Friday, April 29, 2011

Foxhole atheists seeking chaplaincy roles

Atheists Seek a Place Among Military Chaplains - NYTimes.com:

MASH meeting (Image via NY Times)

Strange as it sounds, groups representing atheists and secular humanists are pushing for the appointment of one of their own to the chaplaincy, hoping to give voice to what they say is a large — and largely underground — population of nonbelievers in the military.

Joining the chaplain corps is part of a broader campaign by atheists to win official acceptance in the military. Such recognition would make it easier for them to raise money and meet on military bases. It would help ensure that chaplains, religious or atheist, would distribute their literature, advertise their events and advocate for them with commanders.
My first thought on seeing this article was that it would make more sense to have trained, professional therapists instead of chaplains ... but, if you're going to have chaplains, it seems the least we could do is remove the "believes in magical bullshit and fairy tales" requirement from the role.
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