The Gaytheist Agenda

I’ve mentioned Specialist Jeremy Hall two times previously. Well, he’s in the news again over his lawsuit against the army.

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.

Major Welborn told the soldiers he might bar them from re-enlistment and bring charges against them, according to the statement.

Last month, Specialist Hall and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, an advocacy group, filed suit in federal court in Kansas, alleging that Specialist Hall’s right to be free from state endorsement of religion under the First Amendment had been violated and that he had faced retaliation for his views. In November, he was sent home early from Iraq because of threats from fellow soldiers.
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Specialist Hall’s lawsuit is the latest incident to raise questions about the military’s religion guidelines. In 2005, the Air Force issued new regulations in response to complaints from cadets at the Air Force Academy that evangelical Christian officers used their positions to proselytize. In general, the armed forces have regulations, Ms. Lainez said, that respect “the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs.”

To Specialist Hall and other critics of the military, the guidelines have done little to change a culture they say tilts heavily toward evangelical Christianity. Controversies have continued to flare, largely over tactics used by evangelicals to promote their faith. Perhaps the most high-profile incident involved seven officers, including four generals, who appeared, in uniform and in violation of military regulations, in a 2006 fund-raising video for the Christian Embassy, an evangelical Bible study group.

“They don’t trust you because they think you are unreliable and might break, since you don’t have God to rely on,” Specialist Hall said of those who proselytize in the military. “The message is, ‘It’s a Christian nation, and you need to recognize that.’ ”
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That old “Christian Nation” canard. America is not, and never has been, a Christian Nation. Sadly the revisionists will never tire of repeating that as they hope repetition will make it true.

Complaints include prayers “in Jesus’ name” at mandatory functions, which violates military regulations, and officers proselytizing subordinates to be “born again.” After getting the complainants’ unit and command information, Mr. Weinstein said, he calls his contacts in the military to try to correct the situation.

“Religion is inextricably intertwined with their jobs,” Mr. Weinstein said. “You’re promoted by who you pray with.”
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Specialist Hall said he did not advertise his atheism. But his views became apparent during his second deployment in 2006. At a Thanksgiving meal, someone at his table asked everyone to pray. Specialist Hall did not join in, explaining to a sergeant that he did not believe in God. The sergeant got angry, he said, and told him to go to another table.
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Though with a different unit now at Fort Riley, Specialist Hall said the backlash had continued. He has a no-contact order with a sergeant who, without provocation, threatened to “bust him in the mouth.” Another sergeant allegedly told Specialist Hall that as an atheist, he was not entitled to religious freedom because he had no religion.

There are definite and serious violations of Church/State Separation involved here. And the sergeant who claimed Hall had no freedom of religion because he had no religion reminds me very much of this individual who claimed the Constitution doesn’t protect atheists. How hateful some people can be.

I now move on to this letter I came across which makes a common false assertion about atheists.

I read with interest your recent story about 23-year-old U.S. Army Specialist Jeremy Hall who calls himself an atheist and feels harassed because his superiors challenged him in his ability to lead people of faith in combat conditions.
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This young man’s convictions and character must be very weak if he had to resort to a lawsuit and a lawsuit in a time of war. Atheist means simply “no god.” If he feels this is a fact, why argue? It should be moot to him.

I suspect, however, that this young man doubts his atheism and senses that there may indeed be a God with whom he must reckon with and the fight is not with his superiors but his heart in this matter.

We need military leaders at all levels who can respect the beliefs and convictions of the ones they lead. If, in the case of this young man, they profess no faith, respect them, too. We cannot, however, suspend any discussion of faith or our chaplaincies because of a small number of insecure atheist who should really say they are agnostic.

A dishonest atheist is just as annoying as a dishonest believer.
Walter Jackson
Millbrook

Would Mr. Jackson claim a Christian who sued an employer for harassment and threats of physical violence was weak of character? Would he think for a minute the Christian was doubting his faith? I don’t imagine he would.

So why is it that atheists are held to different standards than Christians? Why should we tolerate verbal harassment and threats of violence where others would not? Why are our intentions always called into question whenever anything like this occurs?

Maybe it’s because some people can’t fathom that others are actually content not being like them, and that all the begging and even threatening in the world won’t change things. That seems to strike a deep chord in certain people, and their reactions are very unpleasant indeed.

