Perkins Links Military Stress, DADT, Attacks on Christianity
Several critics have lambasted Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, for allegedly linking the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to the military’s suicide rate:
The stress in our military, when you look how they have used the military for their social experimentation: driving Christianity out, putting homosexuality in, suicide rate going through the ceiling…And what are they doing? Adding additional stress by this social engineering. Unbelievable.
There is no demonstrable link that repealing DADT directly contributed to suicide — and Perkins didn’t say there was. What he described was a set of environmental conditions symptomatic of the military culture — one similarly characterized by an epidemic of suicide.
Rightly or wrongly, some have developed the perception that the US military has become “hostile” to Christianity. The military now officially accepts homosexuality — a position which similarly conflicts with most major religions, including Christianity. Meanwhile, the military struggles with the epidemic of suicide — something, quite honestly, Christianity is uniquely equipped to address, were the environment supportive. Perkins’ statement is not baseless.
The fact there is “shock” that someone would connect normalization of homosexuality and ills in the culture is indicative of how far society has fallen in just a few short years.
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“The fact there is “shock” that someone would connect normalization of homosexuality and other ills in the culture is indicative of how far society has fallen in just a few short years.”
Is there shock? FRC is a group that put out a whole alleged study on mistreatment of Christians in our culture. Its very first page had a knowing lie, and it went downhill from there. If Christians don’t have a problem when other Christians lie, slander, and fear-monger, why would it be shocking that they’ll blame everything under the sun on gay people? This is the sort of thing that might have been shocking before the right refused to accept a president’s citizenship or Christianity, and which will believe in things like death panels, Muslim conspiracies, and the Family Research Council.
Hmmm… a period in which soldiers have been serving more tours in hostile territory. A period in which they have seen more of their comrades killed. A period in which they have been away from home longer.
Obviously the reason they are killing themselves is gays.
@Donalbain
The last DoD study found most suicides in the Guard were committed by those who had not deployed at all, so your facetious logic falls flat.
http://www.apa.org/Images/2010-09-article-suicides_tcm7-99135.jpg
Perhaps you could point out how “putting homosexuality in” affects the rates shown in that graph? If “putting homosexuality in” the military is so bad, why do the suicide rates start to increase for the army in 2004, and for the marines in 2006?
Does DADT have time travelling powers? Or are you, like Tony Perkins, just a liar?
@Donalbain
Your argument is nonsense. Why do you assert that something bad = more suicides?