20 depth provided by the OCCH RA Presentation (02 MAY 23) listed above. 

Historically Addressing Religion - Part 3. This product simply presents how the Army defines spiritual readiness.

Historically Addressing Religion Notes. These notes accompany the Historically Addressing Religion parts one and three.

Frequently Asked Questions (01 OCT 23). This document provides answers to frequently asked religious accommmodation and religious liberty questions.

US State Department Training Course: Promoting International Religious Freedom 

Additional Resources for Religious Advisement

The following resources can assist in further developing the required capability to advise the command about religion's impact on the mission, both internally and externally:

ATP 1-05.04: Religious Support and Internal Advisement (March 2017)

Interactive Multi-Media Instruction: Chaplain Corps Digital Reference on Internal Advisement

ATP 1-05.03: Religious Support and External Advisement (January 2019)

Interactive Multi-Media Instruction: Chaplain Corps Digital Reference on External Advisement

GTA 41-01-005: Religious Factors Analysis (February 2015)

Advisement Coaching Form (developed by Chaplain Jody Harlow, 4th Infantry Division)

Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation by Miroslav Volf (1996)

Nonviolence and Peace Building in Islam: Theory and Practice by Mohammed Abu-Nimer (2003)

Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know--and Doesn't  by Stephen Prothero (2008)

The Penguin Handbook of the World's Living Religions edited by John R. Hinnells (2010)

God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World by Stephen Prothero (2011)

Religion and Foreign Affairs: Essential Readings edited by Dennis R. Hoover & Douglas M. Johnston (2012)

Military Chaplains as Agents of Peace: Religious Leader Engagement in Conflict and Post-conflict Environments  by S. K. Moore (2013)

Military Chaplains in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Beyond: Advisement and Leader Engagement in Highly Religious Environments edited by Eric Patterson (2014)

My Brother's Faith: Understanding the Beliefs of Others without Compromising Your Own by Chaplain (Brigadier General, Retired) Carlton Fisher (2014)

The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State by Graeme Wood (2017)

Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt by Alec Ryrie (2019)

How to Develop and Execute World Religions Training

1. Examine Chaplain's required capability tasks related to world religions (ICTLs) on the Chaplaincy Task Analyst page.
2. Download the tasks from CAR you would like to train. Input and search on the task number or task title in CAR or ATN.
3. Read the performance steps and performance measures from each task.
4. Use the outline from the performance steps to create your training.
5. Collaborate with a World Religion Chaplain to enhance your training.
6. Use resources on this page to enhance your training.
7. Plan and resource your training in conjunction with your S3.  Use the Orders Process.
8. Conduct the training using the Army Learning Model.
9. Look for a demonstration of competency in learners to see if they meet the performance objective related to each task.
10. Evaluate training using the AAR process.

 

Questions or comments?  Email the USARLA World Religions SME.