Lack of "spiritual faith" comparable to "lack of courage, and "history of psychiatric hospitalizations" in Marine training publications. Please tell me again that Atheists are not persecuted.

Courtesy of HuffPo:  

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).

I find it interesting that the military has little trouble opening their minds to the idea of openly gay soldiers within their ranks, and yet this prejudice remains so  firmly entrenched that it must be dealt with as if it is a dangerous psychological malady.

I will provide this caveat however. It may well be that the military much prefers those who tend to take things on faith alone, and rarely question the information they are provided. As habitual church goers and Fundamentalists are conditioned to do.

After all if critical thinkers were in positions of importance during the Nazi regime, who would have sent all of those Jews to the gas chambers? (And yes Hitler was closely associated with the Catholic Church and took his inspiration for the genocide from church teachings.)

Maybe it is just me, but I like the idea of those making life and death decisions while representing America to be intellectual inquisitive individuals who carefully think through any command they are given before executing it.

But hey what do I know? After all according to the Marines I might just as well be suffering from psychiatric problems.