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Soldiers Punished After Refusing to Attend Evangelical Concert

Damn bible thumpers.
 
But you wouldn't mind had they been forced to attend a Muslim concert?


so, would you have been fine with it if the soldiers had been forced to attend an islamic service?
if yes, then you support the violation of the soldier's right to worship as he pleases
if no, what i anticipate will be your reply, then you would exhibit hypocrisy to approve the forced attendance of a Christian service while not requiring their attendance of an islamic religious service
 
Nobody should be forced to attend any religious anything! Cheese & crackers would it KILL y'all to stay on the mother****ing topic?!
 
How many people would be okay if they made the soldiers attend Miley Cyrus concert? Soldiers shouldn't be punished for refusing to attend any concert.
 
How many people would be okay if they made the soldiers attend Miley Cyrus concert? Soldiers shouldn't be punished for refusing to attend any concert.

That would be in violation of the Geneva Convention. Cruel and unusual!! NOT okay.
 
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Well our buddies at Truthout have given us one side of the story. But it is always nice to hear both sides.

Apparently the NCO didn't decide on "lockdown" punishment until the the soldiers had returned back to the Company Area. Am wondering if the punishment may have had more to do with one or a handful of the unhappy soldiers copping an attitude with the drill sergeant...and had little to do with attending the concert?? (usually a good rule of thumb to not **** with drill sergeants).

Guess we'll just have to wait and see how the Pentagon investigation goes.


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.

Well our buddies at Truthout have given us one side of the story. But it is always nice to hear both sides.

Apparently the NCO didn't decide on "lockdown" punishment until the the soldiers had returned back to the Company Area. Am wondering if the punishment may have had more to do with one or a handful of the unhappy soldiers copping an attitude with the drill sergeant...and had little to do with attending the concert?? (usually a good rule of thumb to not **** with drill sergeants).

Guess we'll just have to wait and see how the Pentagon investigation goes.


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too late. apology issued
... Smith said his commanding officers did offer an apology, but asserted that they did nothing wrong on May 13 and it was perfectly within their "rights" to march Smith and his fellow soldiers wherever they wanted, evangelical Christian event or otherwise. ...
 
too late. apology issued

Whatever. A pointless "apology issued" according to Smith. Just like the entire story has been according to Smith.

We still await the other side of the story....:)


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Apparently the NCO didn't decide on "lockdown" punishment until the the soldiers had returned back to the Company Area.
and how does that change anything? the issue is their being denied their constitutionally guaranteed right to refuse the right to attend what amounts to a an exercise in religious proselytization by "young women who aren't afraid to take an aggressive, almost warrior-like stance when it comes to spreading the gospel ". the punishment they received for exercising their constitutional right to refuse only makes the central crime, and it IS a crime, worse.

this **** is getting scary. why do we have a General Officer sponsoring specifically sectarian religious programs? THAT is a violation of the constitution. and these guys command the most powerful military force the world has ever known.

geo.
 
Whatever. A pointless "apology issued" according to Smith. Just like the entire story has been according to Smith.

We still await the other side of the story....:)


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What other side????

The men who refused to stomach a christian rock concert were confined to barracks.

Who's the clown runnin' that outfit?
 
To be honest though while in the military you lose a lot of constitutional rights.
 
To be honest though while in the military you lose a lot of constitutional rights.

This is not supposed to be one of them. And I must confess to being sorely troubled by the notion of organizations hostile to our Constitutional freedoms having so thoroughly infiltrated our military.
 
What other side????

The men who refused to stomach a christian rock concert were confined to barracks.

Who's the clown runnin' that outfit?

uuhhh, the other side besides a disgruntled soldier who is pissed because his NCO was "mean to him".

Event occurred in May. Believe our current discussion is based on a late August report from Truthout condemning the military. May turn out to be a valid misbehavior by commanders. Mebbe not.

Wouldn't you want to get the whole picture before coming to a conclusion? (teasing with that last question, that was just me being silly.....;) )


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uuhhh, the other side besides a disgruntled soldier who is pissed because his NCO was "mean to him".

Event occurred in May. Believe our current discussion is based on a late August report from Truthout condemning the military. May turn out to be a valid misbehavior by commanders. Mebbe not.

Wouldn't you want to get the whole picture before coming to a conclusion? (teasing with that last question, that was just me being silly.....;) )


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get back to us when you find out the other half of the story
you will be missed [/sarcasm]
 
But you wouldn't mind had they been forced to attend a Muslim concert?

:applaud:applaud:applaud

Seriously sir YOU personify the average American conservative. Hats off to you!

Also Cole you make a close 2nd place. But seriously guys. Jesus Christ doesn't even like Christian rock. He's into that gangster Christian rap.
 
Stuff like this is absurdly common, from what I've seen and heard from those in the military. Our armed forces have long been a preaching ground for Christian fanatics.
 
Stuff like this is absurdly common, from what I've seen and heard from those in the military. Our armed forces have long been a preaching ground for Christian fanatics.

OT: Welcome to Debate Politics, Patria Antiqua!
 
First of all, "spiritual fitness?"

This is what the Army has to say about the idea. It starts out fairly innocuously:

What is Spiritual Fitness?
Spiritual fitness means different things to different people. For most people, it means having a spiritual life, or a set of beliefs and values that guide them and give their life meaning.

Just like keeping physically fit, spiritual fitness is something that needs to be tended to and worked at. For some, the path to spiritual fitness is through organized religion, whereas the practice of some others is not tied to any religious belief. You might find meaning and connection by spending time in nature, or through volunteering, or by creating something useful, or even by playing with a pet.

Ok. I can live with that. But they don't stop there. They also say:

What is Spirituatlity?
What do we mean when we talk about spirituality and spiritual fitness? What is connection? In fact, at its core, spirituality is about connection, including connection with humans and with a deity or divine presence.

* Life’s meaning and significance
* Values, beliefs and ethics
* Transcendent experiences and awareness of life beyond oneself
* Connection with self, others, God, and life
* Reflecting on life, and a sense of “deep self” or soul

Ultimately, they explain that people without a "connection to the divine" are less fit to serve:

People who are spiritually fit, who are living with a purpose and in connection with the world around them, tend to have a stronger self-esteem, better coping skills, and more solid relationships. Spiritual fitness can also bond people through love, forgiveness and compassion.... Spiritual fitness matters because the more that people feel connected to a sense of meaning and to life, others, and the divine, the more they are able to cope successfully and bounce back in times of stress and crisis.

Whether or not a person is "spiritual" is none of the Army's $#@! business. The Army cannot be in the business of forcing people to follow a religious track.

By punishing those troops who did not wish to be proselytized to through Christian music, the Army is effectively saying "You must have SOME sort of religious indoctrination (and we'd prefer that you follow Christianity, thankyouverymuch). You will be punished you if you don't, and we will spend your tax dollars to further that goal, division of church and state be damned."

And they're spending millions on this garbage (from the article in the OP):

the Department of Defense has awarded multi-million dollar contracts for consultants behind spiritual fitness events.

:soap
 
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