Onward Christian Sailors

[Kerry]

I recently watched the excellent six-part documentary "Carrier."  I served in the Navy and the Army (1956-1969) both as an enlisted man (Navy) and later as a commissioned officer (Army), and so I found myself comparing then and now. Rest assured, our men and women sailors are extremely well trained and effective. Something else did bother me.
 
I was uncomfortable with the Captain's blatant in-your-face support of Christianity. Daily the entire crew is submitted to (via the ship's public address system) religious-type communications. God is invoked to pray for success and to be on "our" side. "Let us bow our heads," "Moment of silent prayer." This happens, not once in a while or occasionally but daily, throughout each day, non-Christians are forced to listen. The Captain clearly does not support separation of Church and State.*
 
Sadly most sailors are ignorant of the history of the wars between Christians and Muslims therefore they can't experience the irony of America sending a boatload of Christians to kill Muslims. "Onward Christian Soldiers and Sailors" propaganda has ostensibly replaced the other reasons for fighting Muslims--now it has to do with oil or saving others.

What doesn't feel good is that a sailor who doesn't endorse Christianity, or any religion, cannot voice an effective objection to expressions of Christian statements except that there are undesirable hidden consequences. True or not, one comes to believe that a non-Christian could never be a ship captain or a President. Read about Religion in the military, especially our military academies, and how even flag-folding has now become a religious (Christian) ceremony.)

Christians have a way of communicating non-verbally that cause non-Christians to feel uncomfortable. Throughout the world the non-verbal communications by Christians to non-Christians are abusive; they don't feel good.*  Within a short period of time of meeting a practicing Christian he/she is driven to find out if you're a believer by asking a seemingly innocuous question that automatically creates us/them. Once they have determined that you're not a Christian what gets communicated, again non-verbally, "You poor unenlightened person who is destined for hell unless I save you."  You become their mission or they simply put you on their "Hopelessly Non-Christian List."

* For example: If, as an atheist crewman, I blared over the ship's PA system, "There is no God. We will either win this war or we won't and it will have absolutely nothing to do with God; it is unethical of us to be killing others believing that God is on our side." We know with absolute certainty that it would upset all the Christians. Yet, Christians believe they have the right, even an obligation, to fill our minds with their words, their beliefs, unaware that it doesn't feel good. The small coven of Wiccans on the carrier are not given use of the PA system, nor does the captain ask the Moon Goddess or the Horned God to support the mission, though the Captain does ask, "God grant us a victory." Just as there is an unspoken political "old-boy network" so too is there a Christian network; no Wicca has ever piloted a military vessel or taught at an academy.

BTW: I don't recall ever hearing any religious sentiments nor do I recall knowing the religion of even one of my shipmates on my submarine (USS Trout, SS-566) circa 1956 --it felt safe.

Last edited 3/7/24