According to the AP article by Reporter Tom Breen, Army Sergeant Justin Griffith is the organizer of the Fort Bragg area MASH Organization. From Mr Breen's reporting:
Griffith said he doesn't know of any soldiers being denied promotions because of their atheism, and he and other MASH members at Fort Bragg said they have no horror stories about outright discrimination, that the reaction from their comrades has amounted to little more than raised eyebrows and lots of questions.Fellowship seems to be what these people are looking for.
Instead, they said, they are largely motivated by a sense of isolation and a desire to spend time with people who not only understand the military experience but also share their views on religion.
Regards — Cliff
"Fellowship seems to be what these people are looking for."
ReplyDelete"these people"? Like most people?
Half the bait of organized religion is "fellowship." I think that is why God invented religions.
Exactly.
ReplyDeleteRegards — Cliff
I've always marveled at the prolificism of white, steepled meetinghouses in seemingly every historic New England city and town. They recall to me the ubiquity and consistency of pizza and sub shops and Chinese restaurants--despite a complete lack of central franchising and oversight, the sheer value of their premise ensures the success of each individual one.
ReplyDeleteThese meetinghouses were the centers of their communities, for both secular and religious purpose. They were, for lack of a better word, founded on the singular human thirst for "fellowship", and it shouldn't be lost on us that this transcends both politics and religion, even while it embraces and encompasses both. Many are now Unitarian Universalist churches, (not a religion if you ask me, but institutionalized fellowship), and a good number are performance spaces and other community-oriented resources. It's a beautiful thing.
Anything that builds positive connections between individuals, even the Catholic Church, should have a place among our institutions. ;-)