Who Has The Problem Here?

Atheist's Lawsuit Cites His Treatment in the Army

Hall, 23, was raised in a Protestant family in North Carolina and dropped out of school before earning his GED. It wasn't until after he joined the Army that he began questioning religion, eventually deciding he couldn't follow any faith.

But he feared how that would look to other soldiers.

"I was ashamed to say that I was an atheist," Hall said. [not much conviction there, huh? ed.]

It eventually came out in Iraq in 2007, when he was in a firefight. Hall was a gunner on a Humvee, which took several bullets in its protective shield. Afterward, his commander asked whether he believed in God, Hall said.

"I said, 'No, but I believe in Plexiglas,"' Hall said. "I've never believed I was going to a happy place. You get one life. When I die, I'm worm food."

The issue came to a head when, according to Hall, a superior officer, Maj. Freddy J. Welborn, threatened to bring charges against him for trying to hold a meeting of atheists in Iraq. Welborn has denied Hall's allegations.

I seriously doubt that today's military is dumb enough to make a stupid threat like that, but maybe I'm wrong. Further, Mr. Hall said "he believes his promotion to sergeant has been blocked because of his lawsuit..." Duhhhh, you think?

It sounds to me like Mr. Hall is the one who has a problem with his atheism. He's catching flack for filing a lawsuit over a non-issue, not because he lacks faith. Although I argue that believing in nothing takes at least as much faith as believing in something greater than yourself.