Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Atheist soldier sues Army for 'unconstitutional' discrimination

I truly applaud Army Spc. Jeremy Hall. I wish him well in his suit against the Army for 'unconstitutional' discrimination. I don't think he'll win, but I really want him to. What I find interesting about his case is that he was raised a Baptist and he carried a Bible with him to Iraq. Then, after things he experienced, he found himself more comfortable with atheism. Doesn't the old adage go: "There are no atheists in foxholes?" Well, I guess there are after all.

Unfortunately, these days, there does not appear to be a career path for an atheist in the Army. Hall was told that if he couldn't "... put my personal beliefs aside and pray with troops (he) wouldn't make a good leader."

Apparently there's a rising number of fundamentalists in the military these days. I guess that makes sense in a way. When you find yourself involved in a war that is unpopular at home, as well as around the world, patriotism alone might not be enough to get you through the day.

Good luck, Jeremy. Considering the leaning of the Federal courts these days, you're going to need it.

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