Members of the U.S. Army can now proudly and officially list their religion as "Humanist," after years of not being able to do so, according to the ACLU.
The Army's faith code allows for designation of Wiccans, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and over 100 denominations of Christians, among other faiths, but until now had few offerings for those who follow a non-theistic belief system.
However, this week, the Army changed its faith code to allow Humanists to identify themselves as such.
I personally would not consider being a humanist a religion, but anything that helps the non-religious get equal rights is not a bad thing in my book.
Here is the official Merriam-Webster definition:
a system of values and beliefs that is based on the idea that people are basically good and that problems can be solved using reason instead of religion.
As I said, hardly a religion, but still good news.
After all, every little victory helps.
I had a hell of a time when I was in the Navy. The personnel people who were responsible for taking the information and making the dog tags refused to accept "Atheist" for them. They wouldn't even accept "None"! I was about ready to sue.
ReplyDeleteThat's when this jackass "chaplain" called me in and started to chew me up one side and down the other, yelling and screaming and raising holy hell (if you'll pardon the expression!) and calling me all sorts of names.
When I didn't react as he had hoped (meaning get all bent out of shape) he got even more loud until the senior chaplain came in, shut him up and dismissed me. The fracas reached the ears of the base commander who called for a "Captain's Mast". (That's the lowest trial type thing the Navy has.) The base admiral raised hell with the chaplain and ordered a letter be inserted in his file. Then he ordered the personnel people to make my dog tags with "Atheist".
It wasn't until years later that I found out what a can of worms I had gone through or that I was quite lucky. Apparently many had been discharged as "Undesirable" for being non-believers!
Can't Humanists be Christians? Christians defined as followers of the red words of the New Testament Jesus Christ? Jesus was a Jew, right?
ReplyDeleteBTW, there is no such thing as an Old Testament Christian.
dowl
@2:43
DeleteWhile I understand the sentiment you were trying to convey, I'm afraid I must disagree with you. These idiot fundamentalist right wing xtians all seem to push more of the OT than the NT and the teachings jesus was trying to get across to them.
I know. You are saying they can't be old testament christians because jesus wasn't around then. But if they prefer the OT and profess the christian religion....
Most fundamentalists and some Evangelicals somehow got 'stuck' in the Old Testament. Religious belief systems end up appropriated by those who refuse to see and abide by the instruction to treat people the way one wants to be treated.
DeleteAlso unfortunately, the rabid rwing radio ranters and faux noose howlers ran went with the 'because God' mantra.
That sad fact allowed too many of the Koch-fueled to grift for gold in the name of God with guns along with the Adelson Rove Waltons (and others, oh my).
Jesus wept.
dowl
I too found this a little . . . off. Are they going to have clerics? Wait -- don't we already have clerics for the humanist "religion"? Aren't they called psychologists?
ReplyDeleteI suppose it says more about the stigma we attach to mental health care than religion when people need some religious excuse to seek help when they're suffering.
I know there's issues with the military and religious proselytizing, but I don't see how this really solves that problem. It only expands it in a way.
A religion of REASON? Wow, that's totally cool. If that spreads like Christianity did, the Earth might actually see real peace one day. I really like that necklace in the pic. Where can I get one?
ReplyDeleteThere's tons on the net, some real gold/silver etc.
Deletehere's the one shown:
http://tinyurl.com/mgk26jd
It's plainly not the military's place to "accept or deny" any religion, or even involve themselves in a person's faith. Separation of Church and State should apply, even in the military. The mere fact that the military hires religious personnel, christian chaplains for example, seems to overstep the bounds of this separation. People should worship off the base, on their own time and with civilian religious administrators, not on government property with religious clerics hired by our government. Why this has never been challenged is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteThe older I get the more it irks me that I was indoctrinated into Catholicism before any age of reason. You’re baptized into it before the soft spot on your skull has even hardened, and drilled in its catechism by age six, first grade, questions you weren’t even asking supplied with ‘answers’ you weren’t seeking: “Who made me?/ God made me./ Who is God?/ God is the supreme being who made all things….”
ReplyDeleteToday that reminds me of the Monty Python song:
“…And the one thing they say about Catholics,
They’ll take you as soon as you’re warm.
You don’t have to be six-footer,
You don’t have to have a great brain,
You don’t have to have any clothes on,
You’re a Catholic the moment Dad came…”