Christians persecuting Atheist in our Military?

Question

http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2007/10/atheists-wonder-if-fellow-troo.php

This may have already been touched on before; but this article for some reason can't leave my head. Being a Christian and in the Marine Corps I find it extremely disturbing. Reading this story seems much to like a complete joke. The fact that the Atheist had to hold a meeting among themselves, I find this fact alone disturbing; in the degree that it would be the equivalent of a group of blacks, or whites, hispanics etc.. holding a meeting among themselves. In my experience, it just doesn't happen. We lived, slept, ate, cried, and bled together; whether you were atheist, agnostic or theist, the bull#$*& that we went through only brought us closer together, NEVER tore us apart. We have always trained for war as a team, because we knew that one day the man standing beside us, to our right and left; regardless of religion or ethnicity might one day have to pull the trigger for us...


...While this persecuting does happen, its usually one person with some radical belief, and when it does happen that guy is immediately corrected because it is simply unacceptable. But instead of separating him from us, we embrace him, because he is still one of us; and his eyes are opened to understanding. In our unit; my atheist brothers would bow their heads to pray when we all were led in prayer, because of mutual respect and understanding we had for each other. But this article and many other disturbing reports has just opened my eyes to how segregative biasness, militancy and biogatry are spreading like a wildfire throughout our nation; which many men and women have fought and DIED for, and their lives TAKEN from them by a common enemy as a sacrifice... and all we can do is stand by and watch as it happens. So what did they die for? I can tell you, they DIDN'T DIE for this. ...so that WE, Americans can quarrel and dispute like little children who have been given a free gift on Christmas...


Its meaningless, whats the purpose? These freedoms were not free, enjoy them, they are a gift to us. Yet the media and politicians, whether democratic or republican, liberal or conservative; still persist to spread lies and twist the truth and instill propaganda because they know that the public is BRAINWASHED into believing everything they hear. Because a liberal media wants a liberal government, and a conservative media wants a conservative government, with that power, they get what they want. And one groups of people demands justice served, just as another group DEMANDS justice served. “well they do this, and they do that!” - I'm tired of it! - This segregation is tearing our country, families and communities apart; but are we not all humans? We should embrace each other, for the greater good. Because I have little faith in our media and government; I don't know if believe this story to be totally factual, and it seems thrown totally out of proportion. Either way; whether it shows, truth or fiction, what I do know that it shows is hatred and discontent, whether it be from the atheist or theist side. All this saddens me, to see all this work and energy being put to maintain the foundation of America, just to see it being savagely torn apart. NOT everyone is guilty of this; I am guilty, and I regret these feelings of anger. There ARE many good and exact people in America, but their voices are drowned out by the clatter of fools.

Well that was just my two cents rant; and by this time tomorrow or in a few minutes it will mean nothing, and will be forgotten. It's all meaningless.

NH Baritone... Accomadation? ...do you not understand? there is no need for anyone to accomadate with anyones desire, that is the problem in the first place. They were humble in bowing their heads, they asked for nothing in return, no respect, no accommodation, nothing... they gave respect freely without expecting or wanting any in return. And that is the foundation of mutual respect. Giving unselfishly. When we would discuss topics of evolution and spectral creation, there was NO need for accommodation, we never argued and were completly open-minded to one another, because we had that mutual respect. -- and for the record, I have learned more about myself from talking with my Atheist teamleader, than I ever learned throughout my highschool and middleschool years.

Answer 1

I appreciate your comments, and I have been pleasantly surprised at the wonderfully patriotic comments by other Christians here on R&S on this issue.

In fact the United States military is commissioned by the United States, not by Christianity or any particular Christian sect. Soldiers who believe that their job is to protect Christianity against Islam - or atheism - are dangerously mistaken. I don't see how we can ignore the need to find out how prevalent that kind of thinking is, and correct it where it exists. A soldier who cannot not acknowledge that his duty as a soldier is to the country and not to his religion has no right to participate in our military. I don't want to believe that is a common problem, but I do know that it exists, and I find it a FAR larger threat to the United States than anything any external enemy threatens.

One can never know which details in a story like that are true, which are false, which are exaggerations, and which are only one side of the story. But there were two officers in that story who should be investigated and if they did what's described there, removed, at the least.

And if we really are in a war against terrorism, the reported terrorist threats against Weinstein must be taken at least as seriously as the al Qaeda acts we hear about.

Answer 2

The fact that atheists stand up to the blatant attempts to force religion down the throats of the American people does not in any way constitute persecution. I know of no case where a christian was ever put in jail in this country for writing "there is a god" on his/her Facebook page. I do know, however, of the case of one Alexander Aan, who is currently serving a 16 month prison sentence in Indonesia for writing "there is no god" on his FB page. For christians in America to suggest that they are being persecuted in a country where every one of our 44 presidents was christian, in a country where evolution is not being taught in 50% of American high schools, where the harassment and bullying of atheist kids is a regular occurance in those same high schools, is a slap in the face to those persons all over the world who are actually being persecuted, and that includes many christians.

Answer 3

I'm an atheist in the Army, and I am currently in Iraq. I didn't get any grief for being an atheist until people found my Satanic Bible amongst my personal things. I haven't been threatened or anything, but I was told from an officer in my unit (who is Satanic) that I should do my best to hide things like that because "people will freak". I cant believe people are so uptight about these things...especially when my NCO brings his bible into the office everyday. I mean, I don't go around telling everyone, but the fact that I have to hide these things is crazy.

Answer 4

And what the heck did you guys do to accommodate the beliefs of the atheists? Did you give an inch or simply say it was right that they bow their heads so you guys could have a prayer? Did you think that it might be good to ask about their ways of keeping their heads about them, since they had no beliefs in God?

EDIT: My point was that it was they who sacrificed so you could be comfortable. I'm glad that you learned to mutually respect one another. It's a good feeling, but it also is born out of the realization that you are so mutually dependent that you could die if one link in the chain is weak. I do not have military background, so I cannot put myself in your shoes, but I dare say that there are ways that is true of us all. The lack of respect is a huge problem, but when atheists have to defend themselves in the US as the most hated minority in existence, it's hard not to feel like the respect will be short-lived and only present under fire.

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Answer 5

A great quote from that article is from the guy who said "We will not proselytize, but we reserve the right to evangelize the unchurched." What the heck is the difference?!?

Answer 6

The Atheist should be persecuted because this is one nation under God. Atheist talk strange, there is no way to really know what the idiot will do with a rifle. They have no higher authority. Uncle Sam is sacred too. The Presidents are not.