 

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Holocaust Remembrance Day is a day that has been set aside for remembering the victims of the Holocaust and for reminding Americans of what can happen to civilized people when bigotry, hatred and indifference reign. The United States Holocaust Memorial Council, created by act of Congress in 1980, was mandated to lead the nation in civic commemorations and to encourage appropriate Remembrance observances throughout the country. Observances and Remembrance activities can occur during the week of Remembrance that runs from the Sunday before through the Sunday after the actual date.

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The Holocaust is not merely a story of destruction and loss; it is a story of an apathetic world and a few rare individuals of extraordinary courage. It is a remarkable story of the human spirit and the life that flourished before the Holocaust, struggled during its darkest hours, and ultimately prevailed as survivors rebuilt their lives.

Ultimately the death toll reached about:
Six million Jews
2-3 million Soviet POWs
1.8-2 million Poles
220,000–500,000 Roma
200,000–250,000 Disabled
80,000–200,000 Freemasons
5,000–15,000 Gay men
2,500–5,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses

A monument honoring the gay and lesbian victims of the Holocaust is to be built in Meir Garden in Tel Aviv.

A quarter of a million homosexuals were persecuted during the Holocaust, and tens of thousands were murdered because the Nazi Party believed their sexual preference to be deviant. In the concentration camps in which they were imprisoned, gay men were forced to wear a pink triangle while lesbian women wore a black patch.
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The monument is to be the first in Israel to commemorate these victims, though four of its kind exist worldwide, in Sydney, Copenhagen, Berlin, and Amsterdam. It has been designed as an iron triangle, on which the victims’ names are to be inscribed.

I am simply overwhelmed whenever I read or hear about the Holocaust. It is indeed one of the deepest, darkest stains on the history of humankind.

 

Let this story put that misconception to rest. Be aware it is but one of many. From The Atheist Blogger:

 

For those who aren’t already aware, I’m a first year Computer Science student at Royal Holloway, University of London. I live in halls, in a flat with 7 other people. Most, if not all of them are from a Christian background and would call themselves Christians, however the fact that I am openly atheist has never discouraged them in any way. Of course the same could not be said for other inhabitants of the halls, as I would find out within the first few weeks of term.

I’d met a fellow atheist in the neighbouring flat, and we had both decided that the university needed an “Atheist Union” of sorts to oppose the active Christian Union. We drafted up some posters explaining our cause and purpose, and began sticking them up around campus, mainly in the vicinity of our halls. After a few days, 3 of them had been torn off the wall and ripped into pieces. Evidently, I thought, there were some people who really didn’t like atheists. So I reprinted them with a message that tried to get through to their sense of reason. I wasn’t imposing on their beliefs, so why should they impose on mine?

The posters stayed up a few more days…before being ripped down again. I gathered up the pieces, stuck them back together, and decided to display them on my door, as a kind of “shrine” dedicated to my futile efforts to reason with these people. One of the posters I found still intact, but with the words “Pricks” and “Nobs” (British slang for the word “penis”) written across it.

Nevertheless, I managed to build up a small gathering of atheist and agnostic students after we changed our name from “Atheist Union” to “Atheist & Agnostic Alliance” (for an awesome alliteration). Things were going well, until a few weeks ago, when the vandals struck again…only this time they attacked my door.
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Read the rest of the story here.

 

Kevin Alfred Strom will be a guest of the state for the next two years.

Kevin Alfred Strom plead guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in January and was sentenced to 23 months in prison yesterday morning. The judge rejected his claims that he “unwillingly” possessed the porn and his request that he be sentenced to time served.

Throughout Strom’s trial last year for enticement of a minor and witness intimidation— charges that were thrown out by Moon— the prolific writer, radio broadcaster, and founder of the white-rights National Alliance offshoot, the National Vanguard, has been silent in court, speaking only in January to denounce his portrayal in the media as a neo-Nazi and white supremacist.

“I’ve been in solitary confinement for 16 months,” says Strom. “I ask the court to grant me one minute for every month I’ve been in prison.”

During his statement, Strom said he’s been a good father to his three children, ages 15, 13 and 11, especially his severely autistic 13-year-old son, and that his predicament resulted from “false accusations” by his wife, Elisha Strom.

