Atheist soldier sues Army.....

RangerX · Post by **RangerX** » July 10th, 2008, 5:47 am

.....for 'unconstitutional' discrimination

KANSAS CITY, Kansas (CNN) -- Army Spc. Jeremy Hall was raised Baptist.

Army Spc. Jeremy Hall, who was raised Baptist but is now an atheist, says the military violated his religious freedom.

Like many Christians, he said grace before dinner and read the Bible before bed. Four years ago when he was deployed to Iraq, he packed his Bible so he would feel closer to God.

He served two tours of duty in Iraq and has a near perfect record. But somewhere between the tours, something changed. Hall, now 23, said he no longer believes in God, fate, luck or anything supernatural.

Full Story

RangerX · Post by **RangerX** » July 10th, 2008, 5:47 am

There HAS to be more to this story than the press is telling. A bodyguard?!?

ANGRYCivilian · Post by **ANGRYCivilian** » July 10th, 2008, 6:14 am

That's stupid. I bet a lot of us never saw any religious discrimination in the Army. I bet that guy was running his suck constantly about religion, or better yet, anti-religion, and everyone got tired of it.

Chiron · Post by **Chiron** » July 10th, 2008, 6:22 am

My parents also became atheists back in 1993. I see where this young man is coming from in that he may be missing on promotions and he may be treated with no respect as a result of his religion or non-religion. My father was forced into retirement because he no longer believed in religion. I have a huge conflict with my parents in that they have a direct effect on my son. We have finally sorted that out but my parents no longer speak to my mother in-law nor do they ever see her any more as she is extremely religious. I often get into arguments with my folks regarding their attitude with no solution in sight. This issue has hit home for me and I deal with it as best I can, giving respect to both sides. My parents were both baptized Christian Orthodox but my mother lost her want of religion when at the age of 14 a priest goosed her back in 1948 a time that you didnâ€™t do that even as a non cleric. My father lost his want of religion when my brother got sick and died.

Fact is that people change and for many different reasons. Thatâ€™s why we have freedom of religion. The way I see this young mans issue is that he is a minority in his company, platoon, squad, team. It goes without saying that he feels left out and yes maybe in danger as a result. Iâ€™m neither a politician nor a psychologist but his story warrants care without a doubt.

Chiron · Post by **Chiron** » July 10th, 2008, 6:24 am

ANGRYCivilian wrote:That's stupid. I bet a lot of us never saw any religious discrimination in the Army. I bet that guy was running his suck constantly about religion, or better yet, anti-religion, and everyone got tired of it.

Could be but the article didn't say. If so then yes he was asking for trouble just like the Marine that was passing out religious coins...

Horned Toad · Post by **Horned Toad** » July 10th, 2008, 11:16 am

I have a hard time thinking someone is that stable when they have a huge shift in beliefs over small stuff. This guy goes from a grace saying bible toter to an atheist because someone told him to read a book again that he supposed to already have read. I think this guy has about as much conviction as a wet noodle and there is more to the story.

Post by **rangertough** » July 10th, 2008, 2:20 pm

ANGRYCivilian wrote:That's stupid. I bet a lot of us never saw any religious discrimination in the Army. I bet that guy was running his suck constantly about religion, or better yet, anti-religion, and everyone got tired of it.

That's probably it. However....

If this means I don't have to deal with fuckstick chaplins in my day-to-day business then I'm all for it.

I just erased a whole page of vitriol. I'm just going to leave it at this.

Tough

Edit: If religious discrimination means that it's forced upon us at impropper times. Then I get it every week end I'm at drill.

ANGRYCivilian · Post by **ANGRYCivilian** » July 11th, 2008, 7:14 am

I am not a religious person, nor am I an atheist. I am the type of person who needs proof in order to find something true. That's just how I am. I have not seen any proof that there is an all-powerful, benevolent deity, and I have questions that have not been answered. Why is a single god better than many? Why is our benevolent god more right than another benevolent god? So, what am I? Agnostic? No, I don't think so. I choose to stay out of this area of life because I don't know and sometimes don't care.

I do want to believe that there is some grand scheme and that we choose to side with the good or the bad for a higher reason; but, I doubt that is the case. We are just humans doing what humans do; though, I wish I believed something different.

Now, with that said, I do believe that our great country was founded on Christian principals, and that it should remain as so. I do not mind that religion is mixed in with many aspects of our lives, and do not think anything should be changed to make non-Christians feel better in our own country. Because I am able to get along just fine with religion all over the place, everyone else should also be able to.

I think that there is more to the story, and that religion/lack of religion has nothing to do with what is happening to him. That's my initial reaction to the story, and I look forward to reading any new info.