Tag Archives: atheism

Buddhist US Soldier on Faith and Foxholes

A Buddhist Zen priest living in Austin conducted an interview with 1LT Stephen Hunnewell, an American Soldier and Buddhist who was serving in Afghanistan at the time.  In the interview, Lt Hunnewell said that while he was long interested in the eastern religions, he didn’t really begin to practice a faith until returning from a combat tour:

It was not until I returned from my last deployment in Afghanistan, 2008, did I really begin a practice. During my last tour in Afghanistan I began to search for a spiritual path. The old adage, “There are no atheists in foxholes,” could not be more true.

For those who don’t closely follow Buddhist/military discussions, it is interesting to note the vein of pacifism Read more

Fort Bragg to Host Atheist Counter Event

Fort Bragg has reportedly agreed to host “Rock Beyond Belief,” the atheist response to last fall’s “Rock the Fort.” Rock the Fort was led by the Billy Graham Evangelical Association in September.  The RBB event is scheduled for April 2nd.  (The “other” atheist event, the “Fort Bragg Freedom Festival,” which divorced from Rock Beyond Belief in October, appears to have been abandoned due to a lack of interest.)

As noted when the push was first announced late last year, it is entirely appropriate for the military to allow its troops the freedom to exercise their faiths.  The military is made up of men and women from all walks of life, beliefs, and ideologies.  Just as Christians are permitted to gather and share their common faith, so, too, can atheists. 

While some supporters are holding their breaths as if this is a watershed event, it is essentially standard operations within the military.  The only reason such an event hasn’t happened to date has been that no one asked.

It is possible and even likely that the atheist event will come and go with little fanfare.

On the other hand, like any ideological gathering, Rock Beyond Belief may Read more

Panel: Chaplains Already Counseling Gays, Serving Atheists

A panel discussion in Washington, DC, entitled “Current Topics Facing Today’s Military Chaplains” included Chaplains (LtCol) Carleton Birch, (LtCol) Lisa H. Tice, and (CAPT) John H. Lea of the Christian faith, Chaplain (LtCmdr) Abuhena Saifulislam of the Islamic faith, and Chaplain (Capt) Jerry Seidler of the Jewish faith.

Birch reportedly said that the DADT repeal may be fairly benign for Chaplains, given that they’ve been counseling homosexual servicemembers all along.

Army Chaplain Lt. Col. Carleton Birch said Wednesday that chaplains already have experience in counseling homosexual soldiers and will likely be able to adjust easily to an openly homosexual military.

“I’ve counseled homosexual soldiers when Read more

Atheist Soldier Highlights Need for Spiritual Fitness

As previously noted, the US Army uses the now-controversial Global Assessment Tool to help Soldiers self-assess their emotional, social, family, and spiritual fitness.  The spiritual fitness portion is intended to measure meaning, purpose, and connectedness.

In his complaints, an atheist Soldier may have identified the very need for such efforts he is trying to dismiss:

Not all of the spiritual questions are offensive, he said. He didn’t mind being asked whether he has a purpose in life. But he balked at the idea of being Read more

Fundamentalist Agnostic Wrote Army’s “Spiritual Fitness Test”

Michael Weinstein has been in the media recently claiming that the US Army’s Global Assessment Tool (previously discussed), which helps Soldiers self-assess their emotional, social, family, and spiritual fitness is actually a tool created to enable Christians to take over the military.

[This] imperious fascistic contagion of this fundamentalist Christian tsunami that is sweeping through the military. And this Soldier Fitness test is just the camel’s nose under the tent.

Weinstein is sure fundamentalist Christians are behind the implementation of the Spiritual Fitness test. “There is absolutely no doubt where this is coming from,” he said. “We smell this disgusting stench over and over again.”

Apparently, the “stench,” which Weinstein previously said was like “10,000 rotting swine,” is spreading to non-Christians.  According to the report, the person who oversaw the creation of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program (there’s not actually an individual “Spiritual Fitness Test”) is agnostic, and even now defends the value of the program:  Read more

Arizona Shooter was Left-Right-Wing Fundamentalist-Atheist

It was disturbing this weekend to see the attempted assassination of US House Rep Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) — in which a 9 year old girl lost her life — devolve into a game of political gotcha within minutes.

Because Giffords was a pro-abortion Democrat who defeated a “Tea Party” candidate just a few weeks ago, some pointed at right-wing “AM radio-listening” pro-life extremists.  When the alleged shooter’s internet ramblings started to become public — in which he appears to be a confused socialist and ambiguously anti-religion — the speculation went from “conservative fundamentalist” to “lunatic.”  Apparently because to Read more

“Rock the Fort” Counter-Event Struggles with Purpose, Limits

As previously discussed, US Army SGT Justin Griffith is trying to organize a counter-event to “Rock the Fort.”  His “Rock Beyond Belief” event was part of a divorce from the atheistic Fort Bragg Freedom Festival.  Based on public information, his event seems to be outdoing his former partners in spades.  In order to get MWR “official” Army support and access to the parade field, they need projected attendance of 2500+ people.  Based on the publicly available information, Griffith may be on his way to that number, though its difficult to say.

Importantly, Griffith knows his event needs to remain non-offensive to his fellow Soldiers to obtain the official support of the military he so strongly desires.  It is highly unlikely the Army would provide support to an event demeaning to others, regardless Read more

Army: Spiritual Fitness Can “Lighten Load”

In its continuing efforts to reduce suicides and improve the overall mission effectiveness of Soldiers on the battlefield, Army Chief of Chaplains MajGen Douglas L. Carver recently lauded the value of “spiritual fitness” for both servicemembers and their families. 

The Army defines spiritual fitness as the development of the personal qualities needed to sustain a person in times of stress, hardship and tragedy. These qualities can come from religious, philosophical or human values…and form the basis for character, disposition, decision making and integrity.

“That’s what I think spiritual practice does, lighten the load,” [Chaplain Carver] added. “And who wouldn’t want to take a few rocks out of a rucksack?”

Coincidentally, the Department of Defense published this article on Spiritual Fitness a few weeks prior to an outcry by atheists on this very topic.  The article adequately explains the Army is not categorically calling “spiritual fitness” a “religious” endeavor, despite accusations to the contrary by atheists.

Carver recalled an interesting story from a morally conflicted Soldier:  Read more

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