Atheists Unwanted in Military, in Government, and in Some Cases as Foster Parents
July 9, 2008
Kermit the Frog once complained that “it isn’t easy being green.” But if the song were re-tooled today, he might instead choose to sing about how it’s hard not to believe in god.
We live in a time when atheists face discrimination while serving in the military and are told at home that they don’t share ‘real’ American values.
And in some cases, atheists are unwanted as foster parents. On a recent trip to Nebraska, I spent a couple of hours at Boys Town an organization that focuses on building community and support for troubled youngsters. Boys Town does a lot of good work, so much in fact that I asked what the qualifications were for becoming a foster parent in the hopes that someday I might spend a few years supporting children in need. I was shocked to learn that “teaching couples” — what Boys Town calls foster parents — must practice a “mainline religion” to be considered for the post.
I asked if Buddhist meditation counted, but apparently that isn’t mainline enough for them. I’m sure that’s news to the world’s more than 300 million Buddhists.
And keep in mind that Boys Town — according to its own FAQ — receives government money.
I’m glad you wrote about this. I read this this morning and was hopping mad. This makes me all the more wary of faith based initiatives.
And the article on the soldier sent a chill down my spine. He has my deepest sympathy and I hope his senior officers are severely reprimanded. We are supposed to be fighting for democracy - not reenacting the crusades.
What on earth is wrong with the world?
Thanks for posting on this Teresa, It really is an astonishing subject. I can’t fully understand why there is such a stigma associated with atheism. The only thing I can think of is the sullen, sometimes dangerous, resentment one has when they want to believe in something they know in their hearts not to be true. In other words, aggressive denial. Its all so medieval. I wonder when the Inquisition and witch burning will have a comeback.
I would love to see the list of “mainstream” religions. I hereby state that if there is a god, and it is a entity of some kind, I lothe it and its mercurial spite. I wish only that more people could have the religious experience, then they would not feel such a need to codeify it in books, and pretend to understand its meanings. Ughh…
i think it’s important to be reminded of the opposite end of the spectrum: extreme religious fervor. not a few children have been scarred by that.
i see the idea behind the desirability of a religious foundation in a child’s upbringing, however, many good social values are universally shared across religious and secular individuals and societies. organizations should identify those values and conduct a thorough vetting process according to that list rather than pigeon-holing it to a handful of religious beliefs.
I’m going to throw the bullshit flag on this soldier. The article cites he has a “near perfect record” which is a nice way of saying he’s screwed up in the past. He was probably held up for promotion because of it. The “I hope you believe in Jesus now” argument that another soldier gave him after he survived an IED attack is an extremely tame thing for another serviceman to say to another. There’s something about the military that promotes extremely profane ribbing, he got off easy with that one.
I’ll bet that this soldier was an atheist and a bad soldier, he didn’t get promoted and rather than admit to himself that he had failed, chose to blame others for discrimination.
I’ve known two atheist officers in my time in the Marines, and at least ten times that in the enlisted ranks. Each had no qualms advertising it while serving in uniform, and it didn’t matter a damn bit. They were just as capable war fighters whether they believed in God or not. No one held anything against them and no one cared. I’m positive the same applies in this case, especially as standards are lowered for recruitment and retention; religious exemption is a lame excuse for this soldier.