Army's Prescription to Combat Solider Suicides: Christianity

[Are_grits_groceries]

A recent edition of the U.S. Army’s suicide prevention manual advises military chaplains to promote “religiosity,” specifically Christianity, as a way to deter distraught soldiers from committing suicide, which in recent months, according to one veterans advocacy group, has reached epidemic proportions.

The Army Suicide Prevention Manual says “Chaplains... need to openly advocate behavioral health as a resource” to treat suicidal soldiers and instructs behavioral health providers “to openly advocate spirituality and religiosity as resiliency factors."

"Spirituality looks outside of oneself for meaning and provides resiliency for failures in life experiences. Religiosity adds the dimension of a supportive community to help one deal with crises. Both embed themselves in a relationship with God, or a higher power, that provides an everlasting relationship. Bottom line, Soldiers should not base their reason for living in another human being!” says a slide included in the Army's "Suicide Awareness for Soldiers 2008" PowerPoint presentation.
<snip>
During the presentation on combating suicides, a PowerPoint slide advised chaplains that “Soldiers need to take care of each other and rid any thoughts of survival of the fittest. Almost all religions adhere to some form of Christianity’s Golden Rule, or the Categorical Imperative of Immanuel Kant."

This PowerPoint slide includes an image of a group of silhouetted soldiers with one soldier up in the clouds looking at a large cross. In 2007, during a similar presentation, the same image was used but it did not include the image of the cross.
http://www.pubrecord.org/religion/896-armys-prescription-to-combat-solider-suicides-christianity.html

*sigh*

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. PH*CK me with a rusty spoon. Sideways.

Damn them.

This is NOT a christian nation.
This is NOT our christian army.
This is NOT a battle before the rapture.

The problem is that we illegally, immorally, and unethically put our troops in harm's way, and after we broke Iraq (even worse than after our 15+ yr embargo) we allowed Fiends of Dick to steal US taxpayer money instead of fixing what we broke.

[Thothmes]

7. bet you the majority of dog tags read Prot or Cath.

[Chemisse]

2. They might want to consider more leave time instead.

[jwirr]

3. I can see how that might backfire big time. Christians are taught not

to kill and if these young soldiers have any remorse for what they have been asked to do in Iraq then they may just give up. There could be both anger at the officials that sent them there and at themselves. We need to bring these troops home and NEVER again fight at war that has little justification. We said that after Vietnam but I guess we did not learn the lesson - wonder if we have now?

[gratuitous]

4. Cheaper than a mental health professional

But if someone is so haunted by the events and deeds of their military service that suicide is a viable option for him or her, shunting them off to the local house of worship isn't going to be very effective. However, if your goal is to cut down on demands for services, this is really useful advice. Although the chaplains might be a bit busy from time to time presiding over funerals and memorial services.

[sybylla]

5. When all you have in your hand is a hammer

every problem looks like a nail.

Either the people running the show are idiots, or they just don't have the resources to address the true causes of suicide among soldiers.

My $10 says they're hoping this solution placates enough of the complainers that they won't actually have to put any real money and people on the problem.

[PDJane]

6. That's one of the more assinine things I've heard........

recently. Of course, that's only because there's so much competition for most assinine comment.

Christianity is NOT going to solve suicides, boys.

[tanyev]

8. So... how has that approach been working out ?

March 19, 2009 | WASHINGTON -- The Senate Armed Services Committee hearings Wednesday on the rising suicide rate among U.S. ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan revealed some frightening new data, but did little to investigate the underlying causes of what is emerging as one of the darkest, most disturbing legacies of the wars.

Last year the Army had its highest suicide rate on record -- 140 soldiers. But new data from the Army on Wednesday showed the number jumping even higher. Forty-eight soldiers have already killed themselves so far this year. If that rate keeps up, nearly 225 Army soldiers will be dead by their own hand by the end of 2009.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/03/19/army_suicides/

[Mariana]

9. If anything, that would make me MORE suicidal, not less. nt.