U.S. Soldiers Punished For Not Attending Christian Concert

[Stofsk]

Has anyone heard any follow up regarding the story from the OP? I ask because there appears to be nothing to corroborate it.

EDIT: Ok found something

Troops: Skipping Christian concert got us punished

By STEVE SZKOTAK, Associated Press Writer
Associated Press August 20, 2010 06:53 PM Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Friday, August 20, 2010

(08-20) 18:53 PDT Richmond, Va. (AP) --

The Army said Friday it was investigating a claim that dozens of soldiers who refused to attend a Christian band's concert at a Virginia military base were banished to their barracks and told to clean them up.

Fort Eustis spokesman Rick Haverinen told The Associated Press he couldn't comment on the specifics of the investigation. At the Pentagon, Army spokesman Col. Thomas Collins said the military shouldn't impose religious views on soldiers.

"If something like that were to have happened, it would be contrary to Army policy," Collins said.

Pvt. Anthony Smith said he and other soldiers felt pressured to attend the May concert while stationed at the Newport News base, home of the Army's Transportation Corps.

"My whole issue was I don't need to be preached at," Smith said in a phone interview from Phoenix, where he is stationed with the National Guard. "That's not what I signed up for."

Smith, 21, was stationed in Virginia for nearly seven months for helicopter electrician training when the Christian rock group BarlowGirl played as part of the "Commanding General's Spiritual Fitness Concerts."

Smith said a staff sergeant told 200 men in their barracks they could either attend or remain in their barracks. Eighty to 100 decided not to attend, he said.

"Instead of being released to our personal time, we were locked down," Smith said. "It seemed very much like a punishment."

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation first reported on the Christian concert. The foundation said it was approached by soldiers who were punished for not attending or offended by the religious theme of the event.

The group's president, Mikey Weinstein, claims Christian-themed events are "ubiquitous" throughout the military, and he credited the soldiers for stepping forward.

"Whenever we see this egregious, unconstitutional religious tyranny our job is to fight it," he said.

Smith said he and the other soldiers were told not to use their cell phones or personal computers and ordered to clean up the barracks.

About 20 of the men, including several Muslims, refused to attend the concert based on their religious beliefs, he said.

Smith said he went up the chain of command and traced the concert edict to a captain, who said he simply wanted to "show support for those kind of events that bring soldiers together."

While not accepting blame, the officer apologized to the soldiers who refused to attend the concert and said it was not his intent to proselytize, he said.

"But once you get in there, you realize it's evangelization," Smith said.

___

Associated Press writer Pauline Jelinek in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... z0xDyy4xs8

[Corpsman]

I've had to endure many "mandatory fun" days. They mostly suck and are boring, and you get in trouble if you try and duck out. Nature of the beast, etc, etc.

[Corpsman]

Although one of those events featured Gary Sinese and the Lt. Dan Band. I have to admit, that was pretty cool.

[Thanas]

It is the old practice of coopting or allowing other forms of worship to coexist. You might just as well ask why we celebrate easter and christmas...

Also, the Jesuits in Germany do not have that much of a reformer reputation. This is due to the fact that they were the forebearers of the counter-reformation, very fanatical agents for the pope and in modern times, that they were at the heart of the biggest sex-abuse scandal the church has ever had in Germany.

[Darth Yan]

My father and grandfathers were all raised catholic and all of them later changed their faith, without being criticised.

[Cecelia5578]

I've had to endure many "mandatory fun" days. They mostly suck and are boring, and you get in trouble if you try and duck out. Nature of the beast, etc, etc.

Except those tended to be BBQs, picnics, etc etc etc. I never had a religious themed mandatory fun day.

[Temujin]

Being "mandatory fun" days is a military thing, I now understand why my company (that has a lot of ex-military in management) tries to have their own form of quasi-"mandatory fun" days/events.

[Pelranius]

Taiwanese corporations do mandatory fun days as well, though usually it's only mandatory for employees (they don't have to bring their families along), I think it's because they want to get another opportunity to brainwash the employees in toeing the company line and keep their social activity to within the corporations. Some Asian companies are pretty bad about this, to the point of having company towns and fostering an almost cult like environment.

[Cecelia5578]

You also have to bear in mind that these soldiers are in AIT-meaning they are brand new to the Army, and probably tend to skew quite young. And in AIT you really don't have the freedoms that you have in the real Army, where no one usually gives a shit what you do on your weekends.

So yeah, a golden opportunity for dominionists to convert young people.

[Darth Yoshi]

Not quite the same, but when I was in basic in the Air Force, I had the option of attending religious services on Sunday mornings. I didn't have to, but those of us who didn't ended up doing chores back in the barracks. Naturally, a lot of my fellow trainees went. I went the first weekend and was bored out of my mind for an hour, so subsequently I simply stayed back and considered an extra hour of sleep to be a fair trade for some makework. But there was never any pressure that I noticed about it.

[Ritterin Sophia]

Not quite the same, but when I was in basic in the Air Force, I had the option of attending religious services on Sunday mornings. I didn't have to, but those of us who didn't ended up doing chores back in the barracks. Naturally, a lot of my fellow trainees went. I went the first weekend and was bored out of my mind for an hour, so subsequently I simply stayed back and considered an extra hour of sleep to be a fair trade for some makework. But there was never any pressure that I noticed about it.

Except it's quite clear from the article that this isn't a basic training environment, it's AIT.

[Coyote]

I've had nothing but great experiences with Army chaplains of all faiths, and never had a problem with evangelical officer-arranged crusades. The CG of the 1st Cavalry Division when I was in Iraq encouraged religious participation of some sort (figuring it would provide stressed or homesick troops something to help them). But no particular branch of religion was pushed. I was told even the Pagan/Wiccan troops were able to have a Solstice bonfire although they weren't able to do it naked.

This must be something happening in the active or "younger" parts of the Army*; I've never met anyone who had to attend a religious mandatory fun event.



*ie, the hordes of young Privates and such that live full-time on bases.