Religious Freedom in Military Questioned

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: WP/AP

By JOHN MILBURN
The Associated Press
Tuesday, December 18, 2007

TOPEKA, Kan. -- A foundation that has sued the military alleging widespread violations of religious freedom said Tuesday that it has evidence showing that soldiers are pressured to adopt fundamentalist Christian beliefs. The photos and videos of religious materials and activities are part of a lawsuit filed by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and Army Spc. Jeremy Hall, an atheist, against Maj. Freddy J. Welborn and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The material was gathered from Fort Riley in Kansas, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Fort Jackson, S.C.

Examples at Fort Riley, where Hall is stationed, included a display outside his military police battalion's office with a quote from conservative writer Ann Coulter saying, "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity." Another photo from Fort Riley shows the book "A Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam" for sale at the post exchange....

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Kansas City, Kan., in September alleges that Welborn threatened to file military charges against Hall and to block his re-enlistment for trying to hold a meeting of atheists and non-Christians in Iraq. Hall is with the 97th Military Police Battalion out of Fort Riley. He was serving his second tour in Iraq and has since returned to the U.S.

(Attorney Mike) Weinstein said materials for a Bible studies course from Military Ministry, part of Campus Crusade for Christ International, teach soldiers that the U.S. military and government are instruments to spread the word of God. The material was found at Fort Jackson, S.C., he said....

The lawsuit also alleges that Gates permits a military culture in which officers are encouraged to pressure soldiers to adopt and espouse fundamentalist Christian beliefs, and allows a culture that sanctions activities by Christian organizations. It also says the military permits proselytizing by soldiers, tolerates anti-Semitism and the placing of religious symbols on military equipment, and allows the use of military e-mail accounts to send religious rhetoric.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/18/AR2007121801804.html?hpid=sec-religion

[scarface2004]

1. our military is whacked out!!!

time to shut it down and turn it over to blackwater!

[sutz12]

2. This is getting waaaayyyyyyyyy too scary for me.

:scared:

[knight_of_the_star]

3. Onward Christian Soldiers!

Best way to make a military that will turn on its own populace is if it believes they are serving something other than said populace.

[Golden Raisin]

4. And BushCo are NOT fools, despite

the occasional public buffoonery. They've now got Blackwater up their sleeves if the "official" army doesn't want to turn on the populace.

[tinymontgomery]

5. I'm glad I retired

when I did in 2003. I wouldn't recognize the military today. I never remember religion being that big or pushed that much in my 23 years.

[Thothmes]

6. Same here

Before I retired in 93 after 24 years in the Navy, do not recall any todos about religion.

[4dsc]

7. "LEADERSHIP THROUGH SPIRITUALITY" the sign read

I made a delivery to an Air Force base this year and a large sign stated "LEADERSHIP THROUGH SPIRITUALITY" and named the time of the class and where the class was to be held..

Looks like the religious right has already hijacked the Air Force and is probably looking for more..

[flashl]

8. Is it a coincidence that as rapes at AF academies increases so does its religious rhetoric?

[AllegroRondo]

9. As a former soldier and atheist, I saw this

I did 13 years as a musician in the Army Band system, which meant a lot of ceremonies. And at EVERY ceremony was a benediction, or some invocation to god, by a military chaplain, who was 99.9% of the time Christian. I dont know how many "prayer breakfasts" or "chapel services" I had to play for. The worst one was when a baptist church in Georgia requested that we perform at one of their services - and someone said "sure!". I had to sit through that fiasco and get glared at when I didnt put something in their collection plate.

VERY glad Im out.

[CRK7376]

10. I have no use for most

Military Chaplains. As a very young soldier many years ago I was experiencing some pretty heavy personal turmoil and sought out assistance from the very small Post Chaplain I was assigned to. Got absolutely no help from the guy, actually got the blame for much of my bag of woe...Needless to say that was strike one against the Chaplain Corps. A few years later as a young company commander our BN Chaplain started berating one of my soldiers on Guard Duty because the Chaplain didn't have the password to get into my night time perimeter. My young paratrooper was doing his job as he was supposed to do, wouldn't let the Chaplain in. When I explained to the Chaplain why he was wrong, that my trooper was right, the Chaplain got huffy, went to the Battalion Commander and dimed me out over his own stupidity...Fortunately, the Battalion Commander backed me and my trooper...Strike two against the Chaplains. Strike three came in Afghanistan when a Chaplain didn't like the way my teams were working with the local Afghan mullahs....helps to have local religious leaders on your side when trying to win "hearts and minds"....so I have no use for military Chaplains. Yeah, religion is definitely more prominent in the military today than it used to....

[yardwork]

14. I'm sorry that you have to put up with this while serving our country.

Supporting our troops means allowing them the rights outlined in the Constitution, which includes freedom of religion. It's terrible that the military forces soldiers into one form of religion over others, or none at all.

If we are "fighting for freedom" why this fascism in the military?

[DeepModem Mom]

15. Thanks for your post, CRK, and your service. nt

[theredpen]

11. Wiccans and other pagans get a particularly raw deal

My wife is a chaplain who has worked with soldiers. Many of the soldiers she's spoken to are afraid to speak to the Army chaplains, frequently because they are "closet Wiccans." A chaplain is supposed to provide comfort and support for "all faiths and none," but a lot of the people who become Army chaplains are evangelical Christians who are definitely in the "bomb them for Jesus" camp. It's appalling.

[qb]

12. I was in basic training at Ft. Knox in 1990

On the first Sunday the DS told all of us sleep-deprived recruits we had a choice of going to church or doing a work detail. You can imagine what everyone chose. The DS asked who chose church just to avoid the work and I was the only one to raise my hand. He said he admired my honesty and sent me along to church.

[MrScorpio]

13. I retired after 22 years two years ago. I don't recognize this military anymore

It's like a new generation of military personnel are being trained to revere the Bible more than their duty uphold and defend the Constitution.

There's definitely a war of ideas going on.