How dare an atheist fight for his country! The only thing worse in a REAL soldier’s eyes would be if this scumbag were also gay. Right? I SAID RIGHT, MAGGOTS! I CAN’T HEEEEAAAARRRR YOU!
Atheist soldier claims harassment
Like hundreds of young men joining the Army in recent years, Jeremy Hall professes a desire to serve his country while it fights terrorism.
But the short and soft-spoken specialist is at the center of a legal controversy. He has filed a lawsuit alleging that he’s been harassed and his constitutional rights have been violated because he doesn’t believe in God. The suit names Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
[…]
It eventually came out in Iraq in 2007, when he was in a firefight. Hall was a gunner on a Humvee, which took several bullets in its protective shield. Afterward, his commander asked whether he believed in God, Hall said.“I said, ‘No, but I believe in Plexiglas,’ ” Hall said. “I’ve never believed I was going to a happy place. You get one life. When I die, I’m worm food.”
The issue came to a head when, according to Hall, a superior officer, Maj. Freddy J. Welborn, threatened to bring charges against him for trying to hold a meeting of atheists in Iraq. Welborn has denied Hall’s allegations.
And in a vaguely, yet not totally unrelated story, an anthropologist describes how religion is a figment of human imagination.
Totally agree. We need more inner city, god loving, gang banging, rapist, felony charged thugs in the Army. Not Atheists.
Neo-cons have taken over the military.
You would think that they would allow atheists since the troops are spread so thin.
One of my favorite chuckles has always been over the dweebs who prate the old saw, “there are no atheists in foxholes” – because only the superstitious who think their prayers will get them through combat say crap like that.
My closest friend was the most decorated soldier in his home state during WW2. Awarded every possible medal for valor in combat excepting the Congressional Medal of Honor (for which he was nominated) – he had 16 months in a VA Hospital after the war to reflect on a number of issues – including his atheism, philosophical materialism, the politics of war and profit – and many other topics which grunts are supposed to ignore.
It strengthened his resolve to oppose ignorance.
Deploying to Bosnia while in the Army started what became the deconversion process that made me the outspoken atheist I am today. The military wasn’t as evangelical then as it is now. I’m really afraid of where that type of leadership is taking our military these days. I applaud Spec. Hall for standing up for himself and his fellow atheist soldiers.
Why would it be against some sort of military regulation to organise a meeting of Atheists?
On the one hand, the Army &co. won’t know about your religious affiliation unless you tell them. You could lie and make all the right noises, but (on the other hand) we atheists tend to have a few problems with hypocrisy of any stripe. In a free country, you can say what you mean, and act in accordance with your beliefs, or lack thereof. See also http://www.maaf.info/
#3 – moss,
You’re correct. The statement about atheists in foxholes is indeed crap. What’s worse is that it’s highly offensive crap to the atheists in the military that are indeed fighting and sometimes dying in foxholes.
http://www.atheistfoxholes.org/
Poor Jeremy Hall. He’s weak and unsure of himself. I hope he finds the strength he lacks through this lawsuit.
As some one who was in the military, I call B.S. Matters of faith are a matter of personal choice. Did we have chaplains? Yes, but those chaplains were required to treat all faiths equally, it would not be uncommon, for a Christian chaplain to hear a confession from a Muslim if their was no Muslim chaplain available.
What you have here (if some of this is true) is a individuals who are acting like assholes, and furthermore are violating orders. And as this board has proven many times, their are Atheists who can be just as intolerant and hateful as the most crazy fundamentalist.
Yes, but atheism is not a faith.
Poor j_anis. He/She’s weak and unsure of him/herself. I hope he/she finds the strength he/she lacks by posting anonymous, ignorant ad-hominem attacks on the interwebitubes.
#9,
Out of curiosity, did you even read the news article?
>>Atheists who can be just as intolerant
>>and hateful as the most crazy
>>fundamentalist.
That’s the God’s honest truth.
>>it would not be uncommon, for a Christian
>>chaplain to hear a confession from a Muslim
Do Muslims go to confession? Other than Catholics, most Christians don’t even go to confession.
Candidate for the “Medal of Freedom” !!!
Not to pick nits or anything, Unk, but “atheist” is spelled “atheist”, not “athiest”.
[Fixed. Thanks! –UD]
How can the army know when a group of atheists is meeting together?
