Atheist/Agnostic

Does the US Military Want a Christian Nation?

It’s an old saying (from WWII) that there are no atheists in foxholes. It turns out this isn’t true. And there have been more than a couple public retractions to atheist soldiers over this remark by journalists. This quip is really nothing more than folksy bigotry against people without beliefs in the supernatural. A popular watchdog organization has been tracking the problem of evangelical proselytizing in the military–especially at the Pentagon–and rampant throughout the armed forces.

New York Times - “They don’t trust you because they think you are unreliable and might break, since you don’t have God to rely on,” Specialist Hall said of those who proselytize in the military. “The message is, ‘It’s a Christian nation, and you need to recognize that.’”
Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats

CBS News - A new documentary examines religious discrimination in the U.S. military. Should American forces be fighting for God as well as country?
Fighting For God AND Country

In 2006, this very blog posted a story about this very problem titled “Military Evangelical Christianity “Egregious Beyond the Pale.” From that article: “It’s egregious beyond the pale,” said Mikey Weinstein, president and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. “We apparently have a radicalized, evangelical Christian Pentagon within the rest of the Pentagon.”