Posted on Sep 18, 2015
SSG(P) Fire Support Specialist
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SGT Kristin Wiley
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Look at it this way, if you're non-religious and religion gets mention does it upset you so much that you want to hurt yourself? If you are religious, and religion is mentioned, for those on the verge of suicide it could make a significant difference. Do you not think it's important to know how religion effects some of the soldiers under your supervision and how it could be beneficial to their mental health?
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SFC Retired
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I totally agree on your point of view. If someone is so down that they have the potential for suicide, and if there is just a bit of hope in the training that they receive, even if it is just forcing them to talk to someone, doesn't have to be religious specific, but helps them to open up and talk about what their problem is, then I say, keep religion in the picture. I have no knowledge of any religion, except for one, that promotes suicide to its followers.
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SSG(P) Fire Support Specialist
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Ok I think I see where you are going with that. However, I believe it to be bordering inappropriate when the training is centered around a specific religious belief and any other way of thinking whether it be religious or cultural is completely shut down and shunned during the training. Especially when the training is thrown together to be a discussion and interactive. It is impossible to push the religious message of "don't commit suicide because it is evil and God doesn't want you to do it" without forcing the specific ideology that is associated with that particular religion upon the participants in the class. Not that I condone suicide or am an advocate for it, but the training should be simply about the point at hand. And if it reaches that one person and they get the message and turn around their thinking then that's great. But what about the possibility of numerous others completely shutting off and tuning out the training because of its religious themed message therefor not getting the message in the training?
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SGT Christopher Churilla
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I think it all depends on how it is presented. It can be brought up as a means of self-care, something that helps people make it through difficult times, but if it becomes a sermon then there might be a problem.
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SGT Writer
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Spirituality and religion isn't the same thing. But many times, there's a group of people that mock every faith or method of spirituality.
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SSG(P) Fire Support Specialist
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So If I were to sit you down and teach you something, whether it be why you shouldn't do something or how you should do something else a different way because "God" said this, and "God" says that... then is that using religion ( although no specific God was mentioned), or would it be a spiritual approach?
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I see spirituality as a generic term and religion as a more specific type of spirituality. However, I haven't thought too deeply about the topic. My statement was an opinion.
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