[KatWrangler]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14322117/site/newsweek/

Quote:

New recruits can choose ATHEIST, AGNOSTIC, or NO RELIGIOUS PREFERENCE for their dog-tag identifications. And an atheist symbol, which resembles an atom, is among the dozens of "approved emblems of belief" that can appear on the headstones of fallen soldiers in military cemeteries.

Would a soldier really die without faith? Bowling Green State University's Ken Pargament, a professor specializing in the psychology of religion and coping, says: "If someone is a committed atheist, they're likely to stay a committed atheist."

 

[cielle]

And they still haven't resolved the pagan or wiccan issues yet have they?!?

(Not that atheists shouldn't be recognized, but the "no leader/organization" excuse they use in that case would certainly apply to atheists!)

 

[chersolly]

Hmmmnn... When I went through Navy bootcamp in 1997, I had atheist printed on my dogtags with no problem.

 

[KatWrangler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cielle And they still haven't resolved the pagan or wiccan issues yet have they?!? (Not that atheists shouldn't be recognized, but the "no leader/organization" excuse they use in that case would certainly apply to atheists!)

Oh I agree!

 

[cielle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chersolly Hmmmnn... When I went through Navy bootcamp in 1997, I had atheist printed on my dogtags with no problem.

Huh. Maybe this what caused it to be news?

Quote:

It's an ongoing battle. Just last month Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said, "Agnostics, atheists and bigots suddenly lose all that when their life is on the line." Atheist groups reacted swiftly, releasing a statement that "Nonbelievers are serving, and have served, in our nation's military with distinction!" The National Guard said it received about 20 letters objecting to Blum's statement, and said his comments were "intended to clearly illustrate the positive spirit of camaraderie, human understanding and inclusion of our fine men and women in the National Guard."

I don't know why he would put atheists and bigots together.

:

 

[Niamh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cielle "Agnostics, atheists and bigots suddenly lose all that when their life is on the line."

As an apatheist, I can tell you that when my life was in danger a few months ago, my thoughts did not turn to eternal damnation, whether or not there was a god, or pleas for such an entity to save me.

I thought of my daughter.