Every Christmas, I try to break down barriers on a face to face level. It’s all about increasing respect, visibility, and acceptance of atheists in the military community.
I’ll always volunteer for the 24 hour staff-duty shift, that some poor bastard always gets stuck with. The staff duty job is assigned on a rotational basis, 365 days a year. The assignments are determined through a system that is about as fair as the command makes it (mine does a good job).
Christians make up right around 70% of the military, to varying degrees of religiosity. So statistically, it is likely that a Christian is stuck with the shift. As a former Christian myself, I know how important the day is to many of them. Especially when they have kids. My friend from last year had 5 kids and he was very happy to spend Christmas with them.
How it went down this year:
This morning, I called the guy to offer him the day off, but he declined. Telling him that he didn’t have to answer my question at all, I asked if he was a Christian.
He replied “No.”
So I said “Right on, me either man.”
Then I decided to try to make it a little more clear, in case he thought I was initially just trying to preach to him. I told him that I was an atheist and that I now do this every year. It turns out he is nominally Christian, but he seemed more like an apatheist – someone who just doesn’t care.
That’s cool too, and I was glad that he didn’t just completely change his story all of a sudden to get the day off. I gave him my number ‘just in case’ he thought about it and wanted to correct any miscommunication. But it’s been a few hours, and it looks like he’s settled in.
My War on Christmas is thwarted again!
I guess I get the day off after all. At least I get to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special live this year.
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Robin
December 25, 2011 at 11:25 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Your War on Christmas isn’t thwarted, you just got a new soldier. The more people who are apathetic about Christmas, the better.
beerslayer
December 25, 2011 at 3:27 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
You mean you didn’t insist? Or find someone else stuck working on the 25th to replace? Some warrior you turned out to be!
I’m afraid the high command for the War on Christmas(tm) has no choice but to demote you to Private, Second Class. Next time, try to show a little more initiative, please.
:)
Have a nice 25th (and 26th, and 27th, and…)!
larianlequella
December 25, 2011 at 3:32 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The best thing about December 25th as of late is the Doctor Who special. :) I am looking forward to it as well.
I like apatheist better than ignostic theist. :) I think it does a much better job at defining what I suspect the majority of theists really are (you know, the ones who aren’t screaming about this war on christmas at the top of their lungs).
Matt P
December 25, 2011 at 6:05 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hah, leave it to an atheist (or apatheist) to spoil Christmas for you. Best wishes to you, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and good luck with the continuing planning for the concert.
Joe Davis
December 25, 2011 at 9:02 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Rock on. That’s why I’m sitting here in front of a computer at the hospital reading x-rays and CTs all night while my wife’s in Chicago with her family. The other night shift guy with me is Catholic, and was very grateful that I volunteered for this weekend. Oh, well. All I’d be doing is playing Zelda and eating Chinese or Thai food, anyway…
BdrLen
December 25, 2011 at 11:53 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Oh crap I missed the Dr who Christmas special!
Gunny C
December 26, 2011 at 1:30 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Pro-tip: So I said “Right on; me NEITHER, man.”
Justin Griffith
December 26, 2011 at 3:34 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
LOL @ all you dirtbags.
Gunny C -- I really do appreciate corrections like that. (not kidding). Thanks!
(not fixing it… but that’s because of beer).
Doctor Who special was mildly awesome. Tree people were cool. Matt had some one-liners. It’s no ‘Blink’ obviously, but worth watching.
supplements
April 22, 2012 at 8:19 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“Say, you got a nice blog post.Much thanks again. Really Great.”