Posted on 11/18/2010 7:03:06 AM PST by SeekAndFind
On Nov. 5, 2010, I read an article titled Where Did God Go in Afghanistan? by Capt. Michael Cummings. Captain Cummings, who reported his thoughts concerning sparse attendance at religious services in Afghanistan, speculated as to why so few soldiers were willing to attend these services. He stated that he personally could not imagine anyone being in combat without a belief in God, but theorized that being openly religious wasnt cool enough for modern troops and thats why they failed to attend religious services that were arranged for them.
Throughout his heartfelt article, it was clear that he was distressed by the seeming lack of overt religious practice in combat theater and was bewildered by the cause.
I, however, as an atheist who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq, viewed his experience as a reason to hope that the problem of religious coercion in the military has perhaps reached a peak and is starting to subside, at least in some places under some commanders. It has been a few years since I last served in a combat zone (my last redeployment was after a tour in Iraq near the end of 2007), but what Captain Cummings reported was far, far different than the situation I remembered from both Afghanistan and Iraq.
In both combat theaters, I recall endless and constant mandatory prayer circles being held by small units before military operations at which unit members who elected not to participate risked harassment, rebukes from their peers and supervisors, and even punishments. I recall dining halls decorated with bible verses, units adorned with bibles, and meetings started with Christian prayers. I recall the panic in a young soldiers voice when he called me to tell me how his approved social meeting of military atheists was intentionally disrupted by an Army officer
(Excerpt) Read more at atwar.blogs.nytimes.com ...
It’s also called “free will” espoused by several theologians
and here is my contribution.(2nd posting correction) http://www.theusmat.com/freewill.htm . That theological aspect of Islam is avoided by MSM whenever a discussion of Sharia law, a suicide bombing, or Allah’s authorized killings of Christians and other “infidels” by muslims takes place .
absolutely right! I remember all the non-religious types crying and whining about having KP every Sunday because they weren’t going to church. so as result, many of us faithful church goers had our church services “cancelled” so we could do KP, never mind the fact that some of us had done it the day prior. All this bitching and moaning about force and coercion regarding religion is another attempt by the divisive people to do their work.... divide the faithful, God-fearing, patriots of this country.
Surly that's a clear, egregious, prosecutable offense. If it were prosecuted, wouldn't she have said so? If it were not, why not? Because she didn't take it seriously enough, at the time, to prosecute? Because the evidence was weak or nonexistent? Because it didn't happen?
I'd really like to know. Those who make coercive threats need to be tried and punished. Why didn't this happen?
A little off topic, but not entirely since it seems we’re talking about coercion - are soldiers ever told who or what party to vote for?
A student told me that a friend in the military said that his platoon was told to ‘vote Republican.’ While I appreciate the extra votes, I don’t want them at the threat of harassment or without thought. Does anyone think this is true?
Of course, we know the Dims round up union folks and tell them to vote Dim, but since no one knows how you vote anyway, does this kind of ‘coercion’ even matter?
Wilco. Thanks for the conversation, twas good to chat about this.
Lack of attendance at services sponsored by the Chaplain’s Corps may be a matter of soldiers wanting full-blooded Christianity, rather than lack of belief.
I have a godson whom I catechized who found the Orthodox Church while serving as an Air Force EOD-tech in Afghanistan.
Of course, the Orthodox are the only Christians to have an actual church in Afghanistan: the Romanians built one in their main base.
Perhaps because it never occurred? My experience has been that “reasonable” atheists tend to make stuff up to make their position seem more vulnerable than it really is, and it’s always great to look brave in the face of harsh attacks by violent Christians, don’cha know...
Colonel, USAFR
God looks down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek God
Everyone of them has turned aside they have together become corrupt;
there is none who does good, no, not one.
Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up My people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? Psalm 53:1-4
Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed saying,
Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us."
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh..Ps 2:1-3
If atheists wish to be atheists, let them go. I know in my heart who is God, no one can convince me otherwise. Nevertheless, God has spoken in His word to those who refuse to acknowledge him. It's a choice, a freedom of volition. Some ask me, " I must see to believe." I say " You must believe to see." The debate cannot end until death.
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