Tag Archives: atheism

US Army to Fund Atheist Rock Beyond Belief?

Not everyone can be right all the time, but when it comes to journalists, you think they’d at least try.

Reprinted at the Huffington Post, Religion News Service writer Kimberly Winston wrote on the recently approved “Rock Beyond Belief” to occur at Fort Bragg next spring.  Her article reads like a press release, not a news report.  Explaining the background of “Rock Beyond Belief,” she says

[Rock the Fort], staged by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, received more than $50,000 in financial support from the base, according to records obtained by local atheists through the Freedom of Information Act.

As the Army already pointed out, that’s a mischaracterization of the “records obtained.”

Winston then makes a statement that is known to be categorically untrue:  Read more

Atheist Rock Beyond Belief Announces Approval

“Rock Beyond Belief” — the self-described atheist counter-event to the Christian “Rock the Fort” — has announced that Fort Bragg has agreed to allow it to hold its festival next March on the Army post.  While there is a bit of celebration on their part, its worth noting Fort Bragg also approved their request for last spring; RBB just decided to cancel itself at the time (and then allowed Michael Weinstein to equate the Army with racists over the incident).

The statement makes no reference to what changed, other than Read more

Astronaut: There Are No Atheists in Rockets, and Prayer in Space

Putting a new twist on an old cliché, NASA astronaut Michael Good (Col, USAF, Ret) recently spoke on the awe-inspiring experience of space flight:

“They say there’s no atheists in foxholes, but there’s probably no atheists in rockets,” said Catholic astronaut Col. Mike Good, who believes his faith in God was solidified by the awe-inspiring views he saw from space.

The article notes the infusion of faith in the local community and NASA:

NASA employees fill pews in churches surrounding Johnson Space Center, including Webster Presbyterian Church, called the “church of the astronauts” when John Glenn, Buzz Aldrin, Jerry Carr, Charlie Bassett and Roger Chaffee were active members of the congregation. Later this month, the church will honor the anniversary of Aldrin’s Holy Communion on the moon, the first meal ever eaten on its surface.

Nearby, the Catholic Church St. Paul the Apostle in Nassau Bay depicts Hubble images in its stained glass windows, a design collaboration with space-loving parishioners.

Two years ago Col Good hoped to bring “glory to the Lord of all creation” on a mission to work on the Hubble.

Some atheists apparently took umbrage at Good’s use Read more

USAFA Atheists Need Freedom to “Denigrate?”

Jason Torpy of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers recently wrote an article with mixed praise and criticism for the US Air Force Academy’s religious climate.  Notably, he claimed the USAFA “freethinker” group had

been operating outside the Academy’s chaplain office due to misunderstandings of policy and intellectual freedom.

Apparently one of the problems was an explicit USAFA policy against “denigrating” other religions.  The issue?

The term “denigrating” seemed to prevent discussion of nearly anything related to atheism.

According to Torpy, Read more

Rock Beyond Belief Praises the Military Chaplaincy

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 Read more

Fort Hood Freedom Fest Headliner Offends?

Fort Hood recently hosted its “Freedom Fest.”  No, not the Fort Bragg atheist event that temporarily used the same name; this was the Independence Day celebration.  By all accounts it was a rousing success.  Due to fire bans across Texas, Fort Hood had one of the only fireworks displays in the region.  Around 100,000 were expected to have attended.

In the past, some have taken issue with the US military having “Christian” musicians or bands at similar events.  Apparently, they are concerned about exposing troops and their families to edifying or God-honoring lyrics.

Few people seem to have any problem when the opposite is the case.  The musical act at Fort Hood’s Freedom Fest was Read more

MRFF, Atheists Go After Military Easter. Again.

This site previously noted the lack of original thought on the part of some activist atheists.

Now, in response to Easter, they want, well, an atheist counter-celebration of Christ’s resurrection, apparently.

Last year this site noted that Michael Weinstein’s research assistant Chris Rodda held up for derision the military Christian celebrations of Easter in the combat theatre. Despite the criticism by Rodda and Weinstein’s organization, which oddly includes “military religious freedom” in its name, the celebration of religious holy days in the combat area is perhaps one of the most explicit examples of religious freedom in the US military.

This year, the MRFF continued its attacks Read more

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