I know this isn't really a quality post, but yeah.

We have an annual Wing awards ceremony at my unit and we are usually told to remain standing after the passing of the colors and the entrance of the official party. This year we were seated then the chaplain took the podium then asked us to pray. I sat and looked around for other members not participating like I normally do for fun. I wonder if this is a new protocol or something? What happens at your unit?

First of all, thank you for your service. As someone who has identified as an atheist since a young age, it's warming to know that communities like this one exist.

I'm a documentary photographer in Los Angeles working on a photo essay about atheists in the US military. My aim is to create portraits of 8-10 active or non-active members of the military (Army, Navy, Air Force, etc) at their homes or on location and interview them briefly about their experience + journey. I'm interested in this topic for many reasons, but in short: I'm an atheist myself, I feel the timing is right politically and culturally, and I haven't seen a story like this done before. I believe it's an important topic, or I wouldn't be wasting your (or my) time.

NOTE: I CAN TAKE YOUR PORTRAIT "ANONYMOUSLY" IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS SPEAKING ON THE RECORD.

Basically, I'd make creative use of shadows to hide your face, and only quote you with initials.

I spoke awhile back to Mikey Weinstein at the MRFF who gave me some helpful background as well.

My images and stories have previously been in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, VICE, The Atlantic, TIME, Mother Jones, The New Yorker, and Politico Magazine. As a freelancer, I can't say where the story might end up, but I can tell you I would only share it with a journalistic outlet that would treat the subject matter with respect. I've covered a range of topics in the past: military drone pilots, the US-Mexico border, wildfires, life in Kashmir, etc.

You can see my work here:

http://www.elijahsol.com

If anyone is interested in talking to me, please PM me, and we can chat on the phone.

Appreciate your time either way, and I know this might be a long shot...

Elijah

Hiya! My son is in basic training. Although I have my own spirituality, my son is atheist / agnostic / non-religious. In the current support groups I'm in, every post is about "sending prayers". On Sundays, someone posts a prayer and these groups don't seem to care that not everyone is Christian. When I wrote to him I told him to not be pressured to pick a religion (even though on Sundays it's either go to church or clean the dorms). I asked him to inquire if there was a humanistic or UU service.

Anyway, looking for support.

Hi! So I'm actually not atheist or military, although one of my family members is both, but I was just curious whether a lot of people on this subreddit started out religious before the military.

I can't speak for other people's experiences but I feel like in dire situations, and especially in life or death situations in the military, people tend to gain faith or lose faith the most.

I ended up here Googling if there's a connection between ex military and atheism just out of curiosity but I couldn't find anything extensive. I mean, I can guess or understand why, but I wouldn't know.

My post might get deleted but I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts. Thanks.

Despite my glaringly obvious appearance of being a newbie, I've been a Redditor for over three years. I got so fed up with being hated on for comments I made challenging the typical active duty military personality, that I gave up for a while. Then, I found this and decided to start fresh. A little wiser, a little sadder, but filled with new hope...

I'm not active duty. I'm a civilian, married to active duty. I work in a professional capacity for DOD. My challenges are unique. Or, at least it feels pretty lonely sometimes.

In my workplace, I've noticed a dangerous shift lately that chills me to the core. The blatant disregard of the Establishment Clause is strong and more alive than ever. The Christian "right" has been emboldened, endorsed, and has a frightening influence on my coworkers. Things are getting scary for me... Whatever courage I may have had in the past to out myself at work and stand up to the storm, is gone without a whisper. I know now that I my job and perhaps even my safety is at risk. In the closet I stay.

Finding this sub made me smile. I'm looking forward to the support I hope to find here. Perhaps my courage will someday return.

Hey everyone, I'm in the Navy and, while underway, we normally have Chaps read an evening prayer each night. While it doesn't necessarily bother me to hear the overwhelmingly Christian prayers every. Single. Night. I'd like to change things up a bit. Our chaplain is open to other beliefs, so he'll accommodate me, as long as what I want read isn't offensive.

Can someone offer ideas for an atheist substitute for an evening prayer? A little humor is ok (I'm the command joker), but again, nothing offensive or demeaning to the religious.

Thanks in advance.

Paid online research opportunity for OEF/OIF/OND veterans and active duty personnel! My name is Jessica Tripp and I am conducting a doctoral dissertation in clinical psychology at the University of Memphis regarding individuals’ experiences with combat, posttraumatic stress, and a concept called moral injury. You are eligible for the study if you previously or currently are deployed to a combat zone as part of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn (veteran and active duty personnel are both eligible). The study involves a series of questions which may be answered on your computer of choice about your experiences with the military and combat, as well as your relationships and ways of relating to others. The study takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. All who are eligible and complete the survey will receive a $10 Amazon gift card. Responses will be confidential and participation will help to advance this field of study. The survey link is here:

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You may also check out our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/militaryexperiencesstudy

Thank you in advance for considering participating in the survey! Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have at jtripp1@memphis.edu.

Just found this place. Happy to be here.

...

EOM

I wrote it awhile ago but hey, time flies!!! http://www.gasl.org/refbib/Bible_King_James_Version.pdf

Hello, I was wondering if there was any 0261 current marines or vets that could let me know what that job is like, and what daily life would be like input from geographic intelligence specialist from other branches would be useful also.

Hey everyone. I just wanted to bring attention to a social movement recently started to combat Military/Veteran suicide. It's called Buddy Check 22. The statistics show 22 veterans per day commit suicide. The movement is basically to call someone you know on the 22nd of the month and let them know you care. It started on Facebook and if you are interested you can check it out here. Today is the 22nd, be a buddy and check on a Veteran.

This was posted by a family friend who goes to the same church as my parents the other day and I responded and had a conversation about it. I had to go a little easy on the guy because I'm not "out" to most of my family as an atheist.

My first thought was that this is probably bullshit, and now that I've looked for other sources about it I'm pretty sure my first thought was right. The link to the actual petition is here in case anyone wants to look. On the page you'll see that it's almost two years old, so I'm pretty sure it's bullshit.

UPDATE: It seems that this presentation is what all the fuss is about. It's just an Army presentation telling soldiers not to join extremist groups, which I don't see anything wrong with. Seems to me that the Christian persecution complex is hard at work blowing things out of proportion. Also this is from fucking 2011, so they're only 4 years behind the times.