Fort Bragg Agrees to Allow Atheist-Themed Concert on Base

Wednesday, August 10, 2011
(graphic: Military Atheists and Secular Humanists)
Soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, who do not belong to a religion will finally get equal time on the rock stage, as base commanders have agreed to allow an atheist-themed concert to take place next year.
 
Secularists have complained about Fort Bragg’s hosting of “Rock the Fort”, a concert featuring evangelical bands and performers. Opponents of the religious entertainment fought to have their own, alternative event, “Rock Beyond Belief.” But base leadership withdrew their support for the idea in April.
 
Now, Lieutenant General Frank Helmick has promised the show for atheists will go on after all, on March 31, 2012. The event will feature writer Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion and The Ancestor’s Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 
Army Approves Atheism-Themed Concert at Bragg (by Tom Breen, Associated Press)
Atheists in Foxholes Demand Recognition (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)

Comments

Anonymouse 12 years ago
if i were an atheist in the army, i'd be very wary of congregating with others of my belief in a public venue, as you can bet the military intel types will be attending in force, taking photos and checking license plates -- as they have done in the case of anti-war protests around the country since the '60s. ... elements within the defense establishment are attempting to build a politically reliable cadre in the armed forces (think: waffen ss) using christian fundamentalism as a discriminator. one may wonder what they plan to do with this "army within an army," but i think it has to do with their building a "state within a state" as well, via the so-called contingency or shadow government (work begun so long ago by that great constitutionalist, ollie north. ... this site would do the public a great service if, in addition to profiling obscure diplomats in faraway posts, it decontructed the membership of the shadow government (and who chose them). but of course you can't: that's a "national security" secret.

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