Do we need a don’t ask don’t tell policy for atheists in the military? Well, according to an AP article on OneNewsNow, Specialist Jeremy Hall claims harassment for being an atheist in the military:

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. - Like hundreds of young men joining the Army in recent years, Jeremy Hall professes a desire to serve his country while it fights terrorism.

But the short and soft-spoken specialist is at the center of a legal controversy. He has filed a lawsuit alleging he’s been harassed and his constitutional rights have been violated because he doesn’t believe in God. The suit names Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

I’m having a difficult time finding where this soldier’s Constitutional rights have been violated, but I’m no attorney.

I find this part of the story strange:

Hall, 23, was raised in a Protestant family in North Carolina and dropped out of school. It wasn’t until he joined the Army that he began questioning religion, eventually deciding that he couldn’t follow any faith.

But he feared how that would look to other soldiers.

“I was ashamed to say that I was an atheist,” Hall said.

It eventually came out in Iraq in 2007, when he was in a firefight. Hall was a gunner on a Humvee, which took several bullets in its protective shield. Afterward, his commander asked whether he believed in God, Hall said.

Strange wording. Which was it? Was he afraid to say he was an atheist or ashamed? There is a difference. Hall has turned to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation for support. Hmmm … strange group. I’m having difficulty understanding their purpose. Is it to ensure that citizens in the military are guaranteed freedom from religion? While the video on the intro page of the website does not load and play properly, I find it offensive and ignorant that it is comparing Christian soldiers with radical islamists.

I have found this video on YouTube. Um, yeah, Ed Asner is involved. That alone answers any questions I have regarding the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Basically, they want to expel Christianity from the US Military. Ugh! That would be a stupid move.

I think it’s fine if this man chooses to deny the existence of God. It doesn’t change or affect God. It just seems like this young man is borrowing trouble by suing the Defense Secretary. Of course, it’s not about the money or furthering a political agenda. I find it frustrating that our military is even having to deal with this with so many other real important matters on their plate.

What do you guys think?