A GROUP of US soldiers, who chose not to be given ear-ache by some wretched Christian rock band, were “locked down” as punishment for refusing to attend the “spiritual fitness concert”.
God's 'tools': Two of the three sisters who make up BarlowGirl
According to this report, the US Army is now investigating claims that nearly 100 soldiers were kept in their barracks and forced to clean after their refusal to attend the evangelic concert.
The soldiers were not allowed to use their cell phones or computer access for the duration of the gig.
The proselytising events have been going on for about two years and are called the Commanding General’s Spiritual Fitness Concerts. It’s the brainchild of a basket case called Maj Gen James E Chambers who describes himself as a “born again Christian who was saved at 16″. He said:
Completely potty: Maj Gen James E Chambers
The idea is not to be a proponent for any one religion. It’s to have a mix of different performers with different religious backgrounds.
However, no such mix can really be found. Each and every performer has been Christian.
Beyond that, these concerts are incredibly expensive. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation found that they can cost anywhere from $10,000 – $30,000 per act, and one “spiritual fitness” contract cost the Department of Defense $3.5 million.
At the concert in question, the band was BarlowGirl, an all-girl Evangelical Christian rock group. The loopy father of the sisters who make up Barlowgirl was quoted saying:
We really believe that to be a Christian in today’s world, you have to be a warrior, and we feel very blessed and privileged that God has given us the tool to deliver His message and arm His army.
In this report Pvt Anthony Smith said he and other soldiers felt pressured to attend the May concert while stationed at the Newport News base, home of the Army’s Transportation Corps.
My whole issue was I don’t need to be preached at. That’s not what I signed up for.
Smith, 21, was stationed in Virginia for nearly seven months for helicopter electrician training when BarlowGirl did their thing. Smith said a staff sergeant told 200 men in their barracks they could either attend or remain in their barracks. Eighty to 100 decided not to attend, he said.
About 20 of the men, including several Muslims, refused to attend the concert based on their religious beliefs, he said.
Instead of being released to our personal time, we were locked down. It seemed very much like a punishment.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:10 am
He’s no longer in command: Maj. Gen. James E. Chambers Hazes Soldiers in his Command
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:41 am
I’d rather be locked down in a deep dark dungeon than sit through any christian rock music.
I’ll leave Billy Connolly to do the talking regarding christian rock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-WJO0YQLOs
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:26 am
This SOB owes us taxpayers at least $3.5million. He should be dishonorably discharged and his pension forfeit to compensate us. How many other addle-brained, born-again nitwits are out there running ships, shore installations, air bases, army bases, training facilities etc.? Good that this kind of shit is finally beginning to come to light.
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:11 am
So Chambers became a born again Christian when he was 16 did he? Despite his immature and bigotted beliefs this prize bully boy has continued to be promoted. As his off the wall superstitions are so in your face I assume he has been anxious to promote bigots of like mind in the military. These other dumbfucks will no doubt have been getting together in some stew of sharing their witness or whatever and making sure that better and braver men and women are denied promotion on merit.
What a nightmare. Sailor1031 got it right. This guy should be court martialled for dereliction of duty; his every appointment analysed; and the money from these christian concert rip-offs repaid.
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:17 am
There was another recent story about this kind of thing in the US military, wasn’t there? I’ve had a look back quite a way on the blog, but can’t find it.
Very disturbing cases.
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:21 am
I don’t know how much these gigs would normally cost, but it looks suspiciously like funding religion through the back door.
August 23rd, 2010 at 12:30 pm
There were other, related, stories; soldiers having christianity pushed down their throat when asking for psychological help and soldiers not being allowed to be atheists (like another version of “don’t ask, don’t tell”. Mr. Change hasn’t been able to do much about this one, either. Too busy kissing various religion’s asses, I guess.
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Pete, you might mean this one:
US soldiers needing treatment get a dose
of Christian fundamentalism instead
Freethinker | 12 August 2010
http://tinyurl.com/33qtfsu
Besides the
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/
there’s also the
Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers
http://www.maaf.info/
and on this side of the pond
UK Armed Forces Humanist Association
http://www.armedforceshumanists.org.uk/
_____
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Of course different religions were represented. They had fundamentalists from California AND Alabama.
August 24th, 2010 at 1:32 am
This kind of thing is widespread in the US forces. I remember one of the worst (to me) reports coming out of Iraq was of fundie sessions organized by some chaplain where religiot soldiers got together to discuss ways and means of bringing the iraqis to jeshue and to pray to the aforesaid jeshue for success in their self-appointed mission. They then went out and tried to convert iraqis they came into contact with much to the chagrin of the local imams. All in direct defiance of standing orders and alleged Pentagon policy. I never heard there were ever any sanctions applied and my belief is it’s still going on in both Iraq and Afghanistan and the top brass turn a blind eye to it until it gets too egregious.
August 24th, 2010 at 10:17 am
I really think we should start our own Atheist Band.
What would the army make of that.
August 25th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
No different from my very, very short time in the armed forces. It was compulsory to go to church for the first seven Sundays. When my divisional officer found out that I was an atheist, I spent an hour being subjected to a tirade of verbak abuse from this wanker. No alternative was offered, unless it was RC or one of the Scottish Churches. A junior officer advised me to alter the form to say Christian, otherwise I would never be allowed to pass out. Instead, the senior officers made my life a misery and I left. And the armed forces pride themselves on this nonsense…
August 26th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
I was under the distinct impression that there is a formal separation of church and state in the USA. In practice, of course, groups like The Family have their fingers all over government and organize things like the annual Prayer Breakfast for the President. But for things like this to go on within the army strikes me as illegal. Hasn’t anyone tried to bring this to court based on Article 6 and the First Amendment? If there is no religious test for public office, why should such a test be applied to soldiers?