US military accused of harboring fundamentalism

[Hugabear]

Source: AFP

Since his last combat deployment in Iraq, Jeremy Hall has had a rough time, getting shoved and threatened by his fellow soldiers. The trouble started there when he would not pray in the mess hall.

"A senior ranking staff sergeant told me to leave and sit somewhere else because I refused to pray," Hall, a 23-year-old US army specialist, told AFP.
...
Now Hall is suing the major and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, accusing them of breaching his constitutional rights. A campaign group, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, is waiting for the Pentagon to respond to a lawsuit filed in a Kansas federal court on Hall's behalf.

It alleges a "pernicious pattern and practice" of infringement of religious liberties in the military.

Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080214063450.m1i2f0gz&show_article=1

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Imagine how scary things could get with a fundie like Huckabee as Commander-in-Chief, and a military led by a bunch of fundamentalists!

[zanne]

1. Some people still think that Atheists are not persecuted...

Especially those poor persecuted Christians.

[BearSquirrel2]

11. This is a model for ...

The model that they're executing on the military is what they would like to do to the entire country. No one has the right to impose their religion on others. Denying such a "right" is not a constitutional violation.

[msongs]

2. ain't religion wonderful? imagine an obama/huckabee ticket nt

[HowHasItComeToThis]

3. VISIT THIS SITE FOR MOR INFO

SEE http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/newsletters/2008-02/index.html

[fascisthunter]

4. The Amerian Taliban

[Magleetis]

5. Christofascism

Alive and well in the US.

[htuttle]

6. "Harboring" fundamentalism?

From what I've been reading, it sounds more like they're PROMOTING it -- especially in the Air Force.

[yardwork]

7. From what I've read, this is a relatively new and very big problem.

Folks who have served in the military in the past report a relatively tolerant atmosphere for those with differing religious and spiritual views. Of course, our country is majority Protestant Christian so it's to be expected that that will be more apparent than others. However, this *harrassing* of military personnel with differing views is new.

It parallels reports from the Souther Poverty Law Center that white supremacists are being tolerated in the U.S. military now, and even encouraged.

This is very, very alarming.

[L0oniX]

8. Real believers in God would not be in the military in the first place.

These so called christians in the military are sickos.

[AlbertCat]

10. Onward....

....Christian soldiers....because, a mighty fortress is our God....

Who would Christ bomb?

And let us not forget that "Thou shalt not kill" means "Thou shalt not kill other Hebrews" because for the rest of that book (and others)of the Bible, they kill everyone and everything in sight. ( My personal fave is Saul's command to David: "Bring me a thousand foreskins of the Philistines!")

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[boricua79]

12. THANK YOU! NT

[qb]

9. I'm glad I was an atheist in the military under Bush I & Clinton

I was open about it and no one bothered me. It sounds like hell now (so to speak).

[ooglymoogly]

14. Oh what joy! Back to the dark ages and the great fun of the crusades.

Has the rack been brought back or is water boarding and outcasting its replacement?

[BearSquirrel2]

15. Our checks ...

"Our checks within our equal opportunity channels identified fewer than 100 formal complaints over a two-year period," said Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez."

This was the dumbest thing I read. You have a folks who can literally order you to your death with no consequence to themselves. Do you REALLY think they are going to complain?

In defense they say: It professes belief in "the eternal blessedness of the saved; and the everlasting, conscious punishment of the lost."

In other words, there stated purpose is to harass anyone who isn't a fundagelical.

I sincerely hope the next president will roust these guys out of the military. Otherwise it will end up serving the likes of Jerry Falwell rather then the President of the United States and the American people.

[TrogL]

16. The Rabid Religious Right coup is complete

They now control all levels of government including the military.

Congratulations. The United States of America is now a theocracy.