Atheists in the Foxholes - Who is the Real Enemy?
Perhaps you’ve been following the story of the “Atheist in the Foxhole” story which has taken an interesting turn this week:
“Army Specialist Dustin Chalker alleges that he was forced to participate in public prayers and that the military systematically violates the religious rights of its personnel. Chalker, who has served in Korea and Iraq, is the second soldier to file such a lawsuit with the help of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Both lawsuits say that the military permits religious discrimination by fundamentalist Christians who try to force their views on others, especially subordinates. Chalker’s lawsuit lists 18 examples, including presentations at service academies that criticize Islam and functions he was required to attend where Christian prayers mentioned Jesus.”
So my question is this: is Chalker, a self-admitted atheist, truly concerned about the Army criticizing Islam, or does he just want to attack Christianity? If he is a supporter of Islam, maybe he should stay in Iraq (where he is currently stationed) and convert (from atheism – that’s an interesting thought…) to Islam. There may very well be 72 virgins in his future…
I believe people like Chalker just want to make a name for themselves and try to be so ‘hip it hurts” by claiming to be an atheist. The Bible calls them fools and who am I to argue with the word of God?
However, if he is suing the Army and citing 18 examples, among which one is academics that criticize Islam…. And Christian prayer that mentions Jesus – I do believe we have polar opposites here.
I actually went to the website for the foundation of Atheists in the Foxhole. I was curious to see how many “men” and women would support such an organization. It appears that roughly 25 or so nationally are signed up as members. As usual, these type of groups are like a Chihuahua, small yet yippy.
I am sure that Chalker will make the circuit of the news talk shows – he will probably land on Oprah eventually (she will be sure to welcome him with open arms) but I truly hope that he finds this blog – because I have one question for him and it is this- When you signed up to defend this country, just who did you determine to be real enemy? If you answered anyone except the enemy within, you are WRONG my friend. You have lied to yourself so long that you don’t even know what the truth is anymore. There is one truth – and that is Jesus Christ – the subject of your lawsuit. If you have no faith to draw on, how can the men that rely on you as a team member in the armed service have faith in you?
The beauty of this is that Christians can live in the beauty of knowing that one day ALL knees will bow and ALL mouths will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD. The only problem for fools is that it will be too late.
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Hey Angie, a friend pointed your post out to me. I’ll take a minute to respond to this, but I doubt I’ll have time to come back.
//I believe people like Chalker just want to make a name for themselves//
In return for the same exact kind of publicity, Jeremy Hall faced death threats and physical assault by other soldiers. If it were possible to cause the changes I am fighting for and remain anonymous, I would. Unfortunately, that is not a viable option.
//When you signed up to defend this country, just who did you determine to be real enemy?//
The oath I took was to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, “foreign and domestic”. When people in positions of authority use their power to violate our Constitution, I have a sworn duty to oppose them.
//If you have no faith to draw on, how can the men that rely on you as a team member in the armed service have faith in you?//
Those who trust and support me do so because of the evidence of my performance. That is not faith at all. Faith is belief without evidence, and I have given more than enough evidence of my honor, self-sacrifice, and ability.
I suggest you stop making ill-informed assumptions about people and situations you know nothing about. You’ll end up looking foolish to those who know more than you.
Thanks for the post Angie. I had not heard about this story before. Thank you for shedding light on it. To Mr. Chalker, thank you for your service to the country, but you are wrong about faith. It is not belief without evidence. When one searches out the truths about the accuracy of the Bible, the difference in Christianity from every other religion in the world, and even in cases of design in the biological world, one sees evidence of God. Faith is not blind, faith is real. And as, the Bible states, “the righteous shall live by faith”.
Which religion is being proselytized or denigrated is not the issue. The issue is that ANY faith whatsoever was promoted by the United States Military. The fact that Dustin was forced to attend military functions where Christian prayers were given is enough to prove his lawsuit proper. Angie, where do you get that SPC Chalker was trying to “make a name for himself” or “convert to Islam?” This is about force-fed religion from an arm of the Federal Government, and that’s it.
James-I don’t think anyone questions Chalker’s legal right to file the lawsuit. But, this site is not primarily concerned with legal matters. Instead, the nature of this site would more properly ask the question, are Chalker’s complaints biblically proper.
Chalker is free to question through his lawsuit (and on his website) whether it is legally acceptable for the U.S. military to supposedly promote religion via “functions he was required to attend where Christian prayers mentioned Jesus”. In the same way, it seems fair to question (on this website) Chalker’s actions from a biblical perspective. The courts will decide the former question; while God will judge the latter matter.
The bible asserts that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the light and that none can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). The bible goes on to assert that whoever does not believe in Jesus Christ is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God (John 3:18). From a biblical perspective, all venues are potentially proper for the tasteful sharing of these absolutely essential truths which we believe. Just as any venue would be acceptable for the tasteful sharing of Chalker’s different opinion.
Another concern is that the real agenda is to further separate religious beliefs, especially Christian ones, from the way we govern ourselves. As a practical matter, I don’t believe it is possible to divorce religious beliefs from how we govern ourselves. A person’s religious beliefs are essential to their sense of what is right and what is wrong. In turn, democracy seeks to govern in accord with the consensus view of what is right and what is wrong. Thus, religious beliefs are inseparably at the root of our democracy. To make this point another way, I think it is fair to say that a ‘religious nation’ which chooses to be governed by an ‘atheistic government’ is really just an ‘atheistic nation’ kidding itself. Our country has already gone a long way down this path, but the bible tells us it is the wrong path.
To sum it up, I think we all probably legitimately suspect that Chalker’s lawsuit is part of some larger battle. Whereas Chalker might see it as a battle for the hearts and minds of men and to enforce his right not to be “evangelized”, the bible tells us it is a battle for the eternal souls of men. And, we want to advocate and “evangelize” for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and for the gospel message that He died for yours and our sins. Just as Chalker wants to advocate for his religious belief in no gods at all.