Young Atheist Confronts Texas GOP Rep. Over Vote Against Atheist Military Chaplains

The idea of an an atheist chaplain might sound odd, but secular groups have been lobbying for that position to be created in the military so that non-religious soldiers have the same ability to consult with chaplains for guidance the same way religious ones do. The House overwhelmingly voted against the proposal a few weeks ago, and one young atheist decided to confront his representative about his no vote. Daniel Moran (who calls himself The Barking Atheist) approached Texas Republican Michael Burgess and asked him directly why he isn’t supporting his atheist constituents, which led to other people in the town hall angrily shouting, “Throw him out!”

Burgess assured Moran at first that he represents all of his constituents, not just the religious ones. When Moran brought up his no vote against atheist chaplains, Burgess responded, “Yeah, I thought that was a dumb idea. I’ll do it again.” The audience applauded Burgess, and one man shouted, “There are no atheists in foxholes!”

Moran asked Burgess why a belief in god is necessary for a chaplain. When Moran started to respond, the audience began to boo and shout “Throw him out!”

By the way, if the name Michael Burgess sounds familiar to you, it’s because he was in the news recently for talking about masturbating fetuses.

Watch the video below:

h/t Raw Story

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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