“I am not a pedophile,” says Strom. “I am the furthest thing from a sexual pervert.” He shared his disgust of pedophiles and child pornographers with the court, noting that he regarded sex as “holy,” and that in high school he was an “absolute straight arrow,” and was called a “prude.”
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He explained that the child porn photos found on his computer were fewer than 10 out of more than 100,000, and that they came from an online forum he’d visited that had been “flooded with spam,” including “sleazy, tragic” pictures of children that he deleted. “I possessed them unwillingly,” he told Moon, “but I did possess them.”

“Mr. Strom, this is an unusual case,” acknowledged Judge Moon. “But Mr. Strom, you pled guilty to charges that now you’re saying you’re innocent. I prefer people plead not guilty than put it on me.”
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Nonetheless, calling the child porn guilty plea “extremely serious,” Moon sentenced Strom to 23 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release. He did not prohibit Strom from associating with his minor children.

Afterward, Elisha Strom, who had contacted authorities and is the witness Kevin Strom was accused of intimidating, called the almost two-year sentence “a joke.”

During his October trial, she had testified against her husband, saying that she’d returned home to find him naked and aroused in front of the images of two young, white nationalist-movement singers whose heads had been superimposed onto two nude bodies. Moon ruled that was not illegal, and despite Elisha’s claims that Kevin had choked her to keep her quiet, he dismissed the witness intimidation charge.
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What a cockamamie excuse for having kiddie porn, but then aren’t they all? At least he’s off the street for 23 months, though that’s not long enough as far as I’m concerned.

About a week ago I posted Ask the Gaytheist. My first question comes from thewalrus whose e-mail address is, it seems, fyou@******. Alrighty then, let’s get to the question:

how does an atheist have the odds stacked against him? All the hipster protesters are atheists and everyone hears them practicing their right to free speech. Here is the shocking part though… nobody cares

I’m going to break that down into three separate parts to make things easier. First; how does an atheist have the odds stacked against him?

As you are likely aware, the majority of people in the United States profess belief in God and adherence to a religion. According to a 2001 study 76.5% of adults over age 18 report being members of a Christian faith and 3.7% report being Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist. 13.2% claim “no religion”, 0.5% agnostic and only 0.4% reported being atheist. It’s possible, even probable, that some in the “no religion” category (or even one of the other groups) are atheists who were unwilling to say as much due to societal prejudices. Nonetheless the fact is we are greatly outnumbered by theists and followers of religion.

A 2006 study by the University of Minnesota found that atheists were the most despised group in America. The results from two of the most important questions were:

This group does not at all agree with my vision of American society…

Atheist: 39.6%
Muslims: 26.3%
Homosexuals: 22.6%
Hispanics: 20%
Conservative Christians: 13.5%
Recent Immigrants: 12.5%
Jews: 7.6%

I would disapprove if my child wanted to marry a member of this group….

Atheist: 47.6%
Muslim: 33.5%
African-American 27.2%
Asian-Americans: 18.5%
Hispanics: 18.5%
Jews: 11.8%
Conservative Christians: 6.9%
Whites: 2.3%

Negative attitudes like these stem from a number of common misperceptions about atheists. It is believed, for example, that atheists (because they don’t believe in gods) have no reason to behave morally/ethically, that they want to impose atheism or secularism on America, and that in place of gods atheists worship themselves/money/Satan. While none of these perceptions are even remotely true, they’re widespread and very difficult to change in the eyes of those who hold them.

Thanks to the misperceptions about atheism and atheists, there is a great deal of discrimination toward atheists.

Gray, Tennessee: Carletta Sims joined a financial firm in June 2001. Shortly afterward, two Baptist coworkers took offense upon learning that Sims was an atheist. Management granted the coworkers’ request to be assigned workspaces further from Sims. When Sims complained about a picture of Jesus left on her computer, management discharged her. Sims filed suit, seeking $250,000; U.S. District Judge Thomas Hull ruled that “religious discrimination (or preferential treatment of Christians) can be inferred.” In January 2004, the major bank that had since acquired the firm settled with Sims for an undisclosed amount.

Ada, Oklahoma: A Baptist student told a local newspaper she wouldn’t take professor William Zellner’s classes because he was an atheist, triggering a flurry of abuse. Zellner received harassing notes and telephone calls, some threatening. His car was vandalized, for a time on a daily basis. A local church sold “I am praying for Dr. Zellner” buttons. His children experienced shunning and beatings from religious children.

Minneapolis, Minnesota: First-grader Michael Bristor, an atheist, was denied an honor roll certificate when he refused to participate in an unconstitutional “prayer time” at a public school. For three years, administrators ignored the family’s complaints until a lawsuit was filed.

