WASHINGTON — The Alliance Defense Fund sent a letter to President Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Wednesday expressing concern over the effects that any change in military policy concerning homosexual behavior would have on the religious freedom of chaplains.

“Military chaplains who have volunteered to defend the liberties protected in our Constitution shouldn’t be denied those very same liberties,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot. “Forcing chaplains to deny the teachings of their faith in order to serve in the armed forces is a grave threat to the First Amendment and to the spiritual health of Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen who depend on them.”

“If the military is forced to promote homosexual behavior, for the first time in American history there will be open conflict between the virtues taught by chaplains and the moral message delivered by the military,” Theriot explained. “In such a conflict, it’s obvious who will win and who will lose. If the state favors the demands of the homosexual activists over the First Amendment, it is only a matter of time before the military censors the religious expression of its chaplains and marginalizes denominations that teach what the Bible says about homosexual behavior.”

The ADF letter lists numerous possible conflicts between the religious freedom of chaplains who do not morally approve of homosexual behavior and policy changes that would normalize such behavior, including whether they could sincerely adhere to their religious beliefs and still preach and counsel in keeping with those beliefs while serving as military chaplains.

“We urge you to reconsider your decision and avoid this collision with America’s most cherished and fundamental freedom of religious liberty,” the ADF letter explains. “You have our prayers as you consider this momentous impact on our armed forces.”