Republican Congressmen Opposed to Atheist Chaplains, Assume They Are Evil
One suggests an atheist chaplain would tell an atheist soldier's family their child is "worm food" while another thinks they'd tell soldiers they were hopeless
There are no atheists in foxholes, the saying goes. Republicans in Congress don't want them in the military chaplain corps, either.
That's after New Jersey Democratic Rep. Rob Andrews offered an amendment to the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act Wednesday that would allow humanists or members of ethical culture groups to join the chaplain corps. Andrews' idea was to help members of the military who don't believe in God, but want someone to talk toabout problems without having to seek a medical professional.
But Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee objected mightily, saying that atheists can't offer spiritual counseling and would likely offend dying soldiers or their families.
"They don't believe anything," said Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) "I can't imagine an atheist accompanying a notification team as they go into some family's home to let them have the worst news of their life and this guy says, 'You know, that's it—your son's just worms, I mean, worm food.'"
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Wow, Rep. Conway, I love how you assume that someone who “believes in nothing” would automatically make a hurtful and insulting statement to the family of a dead soldier. So I guess those Westboro idiots, who do believe in something, DON’T make hurtful and insulting statements like that at any military funerals. Perhaps the determining factor in expressing sympathy to families of deceased people hinges on something other than a belief system.
As for the HuffPo, I love how they always publish the more idiotic comments made by Republican politicians, but politely ignore the equally idiotic comments made by Democrat politicians. (Anyone remember the one about capsizing the island of Guam, for example?)
I can easily imagine a Rabbi offending any Christian by his mere presence, or Protestants offended by Catholics, or vice verse.
I can equally imagine a humanist actually saying something comforting where a religious chaplain would offer nothing ut platitudes.
Jeez (!) I hate statists.
Wait, if there are atheists chaplains, are atheists conceding that they are a religion? Cool, let’s get some progressive chaplains in service too, that way we can ban progs from making the state their bully pulpit.