US Military: Unconstitutional Discrimination Against Atheists & Agnostics

[mrtadreamer]

If the atheists resign the military, at least that would clear out all of the cowards.

[VerumAdNauseam]

The UCMJ is unconstitutional.

[Mee551able]

The thing is I know theres no god and I got a feeling they dont think there is. They have to keep saying god to keep churches bringing in the cash and christmas bringing in cash

[AustriaRollerblading]

Christians suck ass!!!  -An Atheist.

[halonone]

@JohnSheridan10001 Afraid of wars? No, we're just not as anxious to run around killing people.

[gethsoftware]

damn those yaweists. their main way of reprodosing seemes to be douchebagery.

[epit0me]

@JohnSheridan10001 i'll discriminate against you because you don't know the difference between 'they're' and 'there' --- from: an athiest

[redrum41987]

TRUE goodness is trying to help people even with the fact that none of it will matter when you're dead. - An Atheist

[elsparx]

@JohnSheridan10001 That's not only fucking idiotic but it's also disrespecting every atheist soldier who has fought and died for your country. Don't even say that bullshit "There's no atheists in foxholes".

[macgeek2004]

@JohnSeridan10001

Yeah, because us Atheists aren't "smart" enough to use our REAL NAMES in our screen-names, like _you_ are! ;~) lol!

But no, seriously, man, you're a huge, (arrogant, ignorant) dick!

[MaxBlight]

@JohnSheridan10001 oh lol, "there not normal people" LOL, you do know that chances is, your doctors an atheists? your neighbors an atheists, the bagger boy at your favorite store is probably an atheists, you dog is probly an atheists. I guess, that means rational thinking is not normal.

Lets all look up, and copy turkeys, drown themselves with rain....

[MaxBlight]

@JohnSheridan10001 are you sure? im in the usmc, and been deployed so many times now, and im an atheists.

So a bunch of suiciders better for the military?

[100ProcentNasze]

A Winstein suing...really? And we're gonna ask from some money for the foundation, aren't we??

[jeff61177]

And now we see where this story is really going...."and We are going to sue them". How sweet.

[Calebmoyer]

well. thank god i joined the navy, and thank god i'm an atheist.

[MultiUniv3rsal]

Glad I got out in '08

[GunsOfThePhoenix]

I will join the military but, i will just bullshit this to get them out of my hair.

[KingofTheMafia]

i had to take that bullshit test

[LererDesignStudio]

Oye!

How are these religious United States military warriors different from the Islamic Jihad-ist? How can the US claim to be fighting in the name of democratic freedom?

Tax payers....

Let's take their funding away!

[tree003a]

bad people do bad things, good people do good things but only religion makes good people do bad things. the military needs soldiers to do bad things that is why the military is forcing the soldiers to be religious. much easier to make soldiers commit horror when they believe it is gods will and that the enemy they face are infedals or hethens.

[givebirthathome]

Interesting story, but as always, it would have been better without Keith Olbermann.

[Ti1nah]

Nice! What is needed next is John Hagee as Secretary of Defence. - (Correction; Secretary of Offence.)

[givebirthathome]

@Ti1nah Urgh...John Hagee. But that is not what this is about. Still, its a disturbing imposition on the soldiers privacy that I do not think should be allowed. And its also worrisome to think about what might happen to those records, and the army doing research on inculcating religious beliefs.

[Ti1nah]

@givebirthathome - Perhaps a US military where the soldiers will counter

the enemy's shouts of Allahhu akbar with shouts of Halleluja is what they are aiming for?

[givebirthathome]

@Ti1nah hahahahaha....I'm religious though, so I dislike alot seeing it perverted to these ends in general. Y'never know though...there may be some silver linings to this cloud.

[givebirthathome]

@Ti1nah Olberman is not very reliable. Listen to all the emotional cheerleading in his voice. Everyone should wikipedia Martin Seligman, the psychologist Keith Olbermann slimes in this report. Seligman discovered "learned helplessness"..obviously this doesn't have much to do with waterboarding, because it was a torture long before Seligman ever did his research in the 60's. He says he's horrified at this application of his work, and "good science always runs the risk of immoral application."

[Ti1nah]

@givebirthathome - Yes indeed, water torture has been around for a long time. It was used some 110 years ago by the US troops that invaded the Philippines.

Source: "Little Brown Brother" by Leon Wolff.

[givebirthathome]

@Ti1nah Olbermann is really vile...WHAT is a clip of torture, doing in the discussion of the spirituality quiz in the army? Biasing the viewer, that's what! And he doesn't scruple to slander Martin Seligman, who has this to say:"The allegation that I 'provided assistance in the process' of torture is completely false," Seligman said in a written statement. "I strongly disapprove of torture and have never and would never provide assistance in its process.

