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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe US Marine Corps Officially Declares 'Lack of Spiritual Faith' as a Sign of Instability
The US Marine Corps Officially Declares 'Lack of Spiritual Faith' as a Sign of Instability
Article VI of our constitution clearly establishes that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." This clause was included by our country's founders with the unmistakable intent of preventing any body of the United States government from levying legal authority as a tool of tyranny by the religious majority. One does not require the suffix Esquire to understand that if a federally instituted organization chose to judge its members on their religious leanings in formal policy, that said organization would be in open defiance of our Constitution.
In 2011 the Army faced public scrutiny after the exposition of once mandatory "Spiritual Fitness" testing which assessed the resiliency of soldiers on such qualitative measures as frequency of prayer or attendance of religious services. When a soldier failed this religious test they were denigrated with the following:
Spiritual fitness may be an area of difficulty... You may lack a sense of meaning and purpose in your life. At times, it is hard for you to make sense of what is happening to you and to others around you. You may not feel connected to something larger than yourself. You may question your beliefs, principles and values... Improving your spiritual fitness should be an important goal.
Of course, no military organization is content with a tongue lashing as a response to failing a mandatory test. For the test to have been worth anything, Army leadership determined remedial training in the form of training modules and even the requirement to visit with chaplains for religious counseling was appropriate.
Fortunately, after extensive efforts by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF), and concerned soldiers, the Army decided in February of 2011 that religious testing would cease to be formally mandatory and remedial training for failing such tests would be optional.
Sadly, this was not the end of religious tests being included in formal policy throughout our military. Several days ago it was brought to our attention at MRFF that the United States Marine Corps (USMC) maintains in its doctrine that a "Lack or loss of spiritual faith" is just cause to increase scrutiny of any given Marine. This clause is present in at least two USMC publications, including Marine Corps Base Quantico's Headquarters and Service Battalion Order 5100.29 and Training and Education Command Order 5100.1.
"Lack or loss of spiritual faith" is included as a "Guidance/moral compass issue" in both of these documents under a list of risk indicators for use by "leaders at all levels" to "identify and address risky behavior or events that may lead to risky behavior, as soon as possible." This apparent character flaw is juxtaposed with such things as "lack of courage," "history of psychiatric hospitalizations," "past or current substance abuse history," and being "anti-social." In the simplest terms, it is the current official position of the United States Marine Corps that those who do not profess a religious belief or choose to leave their religion are to be considered a potential hazard to themselves and the Corps and be placed under greater scrutiny than their peers.
The documents go on to include directives on how to convene a "Force Preservation Council" with the mission to evaluate and assist Marines that are identified as high risk through the checklist of undesirable traits (such as lack of religion).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/blake-page/marine-corps-religious-discrimination_b_3647235.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
msongs
(67,417 posts)backscatter712
(26,355 posts)It's much easier to dehumanize the enemy when you declare them to be against The Deity, thus spawn of the Evil Demon. Once that happens, the killing happens without hesitation.
Pelican
(1,156 posts)... as there was often a driving force behind it.
Lack of faith is another thing.
tkmorris
(11,138 posts)Are you certain you've thought this through sufficiently?
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)of something more drastic going on in someone's life, especially in people involved in combat roles.
tkmorris
(11,138 posts)But I would bet money that one troubles no one at all. I stand by my previous statement.
RedCappedBandit
(5,514 posts)NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)But it's just better culturally known and accepted that a sudden loss of faith is often associated with trauma.
reflection
(6,286 posts)Downwinder
(12,869 posts)Now I have to figure out, how in hell my dad made it. I guess donating a leg in the Pacific cleared him.
Hekate
(90,714 posts)The dates of public scrutiny and change regarding the Army are during Barack Obama's presidency.
In 2011 the Army faced public scrutiny after the exposition of once mandatory "Spiritual Fitness" testing which assessed the resiliency of soldiers on such qualitative measures as frequency of prayer or attendance of religious services.
