KANSAS CITY, Kansas (CNN) -- Army Spc. Jeremy Hall was raised Baptist.
Like many Christians, he said grace before dinner and read the Bible
before bed. Four years ago when he was deployed to Iraq, he packed his
Bible so he would feel closer to God.
He served two tours of duty in Iraq and has a near perfect record. But
somewhere between the tours, something changed. Hall, now 23, said he
no longer believes in God, fate, luck or anything supernatural.
Hall said he met some atheists who suggested he read the Bible again.
After doing so, he said he had so many unanswered questions that he
decided to become an atheist.
His sudden lack of faith, he said, cost him his military career and
put his life at risk. Hall said his life was threatened by other
troops and the military assigned a full-time bodyguard to protect him
out of fear for his safety.
In March, Hall filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of
Defense and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, among others. In the
suit, Hall claims his rights to religious freedom under the First
Amendment were violated and suggests that the United States military
has become a Christian organization.
"I think it's utterly and totally wrong. Unconstitutional," Hall said.
Hall said there is a pattern of discrimination against non-Christians
in the military.
Two years ago on Thanksgiving Day, after refusing to pray at his
table, Hall said he was told to go sit somewhere else. In another
incident, when he was nearly killed during an attack on his Humvee, he
said another soldier asked him, "Do you believe in Jesus now?"
Hall isn't seeking compensation in his lawsuit -- just the guarantee
of religious freedom in the military. Eventually, Hall was sent home
early from Iraq and later returned to Fort Riley in Junction City,
Kansas, to complete his tour of duty.
He also said he missed out on promotions because he is an atheist.
"I was told because I can't put my personal beliefs aside and pray
with troops I wouldn't make a good leader," Hall said.
Michael Weinstein, a retired senior Air Force officer and founder of
the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, is suing along with Hall.
Weinstein said he's been contacted by more than 8,000 members of the
military, almost all of them complaining of pressure to embrace
evangelical Christianity.
"Our Pentagon, our Pentacostalgon, is refusing to realize that when
you put the uniform on, there's only one religious faith: patriotism,"
Weinstein said.
Religious discrimination is a violation of the First Amendment and is
also against military policy.
- - - - - -
I thought we weren't fighting a "holy war" over there
with "christian soldiers" ... "crusaders" ....
Apparently the jihadists were right all along.
Seems US soldiers had better be Jesus junkies OR ELSE.
Who & what are they fighting for ? For America ? For
Americans ? Can't be. Just CERTAIN Americans and a
chopped-down VERSION of the constution ... a shadow
of the real America.
|
