Don't be an atheist in the WWII US Navy.

Started by Gawdzilla Sama, June 13, 2014, 01:22:39 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Gawdzilla Sama

This is from the 1945 Naval Regulations.

The Navy of the United States shall be governed by the following articles (R. S. sec. 1624):

CONDUCT AND MORALS IN GENERAL.

1.
Commander's duties of example and correction.
The commanders of all fleets, squadrons, naval stations, and vessels belonging to the Navy, are required to show in themselves a good example of virtue, honor, patriotism, and subordination; to be vigilant in inspecting the conduct of all persons who are placed under their command; to guard against and suppress all dissolute and immoral practices, and to correct, according to the laws and regulations of the Navy, all persons who are guilty
--3--

of them; and any such commander who offends against this article shall be punished as a court-martial may direct. (R. S. sec. 1624, art. 1.)

2.
Divine service.
The commanders of vessels and naval stations to which chaplains are attached shall cause divine service to be performed on Sunday, whenever the weather and other circumstances allow it to be done; and it is earnestly recommended to all officers, seamen, and others in the naval service diligently to attend at every performance of the worship of Almighty God. (R. S. sec. 1624, art. 2.)

3.
Irreverent behavior.
Any irreverent or unbecoming behavior during divine service shall be punished as a court-martial may direct. (R. S. sec. 1624, art 3; February 16, 1909, ch. 131, secs. 1, 2, 35 Stat. 621.)

Separation of church and state my sweet ass.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: drunkenshoe on June 13, 2014, 02:31:10 PM
You got your hands on some time machine?
Yep, I'm converting the US Naval Regulations, 1945 edition, to HTML right now, all 1,000+ pages of the Rocks and Shoals.

Those rules hadn't changed when I joined the Navy in 1969, and were still in place when I retired in 1989. The attitude is still there if not the regs.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

AllPurposeAtheist

Kid, are you moral enough to join the army, burn villages, houses, women and children after being a litterbug?  I don't know why that came to mind. :think:
All hail my new signature!

Admit it. You're secretly green with envy.

KUSA

I was never forced or even encouraged to go to religious services when I was in the Navy.

With that said they did have group prayer and you damned sure better bow your head. 

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: drunkenshoe on June 13, 2014, 02:50:11 PM
I was being funny about using present tense with WWII. But then while we are at it, may I ask an honest question. What made you think it would/should be very different now?
Well, you shouldn't face court-martial for being an atheist.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

AllPurposeAtheist

I don't recall services when I was in the Navy. Perhaps they had them, but I don't remember them. Maybe I was lucky enough to always be doing something else during them or maybe it just didn't seem like the issue then to me that it is now.
All hail my new signature!

Admit it. You're secretly green with envy.

The Skeletal Atheist

But...but...I heard a few things about being in the Navy...
Some people need to be beaten with a smart stick.

Kein Mehrheit Fur Die Mitleid!

Kein Mitlied F�r Die Mehrheit!

AllPurposeAtheist

Quote from: The Skeletal Atheist on June 13, 2014, 07:41:13 PM
But...but...I heard a few things about being in the Navy...
You're thinking about being adrift at sea for a year with a bunch of sex starved men? You would. :eek:
All hail my new signature!

Admit it. You're secretly green with envy.

SGOS


Quote from: AllPurposeAtheist on June 13, 2014, 05:37:57 PM
Kid, are you moral enough to join the army, burn villages, houses, women and children after being a litterbug?  I don't know why that came to mind. :think:
Because that was such a profound yet understated observation during the Vietnam war.  Arlo Guthrie wasn't in the limelight for a long time, but I really enjoyed him while he was.

Gawdzilla Sama

Farside cartoon, Viking ship approaching shore, villagers running around in panic, Viking captain addresses crew.

"And remember, it's 'burn the village', 'kill the men', and 'rape the women'. Can you clowns get it right this time?"
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

frosty

This could be used at yet more proof that separation of church and state is an enduring yet endangered ideal. It's the law of the land, but there are zealots that seek to knock it down in the name of 'Murrrrrrrica. Even though the "spirit" of 'Murrrrrrrica itself IS separation of church and state, the jingoists cannot tell the difference.

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: frosty on June 15, 2014, 04:43:54 PM
This could be used at yet more proof that separation of church and state is an enduring yet endangered ideal. It's the law of the land, but there are zealots that seek to knock it down in the name of 'Murrrrrrrica. Even though the "spirit" of 'Murrrrrrrica itself IS separation of church and state, the jingoists cannot tell the difference.
That was rather my point. When I was in bootcamp, back in 1969, we were ordered to attention a church service each week.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

AllPurposeAtheist

I never attended in 77, but by then Satan took over the Navy and the Village People were the recruiting poster.
All hail my new signature!

Admit it. You're secretly green with envy.

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: AllPurposeAtheist on June 15, 2014, 07:16:01 PM
I never attended in 77, but by then Satan took over the Navy and the Village People were the recruiting poster.
That's the year I "went off the books". Great promises not kept.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

AllPurposeAtheist

What? You mean in the Navy you can't sail the 7 seas?  Actually you can't'but that's another story.
All hail my new signature!

Admit it. You're secretly green with envy.