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.
***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.”***
Strange. They just put “No religious Pref” on mine. twice! First, in 1966 with a military ID number and later in 1968, my second pair with my social security number.