Grah.

[digitaldiscipline]

jaylake brings the blood pressure meds by sharing the following link:

https://alstefanelli.wordpress.com/2010/12/23/us-army-atheists-unfit-to-serve/

Just look at that URL for a second. You don't even need to read the whole thing to get your RDA of WTFF.

This is not even an insinuation. The US Army has taken the position that a soldier who does not feel connected to a deity is an incomplete person, and that a lack of belief will somehow compromise their principles and values. It’s right there, in black and white. That the US Army would take such a position is deplorable, and the fact that it is mandatory appears to be a direct violation of the First Amendment of the constitution that these very soldiers put themselves in harms way to protect. It is discriminatory in every way and undermines the confidence that every soldier should have that their Government is supportive of them, regardless of their belief or disbelief in a deity.

Justin is spot on when he stated that, “spirituality has nothing to do with being a soldier. That is a private matter for soldiers, and in no way should any command be evaluating how ‘fit’ a soldier is based upon his beliefs or lack thereof.”

WHAT THE FIRST AMENDMENT WHAT WHAT NO.

For extra bonus grarh, check out the quoted remarks by GHWB. Buddy, I may not have a thousand points of light, but I have got two middle fingers.

---

In completely unrelated news, I've been sleeping like the dead for the last couple of weeks, usually by 10pm, and apparently engaging in fairly pronounced burrowing behavior (yes, there exists a guy who admits to stealing the covers, though it's neither intentional nor consciously done). The dreamscape has been its usual level of peculiar, with yesterday's highlight being my turn as a personal trainer to a youth football team and Felicia Day. She was a much more attentive client than the boys were, for whatever that's worth.

Comments

[angledge.livejournal.com]

I read the comments on that article, & I'm unclear on the role this survey plays in the Army's personnel decisions. I also agree with the observation made by other commenters that trying to determine if soldiers feel connected to something greater than themselves could mean a deity - or a cause - or something else.

It's a grey area, for sure, & when combined with other more egregious things going on in military chaplaincy it's disturbing. But I don't think this survey is being used to kick out atheist soldiers.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

I noted the possibility that the "greater than themselves" thing could be their branch of the service, or their country, but the heavy spiritual angle gets my hackles up. I can see the redlining as being a soft promotion-limiting tool, like the requirement for a college degree in many corporate sectors.

The fact that the chaplains are up in arms about having gay service members in their congregation, which is against their beliefs, made me yell at NPR "THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD GET OUT OF THAT LINE OF WORK, YOU CLOSE-MINDED FUCKSOCK." I honestly think that military chaplains are an oxymoron; if they were civilians who were there to provide the service to military personnel, I'd have much less of an issue with it, but when they, as government employees, make it their job to evangelize... the door is that way, and I don't care if it hits your ass on the way out.

[drcuriosity]

A cause is not a being. The survey asked if you felt connected to a being greater than yourself.

I guess a suitably awesome spouse could count, though.

[angledge.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the entire survey. ONE of the questions was about a greater being. But then other parts of the article that etcet linked to suggested that the survey asked about broader interpretations of spirituality.

[drcuriosity]

There wasn't anything there to suggest that they were asking about any other things greater than yourself, other than a being of some sort. Other spirituality-based questions, certainly. We can't say for certain without the whole survey text, but if that question is indicative of the flavour of questions being asked, then it's definitely problematic.

[angledge.livejournal.com]

the_axel provided a link to the actual questions - which, it turns out, don't actually mention a greater being at all. Here's the link:

http://rockbeyondbelief.com/2010/12/24/soldier-fitness-tracker-spiritual-questions-now-available/

[drcuriosity]

Cool, thanks. Less suck than it could be. Though it could easily be fixed, I feel, if you added a "Not applicable to me" option to the standard 5-point Likert agreement scale they're using, or allowed for those who didn't feel the question was relevant to them to leave it blank.

[the_axel]

Follow up article on the blog, complete with a screenshot of the questionaire:

http://rockbeyondbelief.com/2010/12/24/soldier-fitness-tracker-spiritual-questions-now-available/

[angledge.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm somewhat relieved to see they didn't directly ask about a greater being.

I am FAR from being a psychologist or any other sort of qualified professional, but to me these questions seem to be probing whether the soldier feels like their life has meaning. Maybe they are trying to detect nihilistic or suicidal individuals? Please note: I'm NOT saying they are doing it right, or even that this is their goal. I am guessing/speculating.

[ubiquitous-a.livejournal.com]

Since when did the U.S. Army become Boyscouts of America?

[gruamach.livejournal.com]

As a recent member of the US Army, I can assure everyone that this is complete BS.

That sort of stuff floats around, just like anywhere else, but it's not official doctrine.

In fact, OFFICIAL doctrine is that each and every soldier's belief system, including believing in "not believing in a god" is the private, personal business of said soldier.

The closest thing to that in official doctrine would be unit chaplains. BUT, every one I've ever known said the same thing, that they are counselors first and foremost, and their own (or any) spiritual disposition came secondary.
(I've known 2 Jewish ones, 1 Hindu and 1 Atheist...yes, an atheist chaplain. Go fig)

Yes, there's some holier-than-thou uber-christians around, but I've personally seen them get the UCMJ smackdown for trying to force their views on their subordinates.

Don't trust everything you read in a blog.


NOW, they do actually do post-deployment mental health assessments nowadays...in fact, kathy does them. They are not "probes" like that & there's nothing about personal beliefs in the risk assessments at all.
What they look for are problems with PTSD matters, specifically alcoholism, anger-management, self-guilt and problems adjusting to a non-combat environment again.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

Thanks, mang. I was hoping you'd weigh in. :-)

I've been more than a little agitated by the chaplains that are, apparently, really put out by the repeal of DADT, because they're objecting that they'll have to minister to service members whom they feel are irredeemable sinners, and this makes them uncomfortable.

I find it very, very hard to have sympathy for someone whose choice makes them uncomfortable coping with the existence and proximity of someone who is the way they are *not* by choice - whether that's gender, skin color, or sexual orientation. Bigotry is the result of a decision.