Are Atheists Taking Over the Military? Yep, Says Christian Chaplain

The Christian OneNewsNow site says we are winning a war I didn’t even know we were waging! The article by Chad Groening references the Secular Coalition for America’s policy recommendations for the new President:

The Secular Coalition for America recently held a news conference urging president-elect Barack Obama to, among other things, enact new rules against proselytizing and develop a new directive for all chaplains and commanders to eliminate public prayers from any mandatory attendance events for military troops.

Gordon James Klingenschmitt is a former naval chaplain who says, unfortunately, the Secular Coalition for America will eventually get its way. “There is a day coming in the end times when the military will be forced to be atheistic because, in order for the eventual man who is the man of sin — the Anti-Christ — as it is describe in the Bible, for him to come to power and to stamp out Christianity around the globe, he’s going to need a good strong atheist military,” he contends. “That is the first step toward Armageddon, and I’m concerned about that. And I pray that President (elect) Obama is not foolish enough to lead us down that road.”

Right. Got it.

Remind me never to join the Navy.

Of course, we know atheists aren’t trying to stop Christians from practicing their faith in the military. We just want them to stop forcing their faith upon atheists in the service and denying them promotions as a result of their non-belief. No harassment. No proselytizing. Keep your faith to yourself. Don’t have public prayers when attendance is mandatory. Simple rules.

…

While we’re on that OneNewsNow site, I was amused by this other story.

First, because of the headline:

‘Gay’ activists engage in ‘hate crimes’ against Christians

Why is “gay” in quotation marks?!

You might also wonder why “hate crimes” is in quotation marks. That’s because there’s no actual crime being committed. The “crime” is that many people — gay and straight, I should add — are peacefully protesting outside churches that supported the Proposition 8 gay marriage ban.

The other reason I’m amused: The opening phrase is “Homosexual militants” — a bit ironic considering openly gay people are not allowed to serve in the military…

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Sisyphus Fragment

It’s about time they enact some useful policies. Gotta love going to a commander’s call and being asked to bow your head in prayer. They do the same thing at retirement ceremonies, which I’m fine with. What I’m not fine with is that you are “highly encouraged” to attend such services, which means you are being forced to go in a round-about way. One of the many reasons I left the service.
jynnan_tonnyx

Sooo…atheists are trying to force their beliefs on everyone in the military, and gays commit “hate crimes” against Christians.

Alongside the familiar assertion that “Darwinism” is a faith-based pseudo-science, it sure does seem like the big tactic among socially conservative Christians these days is to accuse us of doing exactly what they’re doing. Or is it just me?
ThatOtherGuy

Translation of what Groening said: OOGEDY BOOGEDY MUMBO JUMBO UGH UGH UGH.

Seriously? The fact that anyone in a position of power in what calls itself the most civilized country in the world actually BELIEVES this crap is frightening.
justin jm

enact new rules against proselytizing and develop a new directive for all chaplains and commanders to eliminate public prayers from any mandatory attendance events for military troops.

I’m pretty sure this isn’t what the SCA is trying to do. I imagine they don’t want senior officers doing this stuff when they’re supposed to be doing their jobs, but that doesn’t equal a desire to take away freedom of religion in the military.

And WTF is that stuff about the “end times?” Most nonbelievers just want religion out of government. How does that equal world conquest?
Beth B.

Another story interviewing the same guy on the OneNewsNow site ends with this startling revelation:

He [Klingenschmitt] is one of nearly 70 naval chaplains who have been forced out the military because they have refused to deny Jesus Christ.

I’d really, really love to know the story behind that claim…
eric perkins

ya- I’m worried about this myself. I’m joining the Army in a couple months and I hear that in BCT the only time you get to relax is on Sunday’s if you go to church. If you don’t go to church then you have to do some meaningless task.. yeah.

I know anytime to relax or recuperate is much needed so I’m not sure what I’ll do…
Larry Huffman

My son is an atheist and in the Navy. He said that there are far more atheists than he thought, and even more people who consider themselves non-religious. Even if the non-religious still hold some form of belief, my son reports that they are completely tolerant of atheists.