The case of Chuck Smalkowski of Oklahoma gained national attention. Smalkowski’s daughter refused to pray with her basketball team before games and was then thrown off the team on grounds based on lies. When Smalkowski attempted to discuss the matter with the school principal the principal struck Smalkowski and the two fell to the ground. The principal pressed charges claiming Smalkowski had assaulted him. Smalkowski won in court.

Discrimination against atheists is written into numerous state constitutions effectively restricting atheists from running for public office. Though these restrictions are no longer technically valid, they’re still in the constitutions. More importantly, the societal bias against atheists is so entrenched that it ensures none will be elected to most offices–particularly the presidency. For example, notice in particular how presidential candidates must profess their faith (Christianity, of course) endlessly in order to be considered acceptable. Mitt Romney raised many eyebrows because he is a Mormon, and Barack Obama is continuously under fire with accusations that he is a Muslim. Then there is this article that insists America is right to resist an atheist president. No, an atheist has no chance of becoming president any time soon in America.

It is not uncommon for atheists to lose custody of their children simply because the are atheists, particularly if the other parent is religious and the judge is also religious. It is often felt that an atheist is unfit to raise children and/or that children should be raised in a religion. Atheists also have a harder time adopting children than do their believing counterparts.

Then there are these bigoted quotes from various individuals that show how deeply entrenched anti-atheist sentiments are in America. This is a small sampling, mind you.

“No, I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.” George H.W. Bush

“No, I agree with her 100 percent. I think that the real discrimination is atheists against Americans who are religious. Listen, we are a Christian nation. I’m not a Christian. I’m Jewish, but I recognize we’re a Christian country and freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from religion.” Debbie Schlussel

“I don’t mind receiving the atheist hate mail, since I know that in a few years, many of these same people will either be Muslim extremists (redundant) or helping the country fall further in its fight against the creep of Islamic imposition on America . . . or both.
(later on the blog)
THANKS FOR CONFIRMING THAT ALL ATHEISTS ARE IDIOTS IN ADDITION TO BEING FUTURE MUSLIM EXTREMISTS” Debbie Schlussel

“I’d like to eliminate all Atheists. That isn’t such a bad idea.” Captain Windu

(In an argument that went from ‘Atheists are evil’ to ‘we should be able to mix church and state’ back to ‘Atheists are evil’)
“Panzer, if it would have been my business I would have fired you for being an atheist. I just would have found a way to fire you without using your lack of belief as a reason. Bad company corrupts good morals and I wouldnt have a non believer work for me. Plus, why should I have an atheist work for me when there is a christian that needs a job?” Don

“atheists and unfaithfuls are the responsible for all the world disgraces” ximmamrayadj

“To all atheists, you are no better than the worst terrorists ever lived. You are trying to kill human nature physically and morally. But this will not work.” gandovli

“To an atheist, anything that shows respect and etiquette to another person is mindless and meaningless, which is why they refuse to say such simple phrases as “Bless you” and “Thank you” and “Please.” Although atheists (claim to) have high IQs, their EQs are surely in the single digits” MessiahWWWKD

“have any atheists ever done a THING for the betterment of mankind? NAME ONE. They certainly can’t just BE…no they have to FORCE their views on us all by tearing down every decent institution in the country because they are “offended”. They do it so cowardly too by using the bought and paid for court system so that we the people have no say in the matter.” bdn2004

“15.) The theory of evolution is supported almost completely by atheists…and atheists don’t have just a great track record for telling the truth. Lying comes natural for them, as they don’t believe in The 10 Commandments and see nothing wrong with lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, etc….because, hey, we’re all just dumb machines that operate by random chemicals bouncing into each other. To them, (or many of them) telling lies and killing Christians is a good thing because they hate Christians and wish we were dead.” Supersport

“Anyway I would like to make a comment I love god, he speaks to me when I walk down the street he tells me to do good. When ever I see an Atheist I feel like slapping them, however then god gives me this vision of atheists burring, and I think to myself. God will deal with them. ” Kasaova

