Pentagon: Religious Proselytizing is Not Permitted

[RickN]

How is this a war on Christians? Christianity is still welcome within the soldier, it's still welcome within the military, it's just not welcome to be forced onto others.

How is labeling them a hate group and preventing access to one of their web sites forcing their religion on others?

 

[Glocktogo]

"Religious liberty groups have grave concerns"

The military is rigidly hiearchical and those above have a near absolute power over those below.

"I didn't see you in church on Sunday, soldier. You got something better to do? Not on Sunday you don't."

The Pentagon still hasn't settled on any guide lines here, but this seems like a good idea to me.
You can and should be able to discuss your point of view without proselytizing.

Religious liberty groups have grave concerns. Who's liberty are they talking about?

I call BS. I served and NEVER felt pressure to attend services. NEVER.

 

[Danny Tanner]

How is labeling them a hate group and preventing access to one of their web sites forcing their religion on others?

They've labeled Evangelicals and Roman Catholics as extremists (which they are). Any group of people who fight so hard to deny rights to another group of people is a hateful group. Any group of people who set fire and bomb clinics that perform legal abortions is a dangerous, threatening group. Therefore, the label is just. From what I've seen, the DoD states this was an accidental filter.

 

[Danny Tanner]

I call BS. I served and NEVER felt pressure to attend services. NEVER.

One of countless examples: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rodda/us-soldiers-punished-for-_b_687051.html

 

[R. Johnson]

As I understand the term proselytyzing it means attempting to persuade an individual to switch to the proselytzer's religion or church or whatever. I absolutely hate when someone starts that sh** around me and if the military has to kick someone out to get them to respect our freedom of and from religion then I'm all for it.

Cedar Creek

There is no such thing as freedom from religion. Anywhere. The Constitution does not guarantee such a thing, and even if it did achieving such a feat would not be possible as atheism is, itself, a religion. To make a rule that kicks out military members for telling others about their religion is a violation of the first amendment because the first amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion. What many seem to forget is that we have our first amendment rights to protect us from those who are offended by our religion, or lack there of. It is to protect us from those that are offended by our opinions and beliefs and would try to silence us. You may not like hearing someone speak of their faith or try to persuade you to join their faith, but if you believe their right to do so should be infringed then how can you be offended when someone attempts to curtail your second amendment rights?

 

[Glocktogo]

There is no such thing as freedom from religion. Anywhere. The Constitution does not guarantee such a thing, and even if it did achieving such a feat would not be possible as atheism is, itself, a religion. To make a rule that kicks out military members for telling others about their religion is a violation of the first amendment because the first amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion. What many seem to forget is that we have our first amendment rights to protect us from those who are offended by our religion, or lack there of. It is to protect us from those that are offended by our opinions and beliefs and would try to silence us. You may not like hearing someone speak of their faith or try to persuade you to join their faith, but if you believe their right to do so should be infringed then how can you be offended when someone attempts to curtail your second amendment rights?

This. DT's link is particularly damning though. If I'd been subjected to that, I'd be pissed.

 

[R. Johnson]

They've labeled Evangelicals and Roman Catholics as extremists (which they are). Any group of people who fight so hard to deny rights to another group of people is a hateful group. Any group of people who set fire and bomb clinics that perform legal abortions is a dangerous, threatening group. Therefore, the label is just. From what I've seen, the DoD states this was an accidental filter.

Roman Catholics and Evangelicals are not extremists. They do not sanction the violence against abortion clinics and in fact denounce such atrocities. Anyone who believes otherwise is illinformed. As for denying the rights of another group, I can only presume you speak in reference to the debate over same sex marriage. As it stands all people have the equal right to wed a person of the opposite sex. Regardless of which side of the debate you stand on, to state otherwise is disingenuous.

Now I can't change your mind about your opinion that Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics are hateful, nor will I try, despite taking it very personally. You are entitled to your opinion. However, if you believe that the Catholic church and Evangelicals should be classified as hate groups and potential terrorists because of a handful of fringe nuts who label themselves as members of the religion, you must be absolutely outraged that the military will not bestow the same label upon the religion of Islam.

 

[R. Johnson]

This. DT's link is particularly damning though. If I'd been subjected to that, I'd be pissed.

I agree, with regards to that link. I would have not attended on principal. It is an illegal order to force attendance and I would have fought it.

 

[Danny Tanner]

There is no such thing as freedom from religion. Anywhere. The Constitution does not guarantee such a thing, and even if it did achieving such a feat would not be possible as atheism is, itself, a religion. To make a rule that kicks out military members for telling others about their religion is a violation of the first amendment because the first amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion. What many seem to forget is that we have our first amendment rights to protect us from those who are offended by our religion, or lack there of. It is to protect us from those that are offended by our opinions and beliefs and would try to silence us. You may not like hearing someone speak of their faith or try to persuade you to join their faith, but if you believe their right to do so should be infringed then how can you be offended when someone attempts to curtail your second amendment rights?

I hate using meme quotes to prove a point, but atheism is no more a religion than "off" is a TV channel. Generally speaking, atheism is a rejection of religion, a rejection of deities, and a relationship with reality. There are no set rules to follow.

There's a difference between a soldier speaking of their faith and attempting to indoctrinate his fellow soldiers, with the latter being referenced here. There are no rules or policies denying soldiers their right to be religious.

 

[Danny Tanner]

Roman Catholics and Evangelicals are not extremists. They do not sanction the violence against abortion clinics and in fact denounce such atrocities. Anyone who believes otherwise is illinformed. As for denying the rights of another group, I can only presume you speak in reference to the debate over same sex marriage. As it stands all people have the equal right to wed a person of the opposite sex. Regardless of which side of the debate you stand on, to state otherwise is disingenuous.

Now I can't change your mind about your opinion that Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics are hateful, nor will I try, despite taking it very personally. You are entitled to your opinion. However, if you believe that the Catholic church and Evangelicals should be classified as hate groups and potential terrorists because of a handful of fringe nuts who label themselves as members of the religion, you must be absolutely outraged that the military will not bestow the same label upon the religion of Islam.

I didn't mean to use "extremist" in a sense that implies violence, only the actual definition of the word which states that their beliefs fall a bit outside of the Christian norm.