Petraeus Book 'Endorsement' Draws Fire »
Posted By ameliog 1 year, 3 months ago in News
Gen. David Petraeus is used to controversy surrounding the war in Iraq, but his publicized thoughts on an Army chaplain's book for Soldiers put him squarely in the middle of the ongoing conflict over religious proselytizing in the U.S. military.
The book is "Under Orders: A Spiritual Handbook for Military Personnel," by Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) William McCoy, and according to Petraeus' published endorsement of the work, "it should be in every rucksack for those times when soldiers need spiritual energy."
Read Full Story at military.com »
575 Views Share Story 8 Comments Report
Submitted By:
ameliog
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four; calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a ...
Who Also Submitted:
RSS Join the Discussion
+ Add CommentComments So Far: 12 (view all)
-
-
-
-
100%
buckncindykill1 year, 3 months ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
That used to be so, but in today's military individuals have much more voice than they used too. There's a good reason Petraeus wanted to keep his opinion private; to keep from happening what did happen, knowing that some would think it was meant as a policy statement.
Reply
We have a diverse military, one in which all religions are celebrated. The key is, that the religion must be a part of good order and discipline. Stray from that, and you invite scrutiny or disbandment all together. I can think of an instance onboard ship where a dozen or so wiccans held services, asking people to "revolt against the master", i.e. the captain. Can you guess what happened to them?
-
-
Neutral
intheweeds1 year, 3 months ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
For argument's sake, lets assume that Petraeus' comments DID amount to the "establishment of religion" (which I personally don't believe). Why does everyone seem to overlook the fact that ONLY CONGRESS is forbidden from making laws respecting the establishment of religion? The Constitution never prohibits the Exec or Judicial branches from making religious overtones, suggestions, endorsements, etc. The military, like education, is under the direct control of the Exec branch. How many times have presidents called for national prayer over some important event? It's happened time after time and no one but the professional whiners want to make an issue of it.
Reply -
-
-
100%
jordan111 year, 3 months ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
Before I could possibly make an informed comment on this, I'd have to know what the handbook says to know what Petreus is endorsing. I can't imagine that the spiritual side of a person doesn't come into play in combat situations, or when service people contemplate what could lie ahead for them. Because a Christian wrote the book, I can't automatically assume it's 'christianity' he's endorsing & not merely addressing spiritual realities in the face of difficult responsibilities.
Reply
So I'm going to buy the book. Meanwhile, here's some information on it.
http://www.jknirp.com/undero.htm
Add a Comment
Sign In With Your Propeller Account
Please keep your comments relevant to this story.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.