Your thoughts?

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The tragedy of war is that it uses man's best to do man's worst.
-Henry Fosdick

I'm an atheist myself, but I'd urge this guy to grow at least one ball. I'd like to see an atheist like him try living in a theocracy for one day.

LOL! I'm an agnostic, but that was funny, Tim.

If his claims are substantiated, people should be punished. He shouldn't suffer harassment -- and especially official harassment -- because of his (lack of) beliefs.

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Man up.

I'm not too sure of the legitimacy of the claims, and that's not to say that I don't believe him. In order to actively sue, he would have to have proof that the denial to promote was based solely off of religious (or lack thereof) belief. If he has the proper time in grade/years in service... there are a limited amount of factors that can prevent rank promotion. I think an internal investigation is deserved as to the reasons he wasn't given rank following his service. If the evidence points to discrimination, then of course a suit is optional.

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The tragedy of war is that it uses man's best to do man's worst.
-Henry Fosdick

I wonder if he was preaching some sort of militant atheism..? I meet people all the time who insist on the 'God talk' and when they find that I don't believe in a God the Father but a unifying theory of the universe they seem to take it well. I very obviously have no problem with religions. The military is probably a whole lot different though.

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Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
-Dr. Carl Sagan

As I read it again, I'm starting to not buy it... especially the part where his humvee was hit, and a fellow soldier says "Do you believe in Jesus now?". Who's thinking about the lack of belief of another at a time like that? That's not to say it's impossible, I'm just sceptical. My bunk-mate in Iraq was a non-believer. So what. We're there to perform a mission... there are more important things to worry about. My guess is he was quick to enforce his belief whenever/if ever the notion of "God" came up.

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The tragedy of war is that it uses man's best to do man's worst.
-Henry Fosdick

When I'm at the dinner table and my family or friends family or friends decide to pray, I don't refuse bitterly, I lower my head out of respect for them. He may have made a big fuss about prayer at dinner or gotten into one too many heated religious debates that resulted in him being treated like a militant atheist. But really, who knows. I've been treated like (*)(*)(*)(*) for not believing when I was being pleasant as can be so you never know. but generally if you're respectful, so are those with opposing views.

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Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
-Dr. Carl Sagan

The part that made me skeptical was them having to assign him a bodyguard. A bodyguard? Just because he is atheist? Do all atheists in the military require a bodyguard?

I'd be inclined to believe that, just because it's very easy to determine objectively. Why lie about something that is easily disproved?

But it's odd.

Like I said, the claims need to be substantiated before they can be taken seriously. Accusations are cheap. The military wasn't some Christian Warrior Cult when I was in, but that was 20 years ago. And the influence of (particularly) evangelical christians has grown in the intervening decades.

It's one side effect of the increasing separation between the military and the rest of society. As the military draws heavily on a smaller and smaller slice of the population for recruits, it becomes more insular -- an insularity that is enforced by the increasing lack of knowledge most civilians have about the military. That could have far-reaching consequences down the road.

I get into it a bit here:
http://midtopia.blogspot.com/2006/03...litary-on.html

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Man up.

You misunderstood my point. I do believe he needed a bodyguard. I just believe there is something more going on than him simply being an atheist.