Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats »
Posted by: Neophile 4 months, 1 week agoArmy Specialist Jeremy Hall said he did not advertise his atheism during his service, but his views became apparent during his second deployment to Iraq.
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memestryker4 months, 1 week ago
When I worked at a federal cabinet-level agency in the Office of the Secretary, my superior instructed us at a staff meeting to join hands and he said a prayer from his Missouri Synod Lutheran Church.
I was personally horrified, and later that day, 2 of my subordinates approached me, one to say he was an atheist and was very upset by the incident, and another to say she was from a different Protestant denomination, and the prayer itself was offensive. The Jewish workers said nothing, but I suspect they are just so used to this that they ignore it.
I quietly approached the executive and told him several people were quite upset at the prayer (I was one, but he didn't need to know that), and I explained that we have atheists, Jews, and others on staff.
Fortunately, he took the hint and never did it again, even going so far as to ask a group to use "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas" on an office banner.
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UnusualSuspect4 months, 1 week ago
Doesn't the right of religious freedom in this country also extend to "not" having religious beliefs, or believing in God?
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bubba24 months, 1 week ago
Religion should NOT be mixed in with government - period.
You know, it continues to absolutely AMAZE me that so many people have either totally forgotten or are so totally IGNORANT of the FACT that this country was founded by people who were FLEEING from a country that FORCED a government-sponsored religion on them!!
Our founding fathers came here to get AWAY from state-sponsored religion!! Yet we have millions of people who are trying to implement that very thing!
Just mind-boggling ...
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memestryker4 months, 1 week ago
All history is reconstructionist, and I notice extensive efforts by fundamentalist and evangelical Christians to try to portray the founders as agreeing with them. What today is known as evangelicalism wasn't even a very large movement until the mid-1800s, so that's obviously not true.
Thomas Jefferson actually said in 1822 something to the effect of young men would embrace Unitarianism in his lifetime, and he even called for a Unitarian pastor to come to Virginia.
I've seen this discussed endlessly on Propeller, and while it's true that Judeo-Christianity and the various religious systems it coopted plus Greco-Roman philosophy were the basis of the indoctrination most founders received, they were not fundamentalists nor evangelicals.
Jefferson even edited the bible and the Jefferson Bible is on sale at Monticello (and on Amazon!). Separation of church of state is even more essential today--because of religious zealots, including some in high places.
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tkyrchncs4 months, 1 week ago
bubba-
While I support the separation of church and state, as the majority of the Founders clearly did, two things should be noted. Our founders were not religious refugees; the majority were substantial men, born in the colonies, and most were at least nominally members of the Church of England, the official religion of the British Empire. And those who came here as religious refugees were usually more oppressive to other faiths than the dominant religions they left behind were to them. This is in the interest of historical accuracy, I fully agree with your ardent sentiment.
For some enlightening info on our Founders' religions and religious thought,check this out:
http://www.adherents.com/gov/Founding_Fathers_R...
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jordan114 months, 1 week ago
No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.
-- Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1779)
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smithichie4 months, 1 week ago
Officers who proselytize to subordinates should be held to same level of accountablity that officers who make sexual advances to subordinates are. A subordinate isn't always able to refuse such advances or proselytizing as an equal could.
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