Can Atheists Be Conscientious Objectors?

not only because I'm an atheist but because of my own experience in questioning my role with the United States Navy.

The whole idea that someone can't be opposed to killing because they have no belief in a god is patently absurd. If anything, it should be people of faith that believe in an afterlife that should have trouble with credibility in regard to killing others. Part of my philosophy involves the huge emphasis of enriching and extending the current life on Earth because I hold that there is no other. To kill someone means ending their life forever not simply passing them on to the next stage where some higher power gets to sort things out. There is no second chance if you make a mistake, no redemption for your error. It's also one reason I oppose capital punishment except in cases of absolute proof not simply a standard of beyond reasonable doubt.

Let's hope that sanity prevails in this new administration and this huge emphasis on Christianity being pushed on our military personnel stops.

Art