Have your religious beliefs (or lack thereof) affected your life in the military? Has your career or personal life been affected?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 01:12:04 -0400

Have you ever experienced any prejudice or discrimination due to belonging to minority religion or having a superior who is of a different religion? Have you ever been treated differently by your peers dunno religion?

Response by A1C Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 2 at 2016 1:12 AM

A1C Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 01:12:59 -0400

No, my shop has been pretty respectful. Have you?

Response by Maj John Bell made Apr 2 at 2016 2:01 AM

Maj John Bell — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 02:01:31 -0400

I do not wear my religion on my sleeve. I livestock farm and usually have mud, manure, and "other stuff" on me unless I'm specifically doing something other than farm errands in town. Even then, I am usually in Carhartt's bibs and steel toes and that's the level of formal attire at our church. It would be fair to say I look like a well-groomed, junkyard dog. The only public display of faith anyone would notice is that My wife and I, my daughter and son-in-law and grandchildren say grace before any meal or snack, at home or out. I've never felt discriminated against. I have had people say that I'm not anything like they expected when the first met me. The only question I've asked is "Am I better or worse than my first impression?" The only religion related answer I've received is that "For a religious person your much smarter, nicer, and more intelligent than I expected."

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Apr 2 at 2016 9:24 AM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 09:24:32 -0400

When and Where I served Religion was pretty much a Non-Issue. If you are any kind of Conservative, Orthodox Faith, US Navy is probably not the place for you. The Sailors that I served with were not a very religious group.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Apr 2 at 2016 12:37 PM

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 12:37:26 -0400

I have never seen true religious discrimination. When comments on religion had come up I would ask someone of the faith (or research myself) to speak to the organization providing an overview of their perspective. I have had occasion where a service member joined the military to spite their family as it was not permitted by their faith. This Soldier struggled daily until we honorably discharged him. He was never persecuted for realizing the strength of his faith.

Response by SrA Matthew Knight made Apr 2 at 2016 4:50 PM

SrA Matthew Knight — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 16:50:26 -0400

It's never happened to me really. I am a Christian and I think most in my shop know it. I wear a cross on my ball cap sometimes when I am in civvies and always have a cross chain on even in uniform (although it's always under my shirt unless I am adjusting it.) I have never had anyone treat me funny or bad because of it though. The only time I ever had issues was at basic training. I am originally Pentecostal but couldn't go to the Pentecostal service at BMT because no-one else in my flight was and you always need at least two people to go anywhere at basic so I just went to the contemporary services.

I will say there was an NCO at my last unit that pushed his views on others a little too much. He wasn't afraid to ask people if they went to church and what one which didn't bother me but I wouldn't be surprised if it did others. He also pushed for a new rule where no-one could wear sleeveless shirts for PT because he didn't want to see shoulders. Also lectured a friend of mine on having sex outside of marriage when he found a condom in said friends private dresser drawer. Definitely un-called for.

Response by MCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 2 at 2016 4:58 PM

MCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 16:58:53 -0400

Yes. Particularly by those of fundamentalist Christian ideologies. When a superior runs down the line to ask everyone's faith - and gets to me and they find out I had no professed religious beliefs - and THEN they loudly announce that they found the "volunteer" for Christmas duty... and every Sunday... and Holy Week... and when I went to IG and saw the Creche on their front counter and was told to shut up and pull the duty...

It happened many times during my career.