Can an atheist join the military with little to no discrimination?

My friend wants to join the military

He's an atheist

I HOPE that dosen't affect him joining

And if he does join, will people like single him out because of his beliefs.Can an atheist join the military with little to no discrimination?The simple answer is that there are regulations to prohibit religious discrimination - which includes against atheists. If your friend feels discriminated against by someone, because of his beliefs, he can talk to the EO office, who can advise him. EO is there for everyone.



Dean is correct in that you will not typically run into people who will try to push their religion onto you. Most people will simply live and let live - you do your thing, and they will do theirs, be it religion or whatever. Some, however, will hold his beliefs against him - and those people are the exception. That is when it needs to be addressed 鈥?thankfully, those people are few and far between.



If your friend is not a militant atheist, he should have no problems. He needs to understand, though, that many military functions have a secular prayer during it - it should NOT be to a specific religion. If a prayer is given to a specific religion, ex, in Jesus' name, that would be in violation of regulations.



However I think it is incorrect when stated that people seen in news stories are getting bent out of shape. Those you see on the news are standing up for their rights also. Their rights include not being forced to listen to non-secular prayers in a mandatory gathering. Yes, SOME atheists go overboard, as do some christians (and others of different religious beliefs). Some of those in the news have been vocal against items that are against military regulations (prayers to specific deities). Some have experienced a backlash when they attempted to take a complaint forward. That was the reasons given for going public. It is up to you to believe that or not.







Max is full of BS - there are and always have been atheists in foxholes, including during wartime - been there, done that, have the combat patch, and still atheist.Can an atheist join the military with little to no discrimination?
Yes, there are a lot of Christians in the military, and they're very open about it. My First Sergeant tells us all the time that he's praying for us, and my NCOs all wear crosses with their dogtags.



I'm a Christian, but was very surprised to find that there are so many enlisted. I think it's because they've been through so much during deployment, and faith is the only way they can cope with it.



But they're not at all discriminatory. They're all very open and accepting of all faiths. There are Sunday morning services, but you're not required to attend. On Sunday mornings during drill, our First Sergeant goes to every person not of the Christian faith and asks them whether they want to participate in the service. Occasionally they'll decline, but they usually do participate in the service, even the few Buddhists and Hindus.



If anyone singles him out, that person would probably be smoked, at least in our company. They don't put up with anyone picking on anybody, no matter what it is. And I haven't seen it being much of an issue anyway because everybody's there to do a job, and they need the support of those around them.



So he shouldn't let fear of discriminiation stop him from enlisting, I highly doubt he'll run into much of a problem.Can an atheist join the military with little to no discrimination?I'm joining the military as an agnostic. I think you meet all kinds of people in the military, he'd probably be surprised at the different types of people he meets. But I kinda get the feeling that the majority of enlisted people have the stereotype of being Christian, conservative, uneducated, and from lower income families. So I don't really know, but I'm sure it wouldn't be a huge problem unless he goes around shouting "there's no god!" or "Jesus was a lie!" or something like that.
I am currently a Major in the Army and I am an atheist. Everyone who knows me, knows I am and I have had no issues. I golf with the Chaplain all the time and we never even discuss religious issues. The guys you are talking about, on youtube and several news stories, are the ones who get all bent out of shape when the Chaplain delivers their prayer at a formation or something along those lines. Military life is pretty simple, those guys are deliberately making their own lives difficult.Can an atheist join the military with little to no discrimination?In theory, it shouldn't affect him serving. We are prohibited by regualtion to discriminate against anybody for their religion or lack of. However, that doesn't mean he won't be discriminated against. Most will leave him alone but some might say things to him asking why he is the way he is. He should be good and if someone discriminates against him he has the right to file a complaint.Can an atheist join the military with little to no discrimination?
NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT.



Your friend will be the target of huge amounts of discrimination. When he joins, he will be FORCED to select a religion to be recorded in his file and to be stamped on his dog-tags. If he doesn't, they will put one on there anyway. And he will be "flagged" for his non-belief in a silly religion.





GoGo Girls: WRONG. Why do you think being an Atheist is a religion? Please research what an Atheist is before you ever speak about us again. Thank you.
The answer is no. It will not affect him. It doesn't matter what you believe. If he's gay, he CAN'T TELL ANYONE!!! Or else he'll get kicked out. That's pretty much it. But no he won't get singled out because he's an atheist.



You're welcome!!Can an atheist join the military with little to no discrimination?
No. Unless he tries to make it a big deal, nobody will even know. If he goes in with a chip on his shoulder -- doesn't want to hear anyone pray, gets offended if a Chaplain speaks to him -- he'll have problems.
I never had any problems with being an atheist in the military. It is one of the subjects you really shouldn't bring up anyways kind of like politics.
Sure they can. Why would you think there would be a problem. The military is represented by every religion out there.
Yeh, but back in WW2 we found out that they always changed their minds sooner or later. When that bullet hits the bone, they change. Pain brings on changes.
There is no such thing as a athiest in a foxhole.