[betty boop]

... a "non"theist isn't necessarily an "a"theist.....

That's certainly true, dear xzins! Buddhism and Hinduism are examples of "non"theistic belief systems.

To me, the term "American Atheist" is an oxymoron.... There were zero atheists among the ranks of the Founders/Framers.

You wrote:

And to suggest that the individual is not possessed of a "spirit" is to deny that death renders the flesh different than it was prior to death. Something has "left" or "leaked out" or "changed" or whatever term one wishes to use.

Indeed. We can't directly "see" what has "left" or "leaked out" or "changed" at death; but we can directly observe the result of its having left.

Thank you so very much for your insightful essay/post!

[Jacquerie]

Lost in this discussion is the core issue, doing what is best for our troops. Healing a traumatized mind is in the interest of the mission. If this program helps, it should be continued.

Constitutional rights baloney from atheists is irrelevant and should be discarded.