Posted on 07/08/2008 7:22:15 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
KANSAS CITY, Kansas (CNN) -- Army Spc. Jeremy Hall was raised Baptist.
Like many Christians, he said grace before dinner and read the Bible before bed. Four years ago when he was deployed to Iraq, he packed his Bible so he would feel closer to God.
He served two tours of duty in Iraq and has a near perfect record. But somewhere between the tours, something changed. Hall, now 23, said he no longer believes in God, fate, luck or anything supernatural.
Hall said he met some atheists who suggested he read the Bible again. After doing so, he said he had so many unanswered questions that he decided to become an atheist.
His sudden lack of faith, he said, cost him his military career and put his life at risk. Hall said his life was threatened by other troops and the military assigned a full-time bodyguard to protect him out of fear for his safety.
In March, Hall filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, among others. In the suit, Hall claims his rights to religious freedom under the First Amendment were violated and suggests that the United States military has become a Christian organization.
"I think it's utterly and totally wrong. Unconstitutional," Hall said.
Hall said there is a pattern of discrimination against non-Christians in the military.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Yeh..'lack of faith' has that negative effect on one.
We are a nation of many religions. Don’t see how this is possible in the military. All the years I’ve been in I never questioned anyones beliefs, nor did I push mine on others. This gotta be Hogwash.
God bless him for his brave military service. God help him for his sudden loss of sanity. ;-)
He is somewhat right. When I went to Boot Camp I was forced to attend Church on Sundays. I was to concerned with my fuuture in the Navy not to go, for me it turned out to be a good thing though as I found faith trying the different services offered. I can see how some people without faith would feel though as there is a very firm attitude taken with people that don`t.
Yep, I’m sure he just quietly changed his religious views and then discretely maintained those views in the face of war. More likely he is a militant atheist who refuses to countenance or respect the faith of others and thereby loses their respect. That would have an impact on leadership review.
Bull excrement.
Never happened, never will.
This is hardly the first story like this.
Well, one way to get there is to get/change/lose faith and then start "pushing" it, as you say - trying to convert everyone around, regardless of how much they appreciate such a "help".
This scenario is likely because when a person suddenly finds faith (or loses one) this is a traumatic event, and talking about it may be a way to justify to himself that he is still right. But his fellow soldiers are not all trained psychoanalysts with diplomas, so I bet it doesn't take too long to be asked to take your train of thoughts and ${keep_it_to_yourself}...
Andy Warhol, Andy Warhol's Exposures (1979) "Studio 54"
BS BS BS BS
Who’s Andy Warhol?
When I attended Basic Training twenty years ago it was mandatory to attend chapel services once so you could see what was offered. Other than that it was optional. Most attended because it was the only real chance to decompress.
—Bill Whittle, ejectejecteject.com
As a retired Army Chaplain, I can only say, “I am skeptical.”
I doubt you were "forced" to attend in any legal sense. It would be unconstitutional in any event (you know, the First Amendment). Just say no thanks, it is not your religion. The army has always had people of many different faiths, and different sects of Christians wouldn't worship the same either, and I cannot believe that one is forced to attend "church" in the military.
Well, yes and no.
For instance, I am Catholic.
But...back in 1981, when I went through induction into the US Army, the guy who was printing dogtags asked, “Religion?”
I said, as a free american should, none of your business.
He said, in rather impolite words, “Christian, Jew, Muslem, or Other - Pick one, or the Army will issue you one.”
I said, put down “Pagan.”
(Can you tell I have problems with arbitrary government authority figures? LOL)
He did, and I thought nothing more of it. My Army dog tags read, “Pagan.”
Fast forward a couple of years, and I am standing an IG inspection on the Division street, as a SP4 paratrooper at FT Bragg.
The IG CSM asks to see my dog tags.
It went downhill from there. Way downhill.
Something tells me there is more to the story than he became and atheist and everyone immediately started to hate him.
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