“Atheists don’t have a church they can join for fellowship, friends, sports, bible readings, bingo, coffee and donuts, education, etc. There are not Atheists organizations that help out the poor, homeless, sick, disabled, hungry, and others less fortunate. When you look at an Atheist organization, most likely than not they are filing civil suits against Religions and trying to get Religious things removed from the public. Not seeing that Religious organizations help out the community. For example the Cub Scouts have a Scouting for Food program, but the ACLU and Atheist Organizations filed civil suits to get the Cub Scouts out of public schools because the Cub Scouts mentions duty to God in their pledge. But because of that the Cub Scouts cannot recruit as many boys to help out in the Scouting for Food program and as a result Fire Stations and Food Pantries only get 50% to 35% of the canned food they used to stock up on thanks to the Cub Scouts for collecting it for them. Now homeless and hungry and poor people go without food, thanks to the ACLU and Atheist Organizations kicking the Cub Scouts out of public places.” OrionBlaster

The last statement in particular is completely inaccurate. The Boy Scouts are not losing access to public places because they mention duty to God in their pledge. They’re losing free access to public places, and complete access to some public places, because they refuse to allow gays, atheists and agnostics to be scouts or scoutmasters. If they want to consider themselves a private group, which gives them the right to practice discrimination based on “religious beliefs”, they can’t benefit from things like free access to public lands and other things that are provided to public groups that are open to all. Essentially they want to have their cake and eat it too. It should be noted that the Girl Scouts don’t discriminate like the Boy Scouts do, and therefore don’t have any such problems.

Moving on now to the second part: All the hipster protesters are atheists and everyone hears them practicing their right to free speech.

It does seem that more atheists are speaking out, particularly of late. Thanks to the Internet even those who have otherwise been “in the closet” due to fear of repercussions have found a voice and the opportunity to use it. Nonetheless atheists are hardly the only ones protesting, and certainly not the only “hipster” protesters (though I’m sure many would be thrilled to be classified as such). We’re just getting more backlash because we (along with those evil gays) are screwing up the status quo when we assert ourselves.

Finally, Here is the shocking part though… nobody cares

On the contrary, many people care. You cared enough to submit your question, whatever the intent behind it may have been. The 600 (and counting) bloggers on the Atheist Blogroll certainly care. Some others who care include:

Rep. Monique Davis, who stated “It’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!”.

InGodWeTrust.org certainly cares. They couldn’t allow an atheist group to simply run their first-ever billboard campaign without interfering. They had to respond with the outrageous and false claim that “Atheists hate America”.

Karen Hunter cares enough that she thinks atheists need to shut up about their rights/wants, etc. and Debbie Schlussel agrees–because this is a “Christian Nation”.

Yes, many people do care and many of them would like us to shut up and go back in our closets with the LGBT people. That’s just not going to happen. We’re here, we don’t believe, and people are just going to have to get used to it.

That concludes this edition of The Gaytheist Answers.

 

That’s the simple yet critical lesson of this video . Please be warned that this piece contains some adult language and brief violence.

State Representative Monique Davis (D-Chicago), who previously engaged in a verbal attack against Atheist Rob Sherman, offered an apology on Wednesday.

Because of Davis’ rant, she was named Tuesday night as the “worst person in the world” –a dubious award doled out daily by news commentator Keith Olbermann on MSNBC’s “Countdown” program.

Rep. Davis told atheist Rob Sherman that, “What you have to spew and spread is dangerous” and that “This is the land of Lincoln where people believe in God.”

But, after being on the receiving end of a week’s worth of public criticism, Davis called Sherman yesterday to apologize.

Sherman says Davis told him she “took out her frustrations and emotions on me and that she shouldn’t have done that.” Sherman says Davis’ explanation was “reasonable” and that he forgives her.

According to Sherman and State Rep. Jack Franks….Davis claims her outburst was triggered by learning shortly beforehand…that there’d been another Chicago Public School student killed.

State Rep. Jack Franks was chairing the hearing that day and says Davis’ outburst was uncharacteristic, adding “she was having a bad day.”

That was very noble of Representative Davis. I’ll be dropping her a message to let her know how much I appreciate her action.

 

Or maybe it’s in the water. I don’t know what it is but it’s very disturbing the way hate-filled politicians have been coming out of the woodwork of late. This time it’s not a homophobe but an atheist hater. You may have heard already about State Representative Monique Davis (D-Chicago) who unleashed her fury on atheist Rob Sherman recently. Friendly Atheist has the original story (see his site for important links):

Outspoken atheist Rob Sherman, who (with his daughter) filed a lawsuit that eventually put a stop to the Mandatory Moment of Silence, was back in the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday.