Fortunately, after extensive efforts by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF), and concerned soldiers, the Army decided in February of 2011 that religious testing would cease to be formally mandatory and remedial training for failing such tests would be optional.
Even though the author of the article says that MRFF and MAAF will continue to work to completely abolish the practice, I note that it was two years ago that the major acknowledgement and change took place. In other words, during Barack Obama's presidency -- a good thing. I think it would be relevant to tell us what MRFF and MAAF have been doing with their time since then, as I feel the author's statements rather beg that question.
GeorgeGist
(25,321 posts)And report back to us.
Mnemosyne
(21,363 posts)Circle Jerks - good fundy church music...
[link:http://m.
All across the world
The holy armies on a tear
Ripping through the planet's faiths
Population's running scared
Christianity's all around
Zealots they abound
I wanna blow them to pieces
Cause I...I'm
Killing For Jesus
Killing For Jesus
With god on my side
The holy armies gonna ride
Go on a rampage
To rape, plunder and pillage
Insanity's everywhere
Must be something in the air
I wanna blow them to pieces
cause I...I'm
Killing for Jesus
Killing for Jesus
I'm never bored
When I'm killing for the lord
Now I've seen the light
Hail Mary! I've got Jesus on my side!
Insanity's everywhere
Must be something in the air
I wanna blow them to pieces
cause I...I'm
LostOne4Ever
(9,289 posts)The joys of being an non-believer immersed in a conservative culture I guess.
Just one more reason why I would never join the military
usGovOwesUs3Trillion
(2,022 posts)having the wrong religion, or even worse, no religion.
WTF
Socal31
(2,484 posts)It has nothing to do with a religious conspiracy to force all Marines to believe in God.
You can't sugar coat it. Marines exist to be the "tip of the spear" in a ground campaign. There could easily be a time when a Marine is asked to be in a situation where the logical part of the brain is telling them they are going to die. There are only a few things that can override the natural instinct to survive, and I can think of two off hand that apply:
1. Being religious shows that you can put aside rational thought due to "faith". You have faith that your God is the right God, that your Sargent will get you back home. That your fellow soldiers will do their duty and you will live. You generally do not question authority.
(As the enlisted military is mostly made up of the poor, and the poor are more likely to be religious, one could assume that an atheist/agnostic sticks out even more in that setting than the general population)
2. Believing that even if you do die in battle, there is some sort of after-life, or big party in the sky for you to attend, will absolutely bring comfort to someone in a life or death situation. The "no atheist in a foxhole" mantra applies here.
I am an Atheist, but I can see why this guideline exists. It may in fact mean that the odds are higher that I would not be an "ideal" Marine in combat. In civilian life, it obviously doesn't matter.
[div class="excerpt" style="margin-left:1em; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-radius:0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]They have a perfectly understandable reason for scrutinizing non-believers.
No they don't.
[div class="excerpt" style="margin-left:1em; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-radius:0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]You can't sugar coat it. Marines exist to be the "tip of the spear" in a ground campaign. There could easily be a time when a Marine is asked to be in a situation where the logical part of the brain is telling them they are going to die. There are only a few things that can override the natural instinct to survive, and I can think of two off hand that apply:
1. Being religious shows that you can put aside rational thought due to "faith". You have faith that your God is the right God, that your Sargent will get you back home. That your fellow soldiers will do their duty and you will live. You generally do not question authority.
(As the enlisted military is mostly made up of the poor, and the poor are more likely to be religious, one could assume that an atheist/agnostic sticks out even more in that setting than the general population)
2. Believing that even if you do die in battle, there is some sort of after-life, or big party in the sky for you to attend, will absolutely bring comfort to someone in a life or death situation. The "no atheist in a foxhole" mantra applies here
If they could not over-ride that part of their brain they would not be there in the first place.
1. There are many rational reasons that one can come up with to keep one in combat. Believing that what they are doing is for the greater good. That they are protecting their loved ones. That they do not want to be seen as a coward. That they don't want to abandon their comrades in battle.
