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VietnamVet-BRIGHT

Started by VietnamVet-BRIGHT, December 25, 2008, 07:33:18 PM

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VietnamVet-BRIGHT

Hi ...

Was raised Christian but have been an atheist since about my 6th month of my one year combat tour in Vietnam.  1969-70, infantry officer (rifle platoon leader) with the 5th Infantry Division, US Army, Northern I Corps along the DMZ.

Presently finishing a Masters Degree in Religious Studies at a state university (coursework complete and now writing thesis).

Been very active as an atheist and combat veteran ... a combination that drives flag waving Christian "patriots" nuts.

Looking forward to posting here.

.

Asmodean

Hi there! Have I seen you before somewhere..? That signature seems to ring a bell  :unsure:
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on July 25, 2013, 08:18:52 PM
In Asmo's grey lump,
wrath and dark clouds gather force.
Luxembourg trembles.

rlrose328

VERY nice to meet you, VV... My dad was a Vietnam Vet, though he readily admitted he slept through it.  He was an AF Master Crew Chief on the airplane maintenance crews... they flew them in (during which he slept), then they did 3 days of feverish working on the planes, then back to an off-site base to sleep for 1 day, then back at it again.  I told him I'm sure it was more than that... I think he just didn't want to tell me.

Anyway, I appreciate the sacrifice you made more than the average American.  Thank you.

And keep waving the atheist flag in front of those people... they may never get it, but we do.  :)
**Kerri**
The Rogue Atheist Scrapbooker
Come visit me on Facebook!


Wraitchel

Welcome! So what's up with going for a religious studies degree? Seeking greater credibility...to know it before you discredit it?

VietnamVet-BRIGHT

Quote from: "Asmodean"Hi there! Have I seen you before somewhere..? That signature seems to ring a bell  :lol:

VietnamVet-BRIGHT

Quote from: "Wraitchel"Welcome! So what's up with going for a religious studies degree? Seeking greater credibility...to know it before you discredit it?

The first thing that needs to be said is that Religious Studies is not Theology: it takes no position on the validity or truthfulness of any worldview, just studies it from a phenomenological or functional perspective using methods and sources from many disciplines (sociology, philosophy, literature, archeology, etc).  That being said, atheists actually make the best scholars of religion because they "don't have a dog in the hunt" ... they can study all worldviews -- whether Christianity or Daoism, Confucianism or Hinduism -- from a truly objective perch.

When asked about this I usually answer that you don't have to be mentally ill to study mental illness, in fact it helps if you're not.

.

Will

Welcome to the Happy Atheist Forum.

I agree that an objective scholar is a superior scholar. Kudos for bringing your objectivity to such subjective fields.
I want bad people to look forward to and celebrate the day I die, because if they don't, I'm not living up to my potential.

Squid

Welcome aboard VVB, great to have you.

McQ

Welcome to the forum. Former Army myself, all peacetime, which I don't mind saying, is just fine with me. Thanks for your service. I'm sure if you had your druthers, it would have been a peacetime stint as well. Oh, btw, 24th Infantry Division, 1984-1989. But I was one of those sissy flyboys, not an Infantry guy like you and my older brother.  :D

Seriously, welcome and thanks for the background info!
Elvis didn't do no drugs!
--Penn Jillette

VietnamVet-BRIGHT

Quote from: "McQ"Welcome to the forum. Former Army myself, all peacetime, which I don't mind saying, is just fine with me. Thanks for your service. I'm sure if you had your druthers, it would have been a peacetime stint as well. Oh, btw, 24th Infantry Division, 1984-1989. But I was one of those sissy flyboys, not an Infantry guy like you and my older brother.  :D

Seriously, welcome and thanks for the background info!

Thanks for your service as well.  Honestly, I tried to get a REMF slot the whole time I was in Vietnam but it didn't work out like that ("REMF" = Rear Echelon M.F.)

.