Atheist soldier expands lawsuit

January 6, 2:53 AMAtheism ExaminerTrina Hoaks

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A lawsuit was filed back in September, 2008, by Spc. Dustin Chalker alleging that he was made to attend events at Fort Riley that included Christian prayer. Chalker took his complaint to the legal system after his concerns were allegedly deemed “unfounded” when he approached officials within the Army about them.

Chalker’s lawsuit was expanded and filed last week in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City. Chalker claims that in addition to being forced to attend events with religious overtones, the Army does not take religious discrimination complaints seriously enough. These allegations are contrary to spokeswoman Eileen Lainez’s claim that, according to an AP report on Record-Eagle, “the military has policies against endorsing any religious view.”

Also mentioned in the expanded suit is the 2008 Army manual on suicide prevention. It says that it includes wording that places importance on religiousness.

The lawsuit contains other references to religious promotion within the Armed Forces.

The AP report states that Lainez said:

The Defense Department has identified fewer than 50 complaints about alleged violations of religious freedoms during the past three years, with 1.4 million personnel in uniform.

The results of those complaints were not mentioned.