Advocates for “Rock Beyond Belief,” the atheist counter-event to the Christian Rock the Fort, have previously taken advantage of opportunities to belittle Christianity and the Army — even when the Army was going out of its way to do exactly what they wanted.

However, a recent post at the Rock Beyond Belief blog may mark a significant change in tone.  Eschewing the normal martyrdom complex (save a hint in a sentence or two) and mockery of religion, the article instead praises US military Chaplains for supporting atheist troops.  The blog is (generally) positive, uplifting, and presents a (generally) accurate and objective perspective on atheism in the US military.  It may help potential atheist recruits know they will be respected by the institutional Army, and it shows the world the US military respects religious freedom.

Of course, this support of atheists by Chaplains isn’t new; the military Chaplaincy’s support of military atheists has been highlighted here many times before.  It’s just the first time advocates for Rock Beyond Belief have framed their discussion in such a positive light — even though its been public knowledge for some time the Chaplains have been helping them along the way.

It is good to see the Army and the military getting the praise they deserve; they are more often unjustly vilified at every opportunity.  The activists at RBB should be commended for highlighting the fact the US military generally does an admirable job of protecting the religious freedom of its servicemembers.

Perhaps their blog post portends a move away from the always-negative, never-satisfied, vitriolic Weinstein way — a move which would certainly boost RBB’s credibility.