THE BLAZE – Battle Erupts Over Marine Corps Training Doc That Cites “Lack of Spiritual Faith” as Potential Suicide Risk Factor
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Atheists and church-state separatists aren’t happy about a Marine Corps training document that insinuates potential risk factors for suicide among soldiers include a “lack or loss of spiritual faith.”
Critics are calling the language a discriminatory inclusion that targets non-believers, however others see it as a legitimate item worth considering, especially in light of the U.S. military’s monumental suicide problem.
The story gained attention after an article was published on Wednesday by The Week’s Dana Liebelson. In it she notes that, upon discovering the language about a loss of faith in the document, a concerned Marine contacted the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) led by Mikey Weinstein (TheBlaze has extensively covered this church-state separatist group).
To say that the MRFF is unhappy about the suicide language is an understatement.
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Weinstein told TheBlaze that the Army, looking to avoid a lawsuit, ended up complying with the MRFF’s request to amend the test. After the military allegedly reached out, Weinstein and his group met with them and the wording was purportedly changed.
“We decided to forgo the lawsuit, because the Army made a strong effort to change this stuff,” he added.
It’s unclear if the Marines will follow the same blueprint.