


← Fault Lines - Religion in the military

Maddawg58's Avatar Jump to comment 25 by Maddawg58

Let's think about this. What alternative have we promoted for these young soldiers. 18 & 19 were the most turbulent ages for me. Young, impressionable, away from home, family, and support. When you deploy overseas they tell you. You will either find Jesus or the bottle. I found neither, but that is where I saw most of my "on the border" friends get swept up into fundamentalist christianity. The military, unfortunately, is a necessary evil in the world we live in. As much as I would like to live in a utopian society dressed in nothing but a loin cloth, the rest of the world prefers different. I have been very outspoken about my Humanism/Atheism and I am a member of MAAF and AHS.

I have shown many people the light, but I don't see the Richard Dawkin's Foundation or American Humanists sponsoring "Rallies for Rationalism" at military bases. Getting us Atheists and Freethinkers to rally for anything is like herding squirrels. We are so opinionated that we are not unified. I live in Hawaii, the Hawaii Humanist Website is down, they won't return any e-mails, and they haven't had a meeting since 2006. Where are these kids to turn? If we teach are youth to think rationally, they will grow up as I have to be rational leaders in the military. And then, just maybe, they will be more understanding of other religions and advise their civilian leaders to think rationally too. Instead these youngsters are gobbled up and seduced by the fundies at boot camp. If we really want to change this country we can't bury our heads in the sand and say "atheists boycott the military", that will just make it worse.

When I tell people that I am an atheist, people are very surprised because they know what type of soldier I am. They say they have never met one. Then I point of the out other atheists, agnostics, and free thinkers in the unit and they are taken back. This is because we were all in the same firefight, and we were the ones taking it to them. We have the most to lose. This gives the military fundies a different perspective, we are not all hippie/satanists with body piercings. We can kick @#$ with the rest of them.

LeeLeeOne I share your passion, I don't mind the insult. But I have chosen to participate. It is a better perspective on world events, kind of a find hand view. Don't blame me for Iraq, I didn't boil the egg, I'm just the one who has to suck it. People like me don't care who we are fighting, if we did we couldn't do this job. When the bullets start flying your convictions go out the window. It was the Republicans and the spineless Democrats that let Bush and Cheney start this illegal war. Blame the voters that put them in office. Non-beleivers make up 20% of the military. If atheist like me didn't join, there would be no rational thought on the front line. Then...things would be worse.

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:18:00 UTC | #374614