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United States Army Threatened With Lawsuit Over Chaplain’s Prayer to ‘Heavenly Father’
christiannews.net ^ | February 9, 2013 | Heather Clark

Posted on 02/11/2013 4:31:49 PM PST by ilovesarah2012

Washington, D.C. – The United States Army is being threatened with a lawsuit after a chaplain allegedly prayed to the Heavenly Father during an event at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, which offended an atheist soldier in attendance.

The Huffington Post reports that Staff Sergeant Victoria Gettman is unpleased with the response that she has received from her superiors in regard to complaints that she had lodged over the prayer, which was delivered last September. Gettman and a number of other soldiers were attending a mandatory suicide prevention session, which concluded with a prayer. The prayer itself was voluntary as soldiers were not required to participate.

Gettman states that she became offended because she believed it was obvious that the chaplain was delivering a Christian prayer.

“The chaplain said we have to have something bigger than ourselves. We need, and he stresses need, to have something divine in our life,” she said. “The entire theater was [then] forced into a mass Christian prayer. … I heard him refer to his ‘Heavenly Father’ and ‘Lord.’”

(Excerpt) Read more at christiannews.net ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: christianprayer
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To: ilovesarah2012

Sign of the times.

It’s only surprising that there are no witches or warlocks suing the United States Army for NOT praying to Satan.


61 posted on 02/11/2013 6:01:50 PM PST by Jack Hammer
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To: laweeks

totally agree, there are far too many of her ilk who have got into the military today.

They care about themselves and an agenda, I know some on here will not liek this but there are many who join not for love of country but for love of benefits, VA, etc.

I know one guy who is the son of my wife’s friend and hwo happens to be an idiot herself, as is her son.
He joined the national guard, got his girlfriend pregnant yet again and are jobless and money less unless they go out drinking.
He only joined to get hsi freebies and goes into chic fil a in uniform so his meal at this location will be fre and be thanked for hsi service.

His service is going to FT Benning and back to here in north east FL.

I never thought you can sue whilst serving too but one thing is for sure if she does not like God ten she does nto get paid and does not get her VA etc and should be thrown out as thousands like her should


62 posted on 02/11/2013 6:05:17 PM PST by manc (Marriage =1 man + 1 woman,when they say marriage equality then they should support polygamy)
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To: elcid1970

[Though I don’t believe the prayer was unconstitutional, I see that I’m in a distinct minority here with respect to what to do about the complaint. I can’t keep up with all the seemingly pro-Christian persons who are advocating violent suppression, but this and my next response apply to you all.]

>”Whatever became of old fashioned blanket parties?”<

Do you prefer that technique to burning dissenters at the stake, and if so, why? Do you believe it’s more Christian?


63 posted on 02/11/2013 6:05:38 PM PST by GJones2 (Religious dissenters and Christianity)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

>”An atheist goes to a religious event and is OFFENDED by the mention of God? I say we take him out back and beat the crap out of him because WE are offended by him.” [Blood of Tyrants]<

Again I wonder if this is preferable to burning him [actually it was a her] at the stake. Also is there a particular passage in the Old or New Testament that justifies taking her out in the back and beating the crap out of her?


64 posted on 02/11/2013 6:13:01 PM PST by GJones2 (Religious dissenters and Christianity)
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To: ilovesarah2012

our heavenly lesbian mother by surrogate


65 posted on 02/11/2013 6:14:35 PM PST by Scrambler Bob ( Concerning bo -- that refers to the president. If I capitalize it, I mean the dog.)
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To: fedupjohn

>”Can someone just shoot this worthless “Piece of Shit” [fedupjohn]<

I believe there are some passages in the Old Testament, in particular, that justify killing blasphemers and unbelievers, but some at least in the New Testament seem to recommend quite a different response, and postponing the unbelievers’ torment to after death (that is, if what they don’t believe in turns out to be true. If it isn’t, then there’s not much point in tormenting them. Actually I wonder what the point of tormenting them is anyway.)


66 posted on 02/11/2013 6:16:36 PM PST by GJones2 (Religious dissenters and Christianity)
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To: GJones2

This is a good place to blow off a little steam-many are frustrated and scared seeing all of our countries traditions and preciously held beliefs thrown to the wind. Try to be tolerant. Personally I wish non Christians would be a little more tolerant of Christians. Maybe a little more patient and understanding of the fact that many feel they are under assault. I mean no disrespect. Just offering a different perspective.