Also:
http://militaryatheists.org/news/2012/08/new-study-shows-significant-atheist-military-population/
2. No atheist in a foxhole is myth that has been debunked repeatedly and you are assuming that we fear death. Some of us do, some of us don't.
[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#dcdcdc; padding-bottom:5px; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-bottom:none; border-radius:0.4615em 0.4615em 0em 0em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]Epicurus as Quoted by Robert Ingersoll in "Why I am an Agnostic"[div class="excerpt" style="background-color:#f0f0f0; border:1px solid #bfbfbf; border-top:none; border-radius:0em 0em 0.4615em 0.4615em; box-shadow:3px 3px 3px #999999;"]Why should I fear death? If I am, death is not. If death is, I am not. Why should I fear that which cannot exist when I do?
Or how about Pat Tillman, or the Military association of Atheists and Freethinkers whose catch phrase is "Atheists in Foxholes"
We can take comfort in that we lived our lives honestly, or in the thought that we will leave the world a better place than when we entered it. There are many ways of looking at things to that can comfort a non-believer in life or death situations.
LisaLynne
(14,554 posts)GeorgeGist
(25,321 posts)Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)LostOne4Ever
(9,289 posts)And all the other atheist soldiers say you are wrong.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)And just because an atheist soldier dies in combat, does not mean they did so in the name of atheism which would have been a pretty good trick. There is no false promise of paradise in the afterlife for atheists, which means it's pretty hard to motivate soldiers with it. I served 10 years in the military and my dog tags said atheist on them from day 1.
LostOne4Ever
(9,289 posts)Then american soldiers don't die in the name of any religion.
They die in the name of American Imperialism.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)The US government even furnishes the facilities and religious leaders at government expense.
LostOne4Ever
(9,289 posts)against the military as well. Quakers for example.
But again, motivating and "dying in the name" of are different things. AFAIK no religion says "Thou shall go to war to support american foreign policy." Unless you consider Capitalism a religion. I could see someone making that case when it comes to the right wingers
In the end it is no different than an atheist thinking hes going to fight to expand "freedom" in the world. Or if you want to put it in the terms of atheism dying so that "no one forces their religion on me or my family."
Either way, seems like a zero net sum type of argument.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)Religion can be used to motivate people for pretty much whatever you want. The promise of paradise in the afterlife (which conveniently can't be verified) has always been and still is used to great effect in that regard.
avebury
(10,952 posts)threat to Pat Tillman then the enemy.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)That's not counting civilian deaths.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties_of_the_Soviet_Union
Somehow I don't think the Soviets had spiritual fitness concerns with their troops.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)Somehow I don't think they had concerns with people burning their draft cards either. Marching to your almost certain death or being worked to a certain death on a concentration camp is not much of an option.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)You're trying to compare Vietnam to Operation Barbarossa?
That would be somewhat less of a stretch if we were all Vietnamese.
My own ancestor was handed a rifle and told where his "dying point" was during WW2 if the Germans were to invade, retreat and he would have been machine gunned.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)They may have marched to their death for a variety of reasons, but I'm pretty sure atheism wasn't one of them.
Furthermore Uncle Joe reduced restrictions on the Russian Orthodox church during WWII specifically because he saw the motivating potential that religion offered.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Orthodox_Church#Stalin_era
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)But perhaps you weren't as clear as you thought you were being, it happens to me a lot.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)Cheers!
Javaman
(62,530 posts)Order 227
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_No._227
No commander had the right to retreat without an order. Anyone who did so was subject to a military tribunal of the corresponding seniority level.
