Atheist soldier sues Army for 'unconstitutional' discrimination

[stratomagi]

KANSAS CITY, Kansas (CNN) -- Army Spc. Jeremy Hall was raised Baptist.

Like many Christians, he said grace before dinner and read the Bible before bed. Four years ago when he was deployed to Iraq, he packed his Bible so he would feel closer to God.

He served two tours of duty in Iraq and has a near perfect record. But somewhere between the tours, something changed. Hall, now 23, said he no longer believes in God, fate, luck or anything supernatural.

Hall said he met some atheists who suggested he read the Bible again. After doing so, he said he had so many unanswered questions that he decided to become an atheist.

His sudden lack of faith, he said, cost him his military career and put his life at risk. Hall said his life was threatened by other troops and the military assigned a full-time bodyguard to protect him out of fear for his life was threatened by other troops and the military assigned a full-time bodyguard to protect him out of fear for his safety.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/08/atheist.soldier/index.html

I disagree with the articles simplified characterization of why Hall converted to atheism as just having too many unanswered questions. That being said I also have a friend who is a former marine and an atheist, he served 2 tours in Iraq and described similar treatment.

[sakabatou]

1. So the First Amendment doesn't apply to the military?

[stratomagi]

2. Its set up to be very pro Christian.

According to my friend there was time on Sunday in boot camp specifically to go to church, and its not like you could do anything else like write a letter or clean your equipment, you and everyone else had to go to church...so i dunno i guess they assume everyone joining can't possibly be anything but a flag waving Uberchristian so they won't mind anyway.

[riverdale]

6. yes and no

That's true about time being set aside to go to church, but not true that you had to. One other guy and me didn't want to go to the church service during basic. They made us stay back and do hard work like scrubbing floors or moving furniture. The church time was supposed to be like a fun break for everyone. It was bullshit. One weekend I went to the service to avoid the work detail, then decided I preferred hard labor to church.. ha ha

[rpannier]

3. When I was in the Army I had a copy of Anton S. LaVey's Satanic Bible

I'm not a Satanist, nor am I an Atheist.
But, the reactions I got from some of the "true Christians" was rather aggressive.

I sympathize with ths guy.

[marlakay]

4. My military kids have given up religion too

but said they did so in college after a religion class studying all of them. Said that the more they learned about all of them the one they were taught didn't make sense anymore, in fact none of them did.

But my son n law is captain in air force and pretty much all at base is religious my daughter says so they are very low key about not believing or going to church. She has many christian friends and just respects their beliefs but is quiet about hers worried about her husbands career path if they are open about their lack of faith.

Not only faith but being a democrat also. They are the ones who first got me to obama but when i brought a cute teddy bear last month to my 5 month old gran baby with a tshirt on it that says, support the troops vote for obama 08, I thought she would like it but she said mom I can't have that in the house.

Something is wrong when our troops don't have freedom of speech, religion, or political preference without worrying about their careers.

[izquierdista]

5. Gott mit uns!

The more stories like this I hear and the more Army commercials I see on the TV, the more I am convinced that the Wehrmacht was never defeated, they just put on different uniforms.

[Cid_B]

7. As someone...

who wears the uniform you so easily denigrate.... You have my pity...

[izquierdista]

9. Take it off

Your nakedness will remind you that you are the same as the people you repress.

[silverojo]

8. Christians suck.

Military Christians, doubly so.

Sorry, but it had to be said.