A bunch of guys standing around and not praying?
Bob #9
I agree with natefrog. Did you bother reading the article b4 you commented? Apparently not. I really wish religious people would stop pushing their imaginary friends down our throats. Oh my science ! Bob. I just spelled you name backwards and it still spells Bob. I guess there really must be a dog! Bob?!
#9 – And as this board has proven many times, their are Atheists who can be just as intolerant and hateful as the most crazy fundamentalist.
Back that bullshit up.
natefrog and bob,
Just because perhaps we disagree doesn’t mean I didn’t read the article. It must be terribly unpleasant for you, living in a world full of all kinds of people.
natefrog, what is your name and address?
The point is, we’re all anonymous here.
And what I said has nothing to do with being for or against religion. It’s just that I don’t think Jeremy will find what he’s looking for in a lawsuit.
natefrog and bob, I respect and appreciate both your opinions.
Kill for baby Jesus.
We need more atheists in the world. Heck, just look at how the world is getting better all the time as more and more stupid ‘god shite’ is taken out of the way of progress.
As the churches lose their grip on society, crime is going down, violence is going down, prosperity is going up, people are happier and more peaceful than ever. Poverty is practically a thing of the past now that we’ve managed to get god-botherers out of their do-gooders’ interference.
And for all those people who say that there have been evil atheists, bollocks to them. Communists are not atheists and throughout history, atheists have done nothing but good.
It’s religion that starts wars, not money, not oil not water.
All hail knee-jerk reactions to jerk religious freaks!
#19;
So you have no qualms with your ad-hominem attack? Fine.
So are you trying to sound condescending and self-righteous, or does it just come naturally?
#21 – rcopeh,
Let me beat Mr. Mustard to the punch on this one. Even as an atheist, I cannot agree with the statement, “atheists have done nothing but good.”
As far as I know, evil has been committed by atheists, just not in the name of atheism. People typically need an ideology for which to commit atrocities. Atheism fails this test in the vast majority (all?) cases.
Communism on the other hand is a fine ideology for which to kill. In fact, when coupled with extreme paranoia, it produced the greatest mass murderer in history.
But, it would be incorrect to state that Stalin was not an atheist. He most certainly was an atheist. He was also a communist and an extreme case of paranoia.
#23 – me,
Also, sociopaths need no religion or ideology to kill. They just need to feel like doing it.
Bush and his cronies have deliberately promoted those who are yes-men and religo-fanatics in their mold because they are easily controlled. They’ve also done this as a war on professionalism, which is the neocon’s nemesis. Without true professional soldiers, who really don’t care what religion you are as long as you follow orders while thinking about what you are doing as a stop gap to doing the wrong thing, our military becomes simply an arm of the stronmen (or women) on top, no better than hired thugs.
This guy didn’t tow the line in one way so he’s given pressure to change or face retaliation. Radical religion is just one of the hallmarks of the lap-dogs in charge. It makes people more easy to use, to get to point and shoot. And, this particular brand of false religion they promote also allow for such things as telling the young recruits to kill babies during training. It makes them more easily desensitized and pliable, and as a side affect more likely to commit atrocities and have horrible psychologic disorders afterwards, especially when they are discarded by the system as the chattel they are pressure-formed in the image of.
Sorry if this sounds condescending and self-righteous but the facts show otherwise.
I think this guy and everyone else should have the right to beleive or not beleive in anything they choose. But let’s all rememeber there is one absolute truth.
“Not Everyone That Files A Lawsuit Is Telling The Truth.”
Apparently it is quite true that there are no atheists in foxholes. Because either there are far, far fewer atheists than anyone ever thought or they avoid the military for some “unexplainable” reason.
I smell an agenda as gentle Army Spc. Jeremy Hall “sues U.S. for religious discrimination.” (That’s kinda funny.)
RBG
#26;
And the corollary argument to your smear-attempt:
“Not Everyone That [sic] Files A Lawsuit Is Being Deceitful.”
#27;
Apparently you don’t have anything to bring to the conversation.
>>As far as I know, evil has been committed by
>>atheists, just not in the name of atheism.
>>People typically need an ideology for which
>>to commit atrocities.
Scottie, if you deny that atheism is an ideology, you’re far less intelligent than I thought. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
And yes, the evil was committed in the name of atheism. Why do you think the atheist singled out believers to slaughter? Luck of the draw?