He was there arguing Governor Rod Blagojevich’s $1,000,000 grant to the Pilgrim Baptist Church — which was given to them via the more secular Loop Lab School. (Shadiness all around.)

Anyway, he got into an exchange with Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago).

Below is a video that includes audio of the exchange between Sherman and Davis.

What an interesting perspective Davis has. It’s dangerous for children to know atheism exists? That’s like saying it’s dangerous for them to know cold exists–for what is cold except the absence of heat? And atheism is nothing more than the absence of theism. It’s only those who lack conviction in their own, or others’, faith who fear what a little knowledge will do.

Then there was the insinuation that Sherman was wrong for pursuing cases regarding the “moment of silence” in the schools when he wasn’t addressing guns in schools. Who is Davis to talk when millions upon millions of Christians spend infinite time, money and effort on fighting LGBT rights yet none on fighting poverty, homelessness or war?

Moving on now, Friendly Atheist has an update

Illinois State Rep. Monique Davis recently said to atheist Rob Sherman: “It’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy (atheism) exists!”

The audio of the exchange was picked up and circulated, and the story (which was brought to the public’s eye by Chicago Tribune reporter Eric Zorn) has made its way through the blogosphere.

It’s made its way to the mainstream media, too.

Tonight, MSNBC news anchor Keith Olbermann named Davis his nightly “Worst Person in the World.”

Thanks to Spazeboy, we have a video!

Visit Friendly Atheist to see the MSNBC video, which is brief but good.

Should you be inclined to contact Rep. Davis (though I’ve heard she hasn’t responded to anybody yet) you can do so at:

Representative Monique D. Davis
1234 West 95th Street
Chicago, IL 60643
(773) 445-9700
(773) 445-5755 FAX

 

You may recall that I previously wrote about the ongoing problem in the US military with persistent Christian evangelism and bigotry toward those of other faiths, or of no faith. Recent news indicates that the trend continues, sadly. Spc. Jeremy Hall, the atheist who filed a religious discrimination lawsuit, has recently alleged that he has been threatened as a result.

Spc. Jeremy Hall filed a formal statement Wednesday with the Army. He says he overheard a conversation between two sergeants in his platoon and one wanted to “bust Hall in the mouth.”
Hall says he faces the animosity because he is an atheist and is suing the Department of Defense. He alleges it permits a culture that pushes fundamentalist Christianity.

He says he does not feel safe his unit.

Apparently Freedom of Religion, particularly in the military only applies to Evangelical Christians. Woe to non-conformists.

Now, from Newsweek:

The little book, with the camouflage cover, is everywhere. There are more than 50,000 copies with the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s on military bases across America. It’s in the homes of military families, who are praying their dear ones come home. It’s circulating at the Pentagon. Even the president has allegedly read it. “An aide to President Bush called me and said, ‘Henry, I think you’d like to know that the president is on his face before God every morning, and he’s using your [book]’,” its author told NEWSWEEK. The author is Henry Blackaby, a 72-year-old Canadian minister who is largely unknown outside Christian circles and who wrote the book together with his son Richard more than a decade ago. The book is the ever popular guide to prayer called “Experiencing God Day by Day.”

The Blackabys had already written and published the devotional when Henry was invited to speak in 2005 before a group of U.S. military chaplains. The chaplains were so inspired by Blackaby’s talk, the story goes, that they asked for copies of “Experiencing God Day by Day” to give to the men and women in the Army. Blackaby took the request to heart: he tapped some of his friends in the business world, received $176,000 in donations, redesigned the cover to match the Army’s camouflage uniforms and, with the help of his publisher, printed 100,000 copies to be distributed to the Army free of charge. …..

Military bases are flooded with religious literature, Christian literature in particular, and “Experiencing God Day by Day” is notable mostly for its serious tone and its orthodox approach to evangelical Christian theology. The book presents a daily verse from Scripture and a commentary on that verse; its intention is to help readers keep God ever present in their minds……The devotional is also a deeply evangelical text, and as such holds Christianity above other religions. “If you did not grow up in a Christian home,” reads the entry for June 10, “you can decide, as Joshua did, to reject your heritage of unbelief and begin a generation that serves the Lord.”

