AMERICAblog: The role of religion at the service academies
Busboy
· 1 year ago
If you don't believe in God, you don't risk your life for your country, your friends or your children. That's why there aren't too many atheists in the services; and, that's why the few who are; are miserable...
Rab
· 1 year ago
Hah! Good one
moreleesafer
· 1 year ago
Referring to prayers at mandatory settings, he said: “This is something we have done in the military for centuries. It is not designed to make people religious. The majority of people here are people of faith, and a prayer asks God’s blessing on a gathering and on the food.” <---um, he doesn't get it does he?
If you mention GOD you are indorsing a religion that worships GOD. not Yaweh, not jahovah, not Allah....GOD! and I bet you don't want the blessing of the muslim god on your freaking wheaties do ya colonel?
when i was in basic training for the AF if you did not want to go to church on Sunday, you had to stay in the barracks and clean up like you were some sort of heathen slave. needles to say I went to the only choice we were given. a generic christian church.
Bubbles
· 1 year ago
The purpose of Religion in the academies is political. Its how the Neocons know who is on their side and who is not.
Ultimately, if you want to control American society, you would have to control the officer corp of the Army. One of the best ways of doing that is infiltrate the officer corp with a bunch of right wing evangelical nuts (they know who each other are).
Scenario: When push comes to shove, say when Obama gets elected in early November 2008, and Bush and Cheney are looking at doing hard time the minute they step down, the following plan could go into action: Over the Thanks Giving Holidays, purge the officer corp of non-fundies; wait a month or so, then over christmas holiday, implement an emergency degree and take over all the offices of the government. Then a week later suspend the swearing in serimony for a month, then a month later again, then again, then for six months, then set a new time table for the next election, then suspend the whole thing permanently .
But this is only do able if fundies dominate the officer corp. To do that, they have to dominate the Academies for about 10 year on the inside, 20 years on the outside.
fastneataverage
· 1 year ago
It was the same thing when I was at USAFA from 81-85. We used to have a chaplains picnic as freshmen, and if you didn't go, you could stay in your room and do chores or learn knowledge. One of the few privileges that you get as an underclassmen, was chapel activities. Nothing has changed in over 20+ years. What do you expect when Focus on the Family is directly across the highway from the Academy. And another thing, not all military folks are in the line of fire. The only thing many of us got to fly was our desks.
pcvirginiabeach
· 1 year ago
The Naval Academy is not so bad. Not sure abour Army. As stated above, the USAF academy has an absolutely nuts crazy religious right reputation. Also notice, the USAF has the worst record in the war on terror.
Zorba
· 1 year ago
Well, sure. "Kill for Christ." This is nothing new. Although they certainly have been reading a different Bible (or, at least, a different New Testament).
Busboy
· 1 year ago
The Bible is like wikipedia, it's been adulterated. The oldest text says "thou shalt not murder". A far cry from "thou shalt not kill"...
Indigo
· 1 year ago
In the Old French epic, The Song of Roland, the Dark Ages archbishop blesses the troops before they go into battle, giving eveyrone absolution for their sins and the penance to kill the enemy. So . . . we're back in the Dark Ages.
AdmNaismith
· 1 year ago
I can't wait until we can stop believing in invisible cloud people.
ezpz
· 1 year ago
This was probably posted already, but just in case anyone missed it...
One of Bush's spiritual advisers who supports Barack Obama started a website: James Dobson Doesn't speak for me:
Col. John J. Cook III, head chaplain at West Point, said, “No one is pushing them to believe.”
Referring to prayers at mandatory settings, he said: “This is something we have done in the military for centuries. It is not designed to make people religious. The majority of people here are people of faith, and a prayer asks God’s blessing on a gathering and on the food.”
---
Chaplain Cook encapsulates the problem, though he does so unintentionally. "The majority of people here are people of faith..."
By that he means they are Protestant Christians. In short, Catholics, Mormons, Orthodox, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics and anyone else doesn't count. Further, anyone of the Protestant Christian denominations who doesn't believe the noon meal prayers and other academy religious traditions should continue also doesn't count.
And that's the problem. Teaching obedience to orders, respect for the chain of command and appreciation of tradition is all well and good. When that teaching includes an expectation of conforming to the "majority" religious opinion, then it goes beyond the scope of inculcating the values necessary for good leadership and becomes outright proseltyzing. THAT goes against the Constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.
All Comments
If you mention GOD you are indorsing a religion that worships GOD. not Yaweh, not jahovah, not Allah....GOD! and I bet you don't want the blessing of the muslim god on your freaking wheaties do ya colonel?
when i was in basic training for the AF if you did not want to go to church on Sunday, you had to stay in the barracks and clean up like you were some sort of heathen slave. needles to say I went to the only choice we were given. a generic christian church.
Ultimately, if you want to control American society, you would have to control the officer corp of the Army. One of the best ways of doing that is infiltrate the officer corp with a bunch of right wing evangelical nuts (they know who each other are).
Scenario:
When push comes to shove, say when Obama gets elected in early November 2008, and Bush and Cheney are looking at doing hard time the minute they step down, the following plan could go into action: Over the Thanks Giving Holidays, purge the officer corp of non-fundies; wait a month or so, then over christmas holiday, implement an emergency degree and take over all the offices of the government. Then a week later suspend the swearing in serimony for a month, then a month later again, then again, then for six months, then set a new time table for the next election, then suspend the whole thing permanently .
But this is only do able if fundies dominate the officer corp. To do that, they have to dominate the Academies for about 10 year on the inside, 20 years on the outside.
One of Bush's spiritual advisers who supports Barack Obama started a website: James Dobson Doesn't speak for me:
http://essence.typepad.com/news/2008/06/bush-sp...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/25/142759/474
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/25/james-dob...
Referring to prayers at mandatory settings, he said: “This is something we have done in the military for centuries. It is not designed to make people religious. The majority of people here are people of faith, and a prayer asks God’s blessing on a gathering and on the food.”
---
Chaplain Cook encapsulates the problem, though he does so unintentionally. "The majority of people here are people of faith..."
By that he means they are Protestant Christians. In short, Catholics, Mormons, Orthodox, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics and anyone else doesn't count. Further, anyone of the Protestant Christian denominations who doesn't believe the noon meal prayers and other academy religious traditions should continue also doesn't count.
And that's the problem. Teaching obedience to orders, respect for the chain of command and appreciation of tradition is all well and good. When that teaching includes an expectation of conforming to the "majority" religious opinion, then it goes beyond the scope of inculcating the values necessary for good leadership and becomes outright proseltyzing. THAT goes against the Constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.