Category: Army of God
Introduction
The U.S. military is a stronghold for Christian-nation evangelism. That statement may sound inflammatory, but it accurately represents the convictions of many in the chain of command that, among other things, the United States is a Christian nation founded on Christian principles and that it is not only legal but required to utilize personal rank …
The State of Our Christian Military (and What to Do About It)
In this article, I will spotlight several of the many examples of the overt, light-of-day Christian promotion and proselytizing going on even at the highest levels of our military. Each is individually outrageous. Every non theist and even every non-Christian serving in the military is presented immediately and frequently with the clear message that Christianity …
The Ravages of Wartime Moral Injuries
As chief medical officer at the Denver Military Entrance Processing Station, my duties involve determining the physical and psychological fitness of men and women who wish to join the armed forces. Sadly, some applicants who have previously served and wish to reenlist suffer from combat-related illnesses, injuries, and experiences that have led to post-traumatic stress …
Seeking Reform from Within
Bigotry (big-ot-ry) noun—stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one’s own. —Dictionary.com Question: What does it take to be recognized as a humanist in the military? Answer: Can’t happen. The chaplaincy dictates to the military personnel offices what religious preferences can be claimed in official military records. No …
Freethought Enjoys Smoother Sailing at the Naval Academy
On April 19, 2011, Rev. Fredric Muir, senior minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis (UUCA) received an e-mail from Military Association of Atheists andFreethinkers (MAAF) head Jason Torpy, asking whether a humanist contingent within the congregation might be interested in supporting humanist midshipmen atthe U.S. Naval Academy (USNA). Rev. Muir contacted me because …
Why Chaplains Should Be Contracted, Not Commissioned
The Air Force Chaplain Corps provides spiritual care and the opportunity . . . [for Air Force members] to exercise their Constitutional right to the free exercise of religion. —From the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Corps History and Mission (airforce.com) I have always questioned the presence of, say, a dharma wheel or Jewish tablets adorning a chaplain’s …
Apocalypse Nation
In his 1871 essay titled “Democratic Vistas,” Walt Whitman warned a post–Civil War America that it was still being morally tested. He predicted that unless the nation matched its tremendous materialistic progress with a comparable spiritual advancement, it was bound for a fate “equivalent … to that of the fabled damned.” Here we are 141 …