Thursday, March 06, 2008
What Country is This?
Atheist soldier says Army punished him - Yahoo! News: "He says the sergeant explained that Hall would be 'unable to put aside his personal convictions and pray with his troops' and would have trouble bonding with them if promoted to a leadership position.
Hall responded that religion is not a requirement of leadership, even though the sergeant wondered how he had rights if atheism wasn't a religion. Hall said atheism is protected under the Army's chaplain's manual.
'It shouldn't matter if one is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or atheist,' said Pedro Irigonegaray, an attorney whose firm filed the lawsuit. 'In the military, all are equal and to be considered equal.'
Maj. Freddy J. Welborn was named in the lawsuit as the officer who prevented Hall from holding a meeting of atheists and non-Christians. It alleges that Welborn threatened to file military charges against Hall and to block his re-enlistment."
Why is it that it seems normal to see stories where Christians, who are constantly feeling like their freedoms are "under threat" are the first to snatch freedom from others? As is also common is my cry of what year is this, what country is this, haven't we evolved from this sort of thought...? The clear answer is no. This is absolutely the strangest reaction to a person's beliefs in the year 2008. Another thing...it is one thing to not understand a person or to wrinkle a brow about something new to you, but it is quite another to disallow re-enlistment while in two very active wars. So, now we know that the two groups that want to fight for my freedom, your freedom and that of our family's and country's...are not going to be allowed...gays and atheists. Who's next?
Hall responded that religion is not a requirement of leadership, even though the sergeant wondered how he had rights if atheism wasn't a religion. Hall said atheism is protected under the Army's chaplain's manual.
'It shouldn't matter if one is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or atheist,' said Pedro Irigonegaray, an attorney whose firm filed the lawsuit. 'In the military, all are equal and to be considered equal.'
Maj. Freddy J. Welborn was named in the lawsuit as the officer who prevented Hall from holding a meeting of atheists and non-Christians. It alleges that Welborn threatened to file military charges against Hall and to block his re-enlistment."
Why is it that it seems normal to see stories where Christians, who are constantly feeling like their freedoms are "under threat" are the first to snatch freedom from others? As is also common is my cry of what year is this, what country is this, haven't we evolved from this sort of thought...? The clear answer is no. This is absolutely the strangest reaction to a person's beliefs in the year 2008. Another thing...it is one thing to not understand a person or to wrinkle a brow about something new to you, but it is quite another to disallow re-enlistment while in two very active wars. So, now we know that the two groups that want to fight for my freedom, your freedom and that of our family's and country's...are not going to be allowed...gays and atheists. Who's next?
