A chaplain at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska was ordered to remove a religious column he had written titled, “No Atheists in Foxholes: Chaplains Gave all in World War II,” because it allegedly offended atheists serving on the Air Force base. Col. Brian Duffy, the base commander told Fox News the column was removed “out of respect for those who considered its title offensive.” “The 673d Air Base Wing does not advocate any particular religion or belief set over another and upon learning of the complaints from some readers, the article was promptly removed,” he said. “We regret any undue attention this article may have brought to any particular group or individuals.” Lt. Col. Kenneth Reyes confirmed to Fox News that he wrote the original essay that appeared in his “Chaplain’s Corner” column on the base website. Reyes recounted the origin of the phrase “There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.” Father William Cummings has largely been credited with uttering the phrase in Bataan during World War II. READ MORE: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarne...ve-religious-essay-from-military-website.html Never mind reflection on history. We might as well have the Band of Brothers series edit out the religious overtones such as Skip Muck stating, "If we die now, we'll die in the state of grace," after receiving communion from the chaplain. Even though the soldiers advising on the set said it sounded like something Skip Muck would say, we sure can't offend anyone.
Yeah it's Christian propaganda so it should be excised. Plenty of atheists have gone to their death without whimpering for forgiveness from a God. David Hume was a noted example. The idea that non-believers are going to (*)(*)(*)(*) themselves on their deathbed is just propaganda and bloody insulting (they will (*)(*)(*)(*) themselves on their deathbed, most people do, but not to convert before kicking the bucket).
Don't you think it is blatantly false though? I could show you many atheists who have fought in this countries wars. It sounds like a screw you to all the men and women who sacrificed everything but happened to not believe in a God. The chaplains title is blatantly false, and on top of that it is offensive. Atheist soldiers face peril without the comfort of an expected/imagined afterlife. They are heroes and deserve respect.
Regardless of its truth, or lack thereof, the main issue here is whether it was correct for the military to in essence censor a legitimate publication; whether you agree with it or not is a matter of personal opinion, but whether it offends should not necessarily be construed as a means to deny this chaplain the freedom of speech and press.
It's the military's site- they can do what they want. The chaplain has every right to start his own blog or site.