There would not seem, on the face of it, to be much of a problem with a group of private citizens sending a Christian prayer book abroad to lonely and spiritually hungry men and women who are, for the most part, Christian. But if you look closely at the “Experiencing God” phenomenon, says Jeff Sharlet, there is. Sharlet is a journalist who has been covering the Christian right for many years and is author of “The Family,” a forthcoming book about fundamentalist elites in America. “The military stands for our democratic nation, not for any religion,” he says. The ubiquity of this devotional “creates the appearance that this is an approved religion, that it’s favored by the state.” Not only is such an appearance isolating for military men and women who happen to not be evangelical—even mainline Protestants on military bases say they can feel marginalized, Sharlet says—but it also continues to create the impression abroad that the United States is engaged in a holy war. One man’s comfort is another man’s crusade, and such is the sad state of the world.

I find it disgusting, particularly considering the evangelical slant of the book. It’s obviously designed to recruit new Christians in addition to offering reading material to existing ones. Would the military allow books intended to proselytize for other religions, for atheism, etc? If not, then why are they allowing books evangelizing for Christianity and for one form in particular? This is wrong on so many levels.

Now from TheReporter.com :

What do the U.S. military and Christianity have in common? Nothing, if Mikey Weinstein has his way.

Weinstein is the founder of Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit organization that seeks to resurrect what he believes is the crumbling wall between church and state in the military.

Specifically, Weinstein believes that a minority Christian viewpoint - one that seeks to turn the military into a Christian force - is infiltrating the ranks at all levels. If they succeed, he says, their beliefs could be forced onto people around the world and here at home.

As Weinstein says it: “We’re a Tiger Woods’ putt away from becoming the United Fundamentalist Christian States of America, brought to you by the faith-based Department of Defense and its Pentacostalagon.”

…..

It’s a cause that came to him four years ago, in the form of a conversation with his younger son, who at the time was a sophomore at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. His son complained about being unduly pressured by other cadets and academy leaders to give up his Jewish faith and become a Christian.

Weinstein, a 1977 Air Force academy graduate who served in Judge Advocate General Corps for 10 years and also did a stint in the Reagan White House, said he’d look into it. He thought it could be resolved with a few phone calls.

But as he probed, he began to see evidence of what seemed to be U.S.-sanctioned proseltyzation not only at the academy, but throughout the Air Force and in all branches of the military. Locally, he said he’s event received complaints from Travis Air Force Base, though he would not detail them.

Now the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been in contact with more than 7,500 active-duty military members with similar complaints. Weinstein estimates that “96 percent” of those complaints come from other Christians.

“We’re at war, with the fundamentalist Christians pitted against the nonfundamentalist Christian brothers and sisters,” he says. “This is a national security threat internally every bit as much as that which is now challenging our country externally by a resurgent Taliban and al Qaida.”

The threat isn’t just to individual service members’ ability to practice their chosen faith - or nonfaith, as in the case of an avowed atheist whose opportunity for a promotional interview was rescinded, allegedly because he declined to participate in Christian prayers, according to a lawsuit recently filed by the foundation.

And it’s not just that “combat troops refusing to accept their commanders’ biblical world view are sent on more dangerous assignments,” or that “commanders are censoring movies,” so that troops are having trouble obtaining “Lord of the Rings” or Harry Potter DVDs, as Weinstein has been told by service members.

So much for the claim that atheists and other religious minorities aren’t actually put in harm’s way by the discrimination they experience.

The threat to national security comes when American Humvees are “driven through Iraqi cities playing, in Arabic, Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life,” or when company commanders are allowed to hand out tracts in Iraq depicting Christians going to heaven and Muslims going to hell, as alleged by a soldier who contacted Weinstein. Such actions serve to fuel the belief in Muslim countries that they are engaged in another holy war, and that this time, the Christian crusade is being led by the U.S. military.

But I thought they hated us for our freedoms. It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the hostile religious behavior of the occupying forces. (Of course when Christian missionaries behave in similar ways and face violent backlash they call it “persecution” rather than face the reality that antagonistic behavior has repercussions.)

Needless to say, the US Military has far to go in bringing its Evangelical strain under control and making the environment safe and equal for people of all beliefs and non-beliefs. Fortunately the MRFF seems to be launching a formidable counterattack on the religious bullies. It will be worth keeping an eye on the situation to see how it pans out.

 

The Southern Poverty Law Center is asking you to put yourself on the map as taking a stand against hate. There are currently 888 recognized hate groups in the US, an increase of 48% since 2000. The more we speak out, the greater our chances of putting a stop to them. I’m on the map. Will you join me?