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Oh sure, ban evangelicals from exercising their rights to freedom of speech.
Arrogant, elitist liberals like you are precisely the ones that call for Christians and rational conservative radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh to be stripped of their rights; but I'll bet you want every illegal immigrant, anchor baby, and terrorist to have full protection of Constitutional rights.
When you are in the military, you don't really have freedom of speech. Your superior officers issue orders. You are expected to follow those orders, without comment. Comment ("freedom of speech") can be considered insubordination.
Also, when the military is overseas, they are reprsenting the United States, and serve in those countries as guests. As guests, we need to respect other nations traditions, laws, customs. This will mean hard core evangelism cannot be done. However, a softer touch, such as showing others how Christians really live, and letting their lights shine is definitely appropriate.
As for Rush being "rational", I view him more as a source of entertainment.
for citing the exact Armed Forces code as it applies to Freedom of Religion within our military ranks.
I read it as each and every member of our military has the right to practice their faith, which in my eyes means they are to be afforded the right to pray, to go to confession if it is available to them, and also to read the Bible or whatever religious tome they subscribe to.
I do not interpret this right of theirs as giving them permission to supercede military codes and laws, nor do I interpret their 'rights' as allowing them special permission, or privilege, to proselytize.
Perhaps a revision of the codes are now necessary to include NO PROSELYTIZING, and have the penalty of anyone caught doing so to be expressly stated as...the punishment for doing so is Dishonorable Discharge!
Quote:
Originally Posted by my54ford
Once again...IT's freedom OF Religion not FROM Religion........
Without Evangelicals you wouldn't have much of a Military...But it seems many of you would just as soon eradicate Religion period......
All branches of the United States military are afforded the same rights to religious freedom as are American civilians. However, members of the Armed Forces willingly surrender on a temporary basis certain free exercise rights when it impinges on military discipline and the successful completion of a military objective. This guarantee of religious freedom is codified for the Armed Forces in Title 10, United States Code (USC), sections 3073, 3547, 5142, and 8067. Free exercise of religious freedom for military personnel is further detailed in Department of Defense Directive (DODD) 1300.17, “Accommodation of Religious Practices Within the Military Services,†which describes the commander’s responsibility to provide for religious accommodation.
Codes and directives notwithstanding, the free exercise of religious freedom in the military has, by and large, followed the mores of American society in general. That is, as the understanding of free exercise expanded outside the military, so did it expand within the U.S. Armed Forces. This history of the growing embrace of religious pluralism can perhaps best be seen in the expansion of the Chaplaincy, whose role it is to provide for the free expression of religious belief by members of the Armed Forces.
I personally do not think evangelicals should be allowed in the military. Anyone who embraces a nihilistc religion should be barred from firearms. Period.
Since that is not likely to happen, then any service member caught trying to convert anyone should be automatically dishonorably discharged. After all, you don't have to be a muslim to be a fanatic.
I was surprised to find that our tax paying dollars are being used to preach christianity to muslims. There was a similar thread in the Religion section about Afghanistan. This video claims the evangelical efforts are broader and include Iraq also. To me, this is scary. I think we need to keep religion/ agnostism/atheism out of the army, else we are in the danger of percieved to be fighting modern-day crusades. Such efforts destroy our credibility as a nation and we appear to others to be no different than the Taliban.
Your thoughts?
Your comments are what scare me. It is the Christian Faith that has guided America and Americans for over 200 years. Until recently, our country has always honored God. We are in danger of losing God's blessings.
Why shouldn't Christian's share their Faith? It's what we are supposed to do.
Who keeps a light in a box where it does no good?
Light has come into the world. That light is Christ. It has brought man out of darkness. It must be shared so others may also benefit from it. That is what evangelism is. A Christian that hides what God has given him is no good to God at all.
Your comments are what scare me. It is the Christian Faith that has guided America and Americans for over 200 years. Until recently, our country has always honored God. We are in danger of losing God's blessings.
Why shouldn't Christian's share their Faith? It's what we are supposed to do.
Who keeps a light in a box where it does no good?
Light has come into the world. That light is Christ. It has brought man out of darkness. It must be shared so others may also benefit from it. That is what evangelism is. A Christian that hides what God has given him is no good to God at all.
People like you honestly scare me. We built a democracy, not theocracy. Stop acting persecuted and righteous.
Evangelicals inappropriately put religious pamphlets all over bases against all policies.
Just last week, I reported 4 separate pamphlets, at least a dozen of each posted in a dining facility.
They were removed. Now, nothing can be posted and bulletin boards were removed.
There's xian garbage being placed in government offices and service areas all the time.
They know it's against policy.
They do whatever they want to, after all, they're special.
...whenever I find any of this 'crap' in inappropriate places, I pick them up, and toss them into the first WASTE receptacle I can find. I guess they must have tons of money to keep printing it...and they're going to need loads more if I have anything to say and do about it.
Okay, so you want to ban evangelicals from serving their country that they love and honor? What would your plan be to enforce this, make it mandatory for everybody to list their religious denomination on the application?
Evangelicals are not fanatics. They are God-loving, Bible-reading, hard-working, moral, upstanding citizens of this country with fantastic family values.
Obviously that is more than I can say for you.
I wish I could ban anyone who believes in a nihilistic religion from the military. I can't and I do believe I noted that..
I have no problem with christians, muslims or whatever. I do have a problem with christians who feel that they 'need' or are in anyway 'required' to preach to people who are not of their faith. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is to the military personal on the ground in some of these countries when a few evangelicals decide that 'jesus' wants them to convert the muslims? I recall a story about an evengelical serving the country he loves so much in Iraq by handing out christian prayer coins to muslim Iraqis at checkpoints. That hardly endears the occupation forces to the locals. That stubborn bonehead did this in spite of the rules clearly stating he was not allowed to because his faith demands it. How many of his fellow servicemen did he endanger by feeding his own religious conceit? It is this sense of fanaticism that I object to and I do not find it at all different from the jihadists who believe that by blowing themselves up they are also doing gods will.
And btw, I am very moral (don't drink/smoke/drugs/cheat), hardworking (volunteerism), family orientated (have four kids that I stay home to raise), and I have voted in every election since I turned 18.
But you are right, I don't read the bible and I don't believe in god so I suppose in your head that completely nullifies everything else about me.
Then why were they collected? What was the purpose of them?
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Thank you, my54ford...