Barrier troops
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrier_troops
Barrier troops, blocking units, or anti-retreat forces are formations of soldiers normally placed behind regular troops on a battle line to prevent panic or unauthorized withdrawal or retreat. Barrier troops may be utilized simply to raise the morale of frontline troops and for the purpose of constituting a reserve force, or they may be used to prevent unauthorized withdrawal of soldiers from the battlefield by any means, including indiscriminate killing. As troops guarding other units are obviously not available to fight the enemy they are a costly, often desperate, measure.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)I don't think that I'd be able to keep my cool if I had to deal with this bullshit.
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)Playing with enlisted people's minds in the interest of "esprit de corps" is a routine military thing.
I guess I'm not surprised that the branch of service with the biggest public campaign based on EDC is the one making a deal of it.
Trillo
(9,154 posts)Corporate institutions stalking indentured individuals.
avebury
(10,952 posts)of the Middle Eastern countries. Do they really want to become the Christian version of the Taliban?
Historic NY
(37,451 posts)Countless examples he didn't seem to favor one religion more than another.
Head Quarters, V. Forge, Saturday, May 2, 1778.
Parole Bavaria. Countersigns Bristol, Burlington.
The Commander in Chief directs that divine Service be performed every Sunday at 11 oClock in those Brigades to which there are Chaplains; those which have none to attend the places of worship nearest to them. It is expected that Officers of all Ranks will by their attendence set an Example to their men.
While we are zealously performing the duties of good Citizens and soldiers we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of Religion. To the distinguished Character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to add the more distinguished Character of Christian. The signal Instances of providential Goodness which we have experienced and which have now almost crowned our labours with complete Success, demand from us in a peculiar manner the warmest returns of Gratitude and Piety to the Supreme Author of all Good.
Head-Quarters, Middle Brook, June 28, 1777.
Parole Lancaster. Countersigns London, Ludlow.
The several regiments are to send for their tents, and pitch them where they are now posted.
Orderly Serjeants to attend at Head-Quarters as usual.
All Chaplains are to perform divine service tomorrow, and on every succeeding Sunday, with their respective brigades and regiments, where the situation will possibly admit of it. And the commanding officers of corps are to see that they attend; themselves, with officers of all ranks, setting the example. The Commander in Chief expects an exact compliance with this order, and that it be observed in future as an invariable rule of practice--And every neglect will be considered not only a breach of orders, but a disregard to decency, virtue and religion.
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)A military judge did something extraordinary last summer when he ordered the Marine Corps top officer to submit sworn statements in a sexual assault case.
The answers from the commandant, Gen. James F. Amos, have some in Marine legal circles wondering whether he told the full truth.
Gen. Amos, a Joint Chiefs of Staff member, faces charges from defense attorneys that his words and actions have unleashed a wave of unlawful command influence over jurors who venerate the commandant.
A fellow general said the commandant ordered him to crush Marine defendants in the desecration cases of those caught on videotape urinating on Taliban corpses. Defense attorneys call that order blatant, illegal command interference.
The Defense Department inspector general has begun an investigation of Gen. Amos based on a whistleblower complaint filed by Maj. James Weirick, a staff attorney at the Marine base at Quantico, Va., who saw what he considered illegal interference. IG investigators have interviewed Maj. Weirick and several senior generals.
A Marine spokesman said the commandant denies any wrongdoing, is committed to giving defendants fair treatment and looks forward to litigating the charges in court.
Gen. Amos sworn statement was given in a sexual assault case. But military defense attorneys across the country are trying to get a variety of charges dismissed against their clients, citing public statements from Gen. Amos, administration officials and President Obama to assert that their clients cannot get a fair trial.
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/28/top-marine-gen-amos-is-accused-of-interfering-in-s/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS#ixzz2aROpqzpY
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Dyedinthewoolliberal
(15,577 posts)lo, those many years ago (1968) we were told if you didn't have a religion to put 'No Preference' down on the form they used to make our dog tags. This new policy indicates how far things have shifted to the right, not to mention the places their fundemental belief system has taken root.........
felix_numinous
(5,198 posts)and endless war are continued, they have no room to judge people's moral compass-- religious or not.
Combining religion and military is what should be viewed as unstable.