Air Force Comprehensive Airman Fitness
With an interesting sense of timing, an Air Force article on “Comprehensive Airman Fitness,” focusing on “Spiritual Fitness,” was recently published at Charleston Air Force Base.
As military articles on such topics often do, it calmly predicts and answers the questions of the recent uproar over Spiritual Fitness in the military.
There are three concepts associated with spirituality, according to [Chaplain (LtCol) Michael] Brown.
“The first is to discover meaning in your life and a meaning that transcends anything in the physical world,” he said. “Some find that through a higher power, creator or God.”
The second concept is living out that purpose, Brown said.
“Seek purpose in the context of all your relationships, both physical and spiritual,” he said. “Honor your life by fulfilling some type of purpose or service to humanity.”
The third idea encompasses a person being at peace with his or her life no matter what stage of life….
“Your spiritual fitness affects your overall attitude and the way you respond to adversity,” [Chaplain (Ltjg) John Quay] said. “It helps you become a more resilient individual.”
As the Army is currently saying, spirituality can be, to some people, a religious endeavor. The military isn’t in the business of quashing that religious feeling where it exists. But the military also makes a point of saying that religiosity isn’t necessary — the “spirituality” to which they refer is meaning, purpose, and value. That some people find such characteristics in their faith does not make the military’s efforts a coercive religion.
Interestingly, the article connects Spiritual Fitness to another important aspect of military conduct:
“In society, spiritual beliefs undergird moral and ethical behaviors,” Brown said. “In the military service, we protect human life and provide aid during times of disaster or war. Those acts of human service are based on moral and ethical behaviors. It’s a way that society forms its laws.”
To point out the paradox, military atheists are currently calling on the Army to end its emphasis on Spiritual Fitness, while others are challenging the Navy to improve its “moral and ethical behaviors” which, according to the statements above, are tied to Spiritual Fitness.
The dichotomy is simultaneously fascinating and disheartening.
In my view, spiritual beliefs DO NOT undergird moral and ethical behaviors. I am as ethical a person as you will find, with 25 years of service to our country, and I do not believe in things for which there is no evidence. Spirituality and religion are personal choices, and it is not appropriate for the military or government to get involved in the discussion. If you want to believe in Yaweh, or Allah, or Zeus, that is your business – but I do not want to waste my time dealing with the superstitions of others. Those who pray and survive combat say God answered their prayers – but what of all those who prayed and died? They do not get to weigh in on the discussion, because they are dead. Talk about a skewed poll!
Andy has lost his mind. To a fundamentalist Christian, the term “spiritual” is anathema! It is a word developed by non-religious folks to attempt to address the void left when any individual fails to have a relationship with God and reaches out to the trees, the fishes, etc. That being said, this same spirituality has sure made a positive impact on a lot of folks in Alcoholics Anonymous and the fighting forces of our Nation. Spirituality has nothing to do with any particular faith or religion- I would suggest Andy read C.G. Jung and the Jungian Psychological Model as it relates to the Collective Unconscious and the human Psyche- it has to do with the resilience that can be developed in the individual to deal with the moral injuries that are a result of “Religion.”
Batchap67,
Sir, I disagree that “Spirituality has nothing to do with any particular faith or religion”. I think it does have a lot to do with religion and belief in a god or gods. To show this, I took video of training I completed recently that pretty clearly defined spirituality. To quote the video: “Religion provides people with a sense of personal identity and belonging. Spirituality refers to the beliefs in higher powers such as gods or spirits.” I won’t go so far as to bring in conspiracy theories concerning fundamentalist christianity in the military, but I think spirituality is just an abomination of word. It can mean so many different things to so many different people. To put it into a test and then ask questions that are religious in nature (such as on the Army test) is setting yourself up for the problems they are experiencing. Here is a link to the video I took and allowed rockbeyondbelief.com to use: http://rockbeyondbelief.com/2011/01/22/us-military-defines-spirituality/
AF Atheist: Your critique of the word “spiritual” may be valid — and has already been brought up by many others who still support the GAT itself. Importantly, your “proof” is a video from the AFCLC — the Air Force Culture and Language Center. Their focus is language, region, and culture — that is, training AF members how to deal with other peoples. Part of that training is how other societies view religion and spirituality.
This has nothing to do with the Army’s tools. The Army provided its own “definition” of spirituality within the training itself. To wit:
Lots of people have said a different word might have been better, but is manufactured offense by atheists over a word choice an appropriate reason to vilify the Army?
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