Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats

Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats

www.nytimes.com

FORT RILEY, Kan. — When Specialist Jeremy Hall held a meeting last July for atheists and freethinkers at Camp Speicher in Iraq, he was excited, he said, to see an officer attending.

But minutes into the talk, the officer, Maj. Freddy J. Welborn, began to berate Specialist Hall and another soldier about atheism, Specialist Hall wrote in a sworn statement. “People like you are not holding up the Constitution and are going against what the founding fathers, who were Christians, wanted for America!” Major Welborn said, according to the statement.

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This solider has every right to sue the Army, and I hope he wins. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought our founding fathers were deists, not Christians.

www.nytimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

All free nations are based on the principle that the citizens are free to chose, both their livelihoods and beliefs, and free to express them. (Among others, freedom of movement, freedom to run for office, etc.)

This bigot who slandered the Atheist for being Atheist is the one who is unconstitutional. He openly oppresses freedom. He is of course free to believe freedom is wrong, and he is free to express it as well... however, this was an act of provocation, and cannot go unpunished.

Just because the majority of Americans belong to a Christian sect... does not mean you have the right to oppress and intimidate everyone else.

But alas, this does keep emerging in the history of Christians. I suppose we will have to get used to Christians verbally attacking everyone... the alternative would be outright criminalization of all religion, and that would be against the values of freedom.

[edit on 27-4-2008 by johnsky]

This is a strange turn of events, if the allegations are true.

When I was in the service, no one even cared what your religion was.

You declared your faith for your records, but while I never heard of someone declaring atheism, no preference was an oft used option.

Chapel was available for those who chose to go, as were any of the churches in town.

In Vietnam, once while I was there, a Catholic chaplain came out to our position and held communion.

I can see why free-thinkers might want to get together an talk, whether they are religious or not.

What I can't figure out is why atheist would congregate.

What do they have to discuss that could not be discussed in any other group by any other name?

The Religious Right has has been extending it's claws into the military, and trying to force anyone who doesn't share their views out. This has become increasingly clear since the Air Force Academy scandal broke, and I've talked to more than one vet that felt the religious environment in was oppressive.

This is quite simply because they intend to use the military to enforce their views on the rest of us. Give the Dominionists what they want and eventually we'll have the Army out rounding up unbelievers for the extermination camps.

You make a good point, there, Xmotex. I hadn't looked at it that way. That's pretty scary.

Personally, I've always wondered how a military Chaplain could justify to a soldier who believes in the Ten Commandments how "God is on our side" when he's under orders to violate the Fifth Commandment...
Does anyone have an explanation?