A meeting of atheists legally organised by a young American soldier currently on active duty in Iraq was sabotaged by a Christian fundamentalist major, who verbally abused the four junior enlisted soldiers who attended the gathering.

The major, according to Kathleen Johnson, Military Director of American Atheists, Inc, accused the soldiers of plotting against Christians and disrespecting those soldiers who have died protecting the Constitution. He also threatened them with punishment for their activities and said he would do whatever it took to shut future meetings down.

The soldier who organised the meeting began posting flyers in advance of the gathering, but these were systematically pulled down by vandals, and had to be replaced. He had permission via the chaplain’s office to hold the meeting.

The organiser said he was ‘absolutely freaked out’ about what happened, but he said he is going to continue with the meetings and would not be bullied by ‘the prayer warriors’.
Read the full report here.