Posted on 04/06/2011 10:48:33 AM PDT by UndauntedR
The cliche notwithstanding, there are atheists in foxholes.
In fact, atheists, agnostics, humanists and other assorted skeptics from the Army's Fort Bragg have formed an organization in a pioneering effort to win recognition and ensure fair treatment for nonbelievers in the overwhelmingly Christian U.S. military.
"We exist, we're here, we're normal," said Sgt. Justin Griffith, chief organizer of Military Atheists and Secular Humanists, or MASH. "We're also in foxholes. That's a big one, right there."
For now, the group meets regularly in homes and bars outside of Fort Bragg, one of the biggest military bases in the country. But it is going through the long bureaucratic process to win official recognition from the Army as a distinct "faith" group.
That would enable it to meet on base, advertise its gatherings and, members say, serve more effectively as a haven for like-minded soldiers.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Who cares? It doesn’t offend me if someone in the military does not believe in God.
Is this somehow supposed to be controversial?
Granddad told me that while in England in the months before D-Day, there were a couple atheists in his unit.
When June 6th arrived, the closer the landing craft got to Normandy with all the blood in the water, the atheists were praying the loudest.
By the time the Battle of the Bulge occurred, whenever there was a mass/service, the tent was standing room only.
BTW my comment is directed to the article, not to you.
A lot of people seem to have a problem with this. I don’t. This article is an extension of a smaller one from yesterday which got heated:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2700051/posts
Yeah, I’ve been seeing a lot of that lately. I don’t have a problem with it either.
I don’t understand why non-believers feel the need to form collective groups. To me, non-belief is a way of rejecting false collectivism. Forming an atheists club to compete with religious groups just gives more fuel to the people who argue that atheism is a religion.
The military is there to fight to protect everyone’s right to worship as they see fit...or not. I have never heard of atheism being a problem for members of the military. Unlike being gay it has no obvious impact upon operations, morale or combat readiness.
There was a Wiccan in my Basic Training Platoon. Biggest screw up of the whole lot. And that is saying a ton! My Drill Sgt. said he would be dead or in prison in three years or less.
Do you wonder why atheists have to “meet”...?
You would think they would just party til the cows come home and sleep-in on Sundays
Or is this a mutual pity party about how hard it is to have live among ignorant believers who offend them with hymns, occasional public utterances of the names “Jesus” or “God”, statues, plaques bearing the The Commandments, and holidays...
South Park’s Trey Parker (hardly a Bible Thumper) said it best,
“Basically ... out of all the ridiculous religion stories which are greatly, wonderfully ridiculous — the silliest one I’ve ever heard is, ‘Yeah ... there’s this big giant universe and it’s expanding, it’s all gonna collapse on itself and we’re all just here just ‘cause ... just ‘cause’. That, to me, is the most ridiculous explanation ever.”
I bet he was voted, "Most Likely to Be Fragged By His Own Troops."
A late friend of mine spent some quality time in foxholes in WW2. He assured me that when the moment of truth came, his “atheist” compatriots could pray in their foxholes with the best of them, crying out for God and mom to save them.
You have to be pretty arrogant to believe
“I know enough about the whole universe to unequivocally state that there isn’t a Creator”
What amazes me is that atheist’s spend so much time and effort fighting something they do not believe in.
However; most atheists you are ever going to actually hear of - are not actually a-theists at all - they are anti-theists.
It is because of them that atheists are the most despised religious minority in America - despite not showing any propensity to fly jet planes into skyscrapers.
“I know enough about the whole universe to unequivocally state that there isn’t a Creator”
That would be explicit atheism. Implicit atheism is simply the lack of belief in a god or gods.
It's the fighting what you believe in that takes all their time, and is the real focus.
These are atheists organizing for activism. They will cleanse the military of the G and J words. They will do it in the name of separation of church and state and gay rights. They will totally supress and punish uppity Christians who don’t keep their religion in the closet as ordered.
I knew this was coming next.
Kid's 20 years old and has 3 kids. For their sake, I hope he makes it.
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