Shoe by Gary Brookins and Susie MacNelly for January 14, 2014

I like it…

Does the military have an Atheist Chaplain?

Who does a Pagan Chaplain pray to, a tree?

@Nabuquduriuzhur It’s about a little thing called ‘Separation of Church and State’: the Government isn’t supposed to promote a religion, even if it’s yours.And you can’t hate something that doesn’t exist, indeed I often day “Thank god I’m a atheist!”

‘say’ not ‘day’! Duh!!

Actually @richardelguru, the 1st amendment to the constitution (The Bill of Rights) doesn’t mention what you are talking about at all. I suggest you read the law or read Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists.

What most of the Athiests in my circle find really annoying is the presumption on the part of our “Religious” Friends/Associates that since we don’t supscribe to/support their delusionary belief in the “Biggest-Alpha-Male-of-all” that WE have a problem.

NO WE DON’T, rather it’s that WE don’t have THEIR problem.

Namely, that not only does the “Emperor” have no Clothes, but that there isn’t even an “Emperor” to begin with.

(And of course, this precludes special priveleges for “His” Staff and Hanger’s on)

In the late 1960s I saw the following on the cloth cover of a U.S. military helmet: " There is no LBJ – I’m an atheist."

@bwillett1st amendment “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” is usually so called.Save me the effort of educating you, try wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state_in_the_United_States

It appears to require more faith to be an atheist than it does to believe in a religious system.

The zealots on your side of the fence. They are the ones rewriting history and misquoting the FF. This nation was NOT FOUNDED ON RELIGION. and yes, freedom of religion also means freedom FROM religion. We each get to have our own beliefs.

When I was in the Army, one of the sgts related the following:It seems he had met a GI that was an aetheist – and if you tried to talk to him, it was the only subject he would want to discuss. They went separate ways, but met again several years later – in a foxhole in Korea.They chatted for some time, and the sgt realized – not one word about aetheism!

What the heck is that supposed to mean? That only God-fearing Christians should get government grants? Bushwa!

The military currently only has the following faith groups as Chaplains.Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu (in planning)

As far as I know the military does not prevent an individual from practicing a particular faith, but they do not provide Chaplains in all practicing faiths. Wicca (pagan) is not a recognized religion. Also a military members’ personal appearance must adhere to current uniform practices and appearance regulations regardless of declared religious preference. There are procedures for waivers in the uniform matter. These are generally approved only on an individual basis.

Such vitriol!

I’ve read tons of your comments, and the pot shouldn’t call the kettle black…

Like any large group of people there are dissidents and extremists. Please don’t think everyone agrees with that comment.

Back before such things got Politically Incorrect, a fellow University student put down “Druid” on his “Religious Preference” card. It is interesting that while nothing appeared to happen to him, we grew a Security Department shortly thereafter.

My preference is “Freedom FROM Religion”, in the sense that I don’t find “your” religion in my face all the time. Remember the “Blue Laws”? However, we are BOTH entitled to accept whatever religious law we choose, and worship in whatever way we choose. There’s an assumption here, too, that we don’t harm or overly shock or inconvenience anybody else.

You are clearly reading different posts from the ones that I have seen on here. Re-read my post, then explain how I am a bigot.

OK, so I am assuming that your tongue is firmly in your cheek with that comment, or do you really believe in Adam and Eve?