This military is, but for the few who stay in and gravitate in rank, for young people. Most people in the military are between 18-25. Young people are leaving religion more and more…maybe not for atheism, but to be without religion and dogma. So, it is no surpriset hat the military numbers will begin to bear this out.

I personally think…solely based on my observations being the father of 4 teens…that this trend is far greater than anyone really can see. For starters my kids all have friends from very religious families who do not believe but are keeping that from their folks until they are at least adults.

I have said it before…information is the bane of religion. The internet age began less than 20 years ago, and right awat it became a place where those questioning could seek answers and discuss with believers and non-believers alike. That impact with respect to religion has yet to be revealed, in my opinion. The military is a place that over the next 10 years or so this should really exhibit itself.

Now…with respect to religious persecution in the military. Remember that the military is very structured and built on clear cut ranks. Someone higher ranking has quite a bit of control over a person. In the military your job and personal life are often one and the same, so having problems in the workplace is more than just a problem at work. And, consider that christians get the nastiest when their backs are against the wall. Having more atheists and non-religious people will only tend to cause more christians to lash out and use their rank and authority in the name of their god. So in the long run having more ahteists in the service will benefit us collectively, but in the short term, as the number grows, so will the hate and intolerance of those “good” christians.
Purple

Eric Perkins what about a UU church?
Brooks

There’s one thing I don’t get about this whole thing about the antiChrist. If Obama is the antiChrist, shouldn’t Christians be supporting him? Because if they try to prevent the coming of the antiChrist, aren’t they preventing the Second Coming and are defying the will of God?
Erp

Klingenschmitt, the former Navy chaplain in the article, got in trouble while in the Navy for being involved in a political protest while in uniform after specifically being ordered not to attend in uniform. His former supervisor, Norm Holcomb, also a chaplain, has less than kind words to describe him such as “untruthful, unethical, insubordinate”.

I would not consider him as a representative military chaplain, but, instead as one they got rid of when they could. This is not to say the chaplaincy shouldn’t be reformed (the unofficial code of ethics many have should drop the right to proselytize the religiously unaffiliated), but, many of the military’s problems with religious intrusion has tended to come from the non-chaplains. The chaplains have sometimes pointed out where things have gone too far.
Shane

“…aren’t they preventing the Second Coming and are defying the will of God?”

Jesus has the same right to be multi-orgasmic as any of us, those prudes! I kid, I kid…

Anyway, sign me up for the Atheist Armageddon Army. I’ll be waiting at the bus depot with my flaming sword and my horned helmet.

I’m sorry, I just have trouble being serious about things this mind-numbingly stupid…
MILT

Very pleased to hear this. It might help all the loyal, patriotic atheists in the army from persecution, like Jeremy Hall.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/us/26atheist.html?ref=us
Buffy

Of course, we know atheists aren’t trying to stop Christians from practicing their faith in the military. We just want them to stop forcing their faith upon atheists in the service and denying them promotions as a result of their non-belief.

To some of them the fact that you won’t let them force their faith on you means you’re trying to stop them from practice their faith. That’s the most frightening aspect of their mindset–that we’re actually infringing on their “freedom of religion” (or as one person said, “my freedom to practice my religion as I see fit”) if we don’t let them violate our freedom from religion/others’ freedom of religion.
Anna Lemma

These Christians seem to be completely unable to understand that their rights to practice their religion stop when they interfere with the rights of others. When I was in Officer Training School, they gave out 5 merits for those who went to church. Merits were used to offset demerits in order to earn time off base on the weekends.

So, I went to church, did not participate, and asked lots and lots of questions. The Chaplain was Methodist and not one of these fundy chaplains. He said that I could get the merits each week without being there, as it was obvious that I did not want to be there. He kept his promise and seemed to be a nice guy. But I should never have needed to do such a thing.
Chew

My first close order drill in Navy boot camp:
“Left face”
“Right face”
“Let us pray”
WTF???

Klingenschmitt is a whacko. He went on a hunger strike to protest his punishment.
Steve

I would think that for someone who believes in the end times that he would encourage the president to “lead us down that road” simply to bring Armageddon about. Isn’t that what they want?