Nontheist religions and beliefs
Consideration of Others
Agenda
Purpose
Army Policy
Terms
Selected Beliefs
Myths/Truths
Handouts/Examples
Army Policy
DOD 1300.17 Accommodation of Religious
Practices “The Department of Defense places a
high value on the rights of members of the Armed
Forces to observe the tenets of their respective
religions.”
AR 600-20 Army Command Policy “The EO
program formulates, directs, and sustains a
comprehensive effort to maximize human
potential and to ensure fair treatment.”
Terms
Theist: relating to a belief in a god or gods
Nontheist: without belief in gods or the
supernatural; secular
Atheist: without or opposed to a belief in gods
Agnostic: lit. without knowledge; colloq.
uncertain of the existence of gods.
Religion: consists of a world view and a way of
life
Religion
Belief system consisting of
World View
God exists or does not
There are or are not supernatural forces in the world
Man is naturally evil, good, or neither
Life repeats itself, death is a final end, life after death
is possible
Way of Life
pacifism vs militarism
rituals for worship or benefits
dress, eating, and social habits
enlightenment/piety through scripture or through
internal reason
Nontheist Religions and
Religious Organizations
Atheism: Atheist Alliance
Secular Humanism: International Humanist
and Ethical Union
Positive Atheism
Freethought: Church of Freethought
Ethical Culture: American Ethical Union
Myths
Nontheists hate religion
Nontheists recognize, as anyone should, that hate,
especially for a group, is prejudice, and the object of
that prejudice is generally independent of the hate.
Nontheists may disagree with religion, but that does not
prevent study of religion or interaction with religious
people.
Atheists are amoral
Atheism itself means disbelief in a god or gods, and has
nothing specifically to do with morality. However,
secular morality teaches that doing good is good in
itself and independent of the desires of any Higher
Power, natural or supernatural.
Myths (cont)
Nontheists worship Darwin
Nontheism does not translate to religious terms,
it has no object of worship of worship,
scripture, hierarchical clergy, or rituals to define
itself. Reason and experience help provide
understanding.
Secular Documents
Secular Humanism: Humanist Manifesto
Ethical Culture: Eight Commitments of
Ethical Society
Church of Freethought: “Our Church
Services”
IHEU Minimum Statement on Humanism
Conclusion
Nontheistic and atheistic religions exist
Many people, including soldiers are atheist
It is important to respect atheistic belief
systems as much as theistic belief systems