67 posted on 02/11/2013 6:18:31 PM PST by murrie (For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son.......)
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To: Jack Hammer

Wicca, a leading Neopagan religion
US Army chaplain’s handbook: Excerpt on Wicca

http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_usbk.htm


68 posted on 02/11/2013 6:23:31 PM PST by ilovesarah2012
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To: ilovesarah2012

Why are those that are truly atheists, offended by a prayer to a diety, that they don’t believe exists? To them, it should be brushed off, as though they just happen to be amongst a group of people temporarily speaking a foreign language. If they think it is nothing but vanity, why are they offended?

I think some of these ignorant souls just do this for attention. Maybe they can see who is the best at unbelief with their own show: “American Atheist Idol”.

Seems like an appropriate show title, since man is their god.


69 posted on 02/11/2013 6:26:03 PM PST by Zuriel (Acts 2:38,39....nearly 2,000 years and still working today!)
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To: ilovesarah2012

Hopefully, her fellow soldiers will make this b*tch eagerly await the first day of her sorry civilian life.

Enough!

Make her life hell.


70 posted on 02/11/2013 6:32:25 PM PST by Da Coyote
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To: Neoliberalnot

Iwas thinking the same thing. More than likely a homo.

Probably ugly as sin too.

Oh well God bless her.


71 posted on 02/11/2013 6:41:55 PM PST by Venturer
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To: GJones2
I can’t keep up with all the seemingly pro-Christian persons who are advocating violent suppression, but this and my next response apply to you all.


72 posted on 02/11/2013 6:54:06 PM PST by rollo tomasi (Working hard to pay for deadbeats and corrupt politicians.)
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To: ilovesarah2012

“Heavenly Father Mohamhead” would have been more acceptable even to an atheist.


73 posted on 02/11/2013 7:00:00 PM PST by Right Wing Assault (Dick Obama is more inexperienced now than he was before he was elected.)
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To: murrie

You toss a blanket over the individual and knock the stuffing out of them, so that they understand their actions have fallen outside the scope of acceptable behavior.


74 posted on 02/11/2013 7:10:33 PM PST by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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To: GJones2

My punishment is a lot more lenient than what she ultimately faces.


75 posted on 02/11/2013 7:11:40 PM PST by Blood of Tyrants (There is no requirement to show need in order to exercise your rights.)
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To: SampleMan

Hmmm. Thot so. Sounds effective.


76 posted on 02/11/2013 7:32:34 PM PST by murrie (For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son.......)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

> “My punishment is a lot more lenient than what she ultimately faces.”<

Well, if eternal torment awaits unbelievers, yes. I’ve always found that hard to reconcile with the idea of a merciful God (or any God worth worshiping, as opposed to a Devil).

What I asked, though, is “...is there a particular passage in the Old or New Testament that justifies taking her out in the back and beating the crap out of her?” I don’t think the Golden Rule would.


77 posted on 02/11/2013 7:49:33 PM PST by GJones2 (Religious dissenters and Christianity)
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To: murrie

> This is a good place to blow off a little steam...

I realize that people like to blow off steam, and that in the West these kinds of threats rarely get carried out (not in the name of Christianity anyway — in contrast with what often happens to those who offend Muslims in Muslim countries). Still, such threats don’t seem to be at all consistent with the Golden Rule.

Putting themselves in her place, how would those who want to beat this woman up like having a rather involved religious ceremony — one that expressed religious concepts that they opposed — tied in with a mandatory military meeting, apparently without a clear point of separation and without giving adequate time for those who didn’t wish to participate to leave. That seems to have been the problem.

[If something had been said to clearly mark the division — like “That ends the mandatory part of the meeting. Those who would like to stay for the chaplain’s talk and religious ceremony are welcome to do so.” — then I don’t think she’d have had any justification for her complaint.)

Even without a clear division of the two talks I don’t think general references to God and other religious content amount to an establishment of religion (which I think the Founders took to mean something like the Established Church in England — after all, just a few years previously the Declaration of Independence had referred to a “Creator” and “Nature’s God”).

Still, it seems to me that the Golden Rule would require giving people time to make their own choices about whether to participate in religious ceremonies. It would also require refraining from beating them up if they complain that there weren’t given that time.


78 posted on 02/11/2013 7:54:19 PM PST by GJones2 (Religious dissenters and Christianity)
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To: GJones2

Why would God have mercy to those who deny even His existence and live their entire lives as if there wouold never be a reckoning? Mercy is reserved for those who go to Him and ask for it.

Beating the crap out of her would be for my benefit.


79 posted on 02/11/2013 8:02:19 PM PST by Blood of Tyrants (There is no requirement to show need in order to exercise your rights.)
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To: ilovesarah2012

If the chaplain hadn’t said any prayer, I’d have taken that as being in support of this militant atheist’s religious beliefs and I’d have been offended.


80 posted on 02/11/2013 8:03:19 PM PST by Washi (PUSH BACK! Encourage your legislators to introduce pro-second amendment legislation.)
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