April 21, 2003
Army says chaplain didn't barter baptisms for baths
___By Adelle Banks
___Religion News Service
___WASHINGTON (RNS)--A U.S. Army inquiry has determined that a Southern Baptist chaplain in Iraq who reportedly was giving baptisms to dirty soldiers desiring baths has not been using coercion.
___"I am confident that Chaplain (Josh) Llano does not, has not and will not use coercion in the exercise of his official responsibilities," said Col. Al Buckner, director of operations at the Army's chief of chaplains office at the Pentagon.
___A report from the Knight Ridder news agency about Llano's possible exchange of baptisms for baths prompted strong criticism from organizations concerned about church-state separation.
___That news story stated that the 32-year-old chaplain, who described himself as a "Southern Baptist evangelist," told a reporter: "It's simple. They want water. I have it, as long as they agree to get baptized."
___A statement from the U.S. Army's Office of the Chief of Public Affairs said Llano does not recall making such a statement.
___"He did make some of the remarks the reporter attributed to him, but not all to her, and not in the context or with the intent the article appeared to suggest," the statement said.
___The Army said soldiers at Camp Bushmaster were not suffering from a water shortage and the chaplain was only given water for baptism after water needs of the soldiers were met.
___"Soldiers had no need to resort to being baptized to get clean," the Army said.
___Mark Seibel, managing editor of The Miami Herald, defended the original story by Meg Laughlin, a Herald reporter who is covering the war in Iraq for the news agency.
___"I don't think the story suggested coercion," he said. "That's just how some people want to read it. ... We stand by the story as it was written. He made the remarks that he made, and Meg was not the only person who heard them."
___The military service said the chaplain recently has conducted 57 baptisms at the base camp, but most were for Christian soldiers who wanted to be baptized as a reaffirmation of their faith or because they never had previously taken part in the rite.
___The Army also said there was no coercion to attend Bible study, a daily voluntary activity.
___"Significantly, no soldier at Camp Bushmaster has complained or commented that the chaplain coerced anyone in any way," the statement added.
___Lt. Col. Eric Wester, spokesman for the Army chief of chaplains office, said the Army report was based on information from a commander, public affairs office and supervisory chaplains in the region.
___Martin King, a spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board, said the Army's findings demonstrate that there may have been a misunderstanding between Llano and a reporter.
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