[givebirthathome]

@Ti1nah

Martin Seligman gave a talk to US soldiers on how to RESIST torture. Unfortunately, some CIA psychologists were in the audience. He has done great work on optimism that has benefitted many people.

[CosmosPrivateer]

Maybe this is a good sign.

Maybe they are trying to kill off the religious type people, Islam and Christian.

They finally figured out god wasn't coming back so now they have to kill them off.

Sounds crude I know but think about who wants these wars.

[AntisKepticOintment]

WWJD?

Not participate in war.

[theinquisitor]

Aww the poor hired killers are being discriminated against. So now they have to worry about being looked down upon by the other hired killers when they're napalming a village of brown people. Help, help, I'm being repressed, can't I kill civilians in peace?

[wylantern]

@theinquisitor So soldiers are hired killers? Nope. Fraid not. Law says no, common sense says no. You don't believe in a viable military? The real "hired killers" are the private contractors, but even then, that's a muddy subject. You should really show some modicum of respect for the institutions that have allowed you the freedom you enjoy. Don't blame soldiers for the failings of politicians.

[theinquisitor]

@wylantern, oh yeah, I was only following orders, it's not my fault, I'm an automaton, they told me to burn that village of women and children. I guess we shouldn't blame the thugs who work for drug dealers since they're just following orders too. Anyone who joins the US military today knows that it's not about protecting the US. It's about going to other countries and advancing the political interests of the government. Also, they get paid to kill. That's what a soldier is, a hired killer.

[Ricardius1710]

I never was forced to do anything religious at all when I was in the military back in the 90's. Man have things changed!

[shueevon]

For the love of God!! When will you libtards shut up and do your job??!! Stop whining!! This whole exercise is intended to keep soldiers from committing suicide. The best way of doing that is to *remind* them that their life has meaning and that they are not alone. How in the world can you choose to fight against that sort of support?

[Zunile03scape]

@shueevon This is not support as you put it. We Liberals are right about this.

Judging how we execute our Duties or eligibility to preform a Duty on religious grounds is not Constitutional, Article 6.

"The Christian Nation" concept of America is a LIE!

[shueevon]

@Zunile03scape No one is judging how you execute your duties. That's a straw man. Support is being offered to those who may need it. Say thank you.

[Zunile03scape]

@shueevon Saying you may need to "pray" never address the "Why" behind a persons anguish. This test only looks irrelevantly at a solders faith to scape goat it for the real problem, such as being constantly on edge because of being on a battlefield.

The explanations used to defend this test are disingenuous double-talk to avoid challenge on the subject.

[shueevon]

@Zunile03scape If making a suggestion, which the vast majority of Americans (not to mention, all human beings) would most likely agree with, offends someone to the point of distraction, then that person has some much deeper problems too. Have you ever heard the expression "don't look a gift horse in the mouth"? Do you hand birthday presents back if they aren't what you wanted? If someone offers help, IMHO, there are two options... say thank you or no thank you.

[gooddarkjedi]

@shueevon yeah right. i know the game that you play. if it whuld be preventing suicide then it whuld tell that you are doing well if you are not spiritual person. religius people commit more suicide then non-belivers.

[pannysat]

Just another way religion tries to get their hand on everything.

[bosshog7169]

All of you atheists need to shut up! Only someone who believes in Jesus and his teachings can properly shoot an assault rifle into someone's brains killing him violently and spewing blood all over the place. If you read the bible, it says Jesus wants us to kill each other with guns mercilessly and that only his followers can pilot bombers to drop on villages filled with poor people. Jesus hates poor people!

[peybak]

gat?? Can you come up with a better name please? Also, isn't it enough that somebody is willing to die for his country? Why turn it into an uncomfortable witchhunt? But as I think about it, religious people tend to be more gullible.

[annoyed001]

Are we certain that this wasn't something from onion.com?

[jaekae8]

I understand why this is a problem. I don't understand why it is getting so much press when every military ceremony has a person (most times an officer chaplain) come out and tell everyone to bow their heads for the prayer before the ceremony starts, and sometimes after also. I know that complainers are told they don't HAVE to pray, but the only real difference is whether your head is bowed or not. The reverence IS mandatory.

[shueevon]

@jaekae8 You can't possibly believe that reverence can be mandated. However, silence can be. Give it a try!

[jaekae8]

@shueevon It is more than just silence. You are required to stay, stand, and be quiet. If you want to argue semantics too, the prayer stance goes from the attention position to the prayer position. It is arguably a command. You are commanded to attention for the entrance of the official party, the from attention it is "Let us bow our heads in prayer". After prayer it is, "Be seated" or, "Take your seats".

[RyuDarragh]

Gee, is this irony? Remember the guns with the religious proverbs etched onto them by the manufacturer?

