Atheists Want Guard to Stop Bible Handouts. What is your opinion?

Humanists also take advantage of the MEPS policy which is actually secular and egalitarian. Gideons could be said to be preying on impressionable young troops with a nationwide effort to push Christianity. But that wouldn't really be fair because the policy allows any 'non-federal entity' to place literature for use by trainees. When humanists or satanists or wiccans choose to do so as well, they will (assuming no discrimination) be welcomed, and they have been in the past.
http://militaryatheists.org/news/2012/02/humanist-literature-now-available-for-new-enlistees-2/

If I saw a book of Zen, A Koran or a Bible, I would take it if I wanted one. If not I would move on. I fear too many militant atheists are sad sacks and activists.

If your religious, bring your own bible. Easy answer.

My only questions are 1)Who paid for them? and 2)Who is being paid to give them to "everybody"? If my tax dollars are buying them and paying soldiers/sailors/airmen/marines to try and give them to everyone, then I expect equal billing for all religious texts. If privately funded and distributed, go to town, but no thank you, I don't need one.

Yeah it was a tradition to get the MWR Package before deployment containing the Gideon's Bible but it does kinda fly in the face of Separation of Church and State when the Military does Represent the "State". I think they have a Point. Maybe a compromise have Several "Holy Books" available and let the service member choose or not.

I am a Christian and I will never understand why someone would be so offended by something they don't believe is real. The bible is just a story to people who do not believe. Do these people (the ones who are demanding no bibles) get offended when someone hands them any other "fiction" novel ?

The length of this conversation is the explanation as to why handing out any religious texts is a sub optimal course of action.

No free bibles, no issue. If you believe then you probably have a few of your own, if you do not, you may also have one or two.

So why hand one out? What purpose does it serve? The only one I can think of is the hope that a person will read it and come to believe. If that is the case then it is attempting conversion.

Then I think of the funds put into it, the number of holy books left behind or found years later in bags and tossed.

I support the atheist on this issue on purely fiscal grounds.

As an atheist AND a RP3 I would like to throw my two cents in here...

Many atheists feel pressured when a handout like this is offered. Sometimes it is met with hostility and sometimes its a simple "no thank you". BUT A lot of it has to do with the tact of the person giving out the Bible and a lot of it has to do with the past experiences of the atheist. Chances are this is going to be a negative experience BECAUSE of one of those two factors.

However, Proselytizing is never ok in the military. The Religious Ministries Teams are here to facilitate, not convert. Much of the time when there is a backlash against a particular Chaplain or a particular event it is because it crosses this line.

This is not a cut and dry situation and the topic here really isn't fair. Not every atheist wants to stop the military from making religious literature available to those who want it, not every atheist is an asshole, and not every atheist wants to end religion.

Best case scenario for something like this? Equal time and equal space for every faith group. If MEPS or the Chapel (or wherever) has bibles out and available then, AT THE VERY LEAST, they should also cover each of the other faith groups that are covered by the Chaplain Corps. Christian, Jewish, Islam, Hindu, and Buddhist... and if they are feeling particularly awesome that day then they can put out secular and other minority religious books.

Otherwise... if you can't facilitate equally then they should not provide anything to anybody. Just my two cents.

I agree, people don't have to take it if they don't want. I understand that some can be pushy, but I think it can go the other way too. My faith is important to me but won't push it on people.

Being deployed and seeing that many look towards their spiritual life I will gladly explain my faith if asked. I believe that if some of the atheists that don't want the bible handed out have ever faced deployment, some may understand that handing out the Bible isn't a bad thing and can help morale for those serving in harms way.

A simple 'no thank you" is enough, I do it all of the time when people try to hand me things that I don't want. An offering is not "pushing my beliefs on you."
This person is giving Athiests a bad name by just being an as*hole.