Lord have mercy! More than two years after first making his request, Army Maj. Ray Bradley can now be known as exactly what he is: a humanist in the U.S. military.
“I’m able to self-identity the belief system that governs my life, and I’ve never been able to do that before,” said Bradley, who is stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and works on supporting readiness of the Army Reserve’s medical staff.
Lt. Col. Sunset R. Belinsky, an Army spokeswoman, said Tuesday (April 22) that the “preference code for humanist” became effective April 12 for all members of the Army.
In practical terms, the change means that humanists could face fewer hurdles in trying to organize within the ranks; military brass would have better information to aid in planning a deceased soldier’s funeral; and it could lay the groundwork for eventually adding humanist chaplains.
The change comes against a backdrop of persistent claims from atheists and other nonbelievers that the military is dominated by a Christian culture that is often hostile to unbelief. In recent years, activists from the broad spectrum of freethinking organizations have demanded equal treatment as the tradition-bound military grapples with the growth of the spiritual-but-not-religious population.
According to a survey by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, humanists make up 3.6 percent of the U.S. military.
Bradley, 47, said the ability to officially state “humanist” as a religious preference is technically an additional code in the military’s database.
“The real importance of this change is that our official military records can reflect humanists now,” said Bradley, who initially was listed under the broad category of “no religious preference.”
Although he doesn’t believe in God, Bradley determined that the term “atheist” was not sufficient for him. Frustrated with the lengthy process in getting the “humanist” designation, he had switched to “atheist” in January 2013. But he said “humanist” explains his life stance, which stresses scientific explanations and maximizing human happiness.
Let us pray over this!
We certainly are a mess!
Bless this mess Lord!