[eumenidis]

I've been aware of the fundie infiltration of the military & attempts at indoctrination of non-fundie servicemen for some time, just as I've been aware of their overall campaign to turn the US into a theocracy during the last 30 years. But I'm glad to see *some* media attention directed to the fundies' attempt to turn American servicemen into a mob of Christian mujahideen.

Thanks as ever for doing your part to spread the information, Crucie.

[y0nd3r]

This may actually be good for our cause. The armageddonists are telling the moderates they are not christian enough, who are then going to have to rely on the constitution.

[coloradojoey]

This is unfucking real. Tons of fundie nutbags armed to the teeth. Fuck this country is up shits creek.

[Zentz29]

Bunch of bullshit...

[bloomingdedalus]

Thank you Big Brother for telling us truth unrestrained. That deities exist and that life has purpose.

Please tell us the truth, life doesn't matter, we exterminate it like infections in war because it is expendable en masse, and we as a country treat dogs better than humans.

[DaveDeShrubber]

So what is Commander-In-Chief Obama doing about it?

[JoeyDiphard]

@DaveDeShrubber Obama assumed the role of Preacher-In-Chief from Bush, so he's not going to do a damn thing about it. Hell, he's even appealing the federal court decision that ruled the "National Day of Prayer" to be unconstitutional! Obama is just another faith-head opportunist.

[MrAtheist1984]

Pat Tillman was a atheist who was killed in the military buy friendly fire he was a hero who could have been in a Amercian Footballer. And the USA goverment and Fox news lied about it said that he died from a terroist.

[trubble76trubble]

Thou Shalt Not Kill. I don't recall seeing any exceptions mentioned in the decalogue.

The US is rapidly becoming a christian fundamentalist country, becoming a western version of Iran.

Religion is poison.

[Ga5524]

@trubble76trubble "Thou Shall Not Kill" what an oxymoron!!!

[MisterDoctorE]

Christian Taliban Military, say it like it is.

[MrDantheman45]

What does it matter when you go to so called war (That is usually made up of lies) and kill people because they tell you to ? I mean do they really think it matters if the bullet comming at you is from a gun fired from a Christian or a muslim or whatever ? Or mabye they mean that people only kill good if they are a certain faith ? Common now ... you get accepted , you go through boot camp, you get trained, all at taxpayers expense... hey us tax payers don't really care .. Kill Kill Kill

[ateopuertorico]

.....wtf

[DeletedDelusion]

Sending fundamentalist Christian soldiers to duty in predominantly Muslim countries might not make it necessarily easier to win over the the hearts and minds of the locals I assume...

[Snakekilla12]

We need to make this video VIRAL!

[ScaryGuy255]

@Snakekilla12 Posting it to reddit now :)

[shandcunt]

It makes sense that they would want to indoctrinate soldiers in some sort of God theory. that way they can convince them what they are doing is God's will regardless of what it is.

[jezmundberserker]

"You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant:"

[skibee50]

Kill...repent....Kill...repent­...Kill...repent...Kill Kill Kill

[KasparHauser5]

So you want the guy whose finger is on the button to launch the missiles to be thirsting for Armageddon?

[Chslosers]

@KasparHauser5 Keith is way over exaggerating, you are allowed to take the test online.. and a lot of the "do you believe you have a purpose in life" questions were used to attempt to find similarities between those without a drive to life and military suicides. I thought religion and sex didnt matter?.. msnbc is disgusting for these reports.

[KasparHauser5]

@Chslosers My comment was about the dangers of having christian zealots who are praying for the earth to be destroyed in some Armageddon. in key military positions where they impelled by their zealotry single handedly could start WW3. You might indeed be correct about this one narrow issue. However, many people are becoming alarmed at the power hungry Evangelicals In the military and how they have been using their military positions to coerce soldiers of other faiths and denominations.

[spartacandream]

@KasparHauser5 I don't know about anyone else, but I want to keep theists far away from those launch buttons. I don't feel safe having those triggerhappy Armageddon-thirsters so close to setting off mushroom clouds

[8BitPerception]

Just another reason added to my list of why I will never join the military.

[zxslipperz007]

@8BitPerception yeah this whole soldier thing is getting old now - how many thousands of years have they been around

[shueevon]

@8BitPerception right below "I'm a wuss!!"

[8BitPerception]

@shueevon LOL! You're exactly right. It's not because I've lived my whole life on a military base and I know how fucked it is. It's just because I'm a "wuss"! My tiny prick just shrivels up into a cunt every time I think of joining some sort of US military. I mean, just the very thought of it makes my asshole pucker!

[shueevon]

@8BitPerception After what happened last week w/ DADT, you'd fit right in. Maybe you should reconsider...

[8BitPerception]

@shueevon Naww. I'd rather not get my ass caved in by Uncle Sam's enormous girth and ego.

[shueevon]

@8BitPerception That's your right. Enjoy the freedoms that have been won for you. Out here.