The FFRF Action Fund names Eric Peisel, an Army veteran and practicing pagan, as its “Secularist of the Week” for sharing his service experiences in the wake of the Defense Department’s gutting of 180 religious identification categories from its list of recognized faiths or viewpoints for service members. Christian denominations account for the vast majority of the remaining religion categories. “Atheist” and a number of minority religious faiths were removed from the official list.
Peisel shared the letters he sent to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on social media and encouraged others to send their own.
“I am writing to express my profound concern regarding recent Department of Defense actions affecting the recognition and accommodation of religious faiths within the United States Armed Forces,” Peisel’s letter to the House Armed Services Committee reads. “For generations, our military has drawn strength from Americans of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and traditions.”
Peisel continued: “The Armed Forces have long recognized that service to one’s country should never require the surrender of one’s sincerely held religious beliefs. The expansion of religious accommodation policies over the past several decades has been a reflection of our nation’s commitment to both military readiness and the constitutional principle of religious liberty.”
Peisel asserts that the Defense Department’s actions “send a message to thousands of service members that their beliefs are less worthy of respect, protection, or accommodation than those of others.”
“The First Amendment does not guarantee religious freedom only to those whose beliefs are popular, familiar, or approved of by those in positions of authority,” Peisel writes.
Peisel urges Congress to take action against the Defense Department’s Christian nationalism: “I am equally concerned that Congress has not exercised stronger oversight regarding this matter. The House Armed Services Committee exists in part to ensure that Department of Defense policies remain consistent with the law, constitutional principles, and the values our military is sworn to defend. When policies emerge that appear to marginalize some religions or elevate others, congressional oversight is not merely appropriate; it is necessary.”
“I respectfully urge the Committee to examine these policy changes, seek transparency regarding their justification and implementation, and ensure that the rights of all service members are protected equally. Religious liberty is not a privilege granted by military leadership; it is a constitutional right that belongs to every American, including those who wear the uniform.”
Peisel noted that the strength of our military has never depended on religious conformity but on the willingness of Americans to serve together in a common cause.
Read Peisel’s full letters here.
Peisel poignantly shared his experience as a pagan servicemember. In a post sharing an article covering the Defense Department’s news, Peisel wrote, “After almost half a lifetime in service to my country, I am ashamed of watching it fall into the hands of people who stand in opposition to every value our military taught me over the 25 years I served in it.”
Peisel joined the U.S. Army in 1987 and, when filling out information for his dog tags, submitted “Pagan” as his religious preference, even though “Pagan” was not an option in the list of choices officially recognized by the military. Peisel detailed the discrimination he faced following that decision, such as being pressured and threatened to change his written religious preference to an “approved religion.” When he refused, the mistreatment only worsened and approximately a week later, his unit received new dog tags. His dog tags now said “No Rel Pref.”
After refusing to wear his dog tags until they were corrected, Peisel endured weeks of discrimination and abuse. Peisel even spoke to a military chaplain “who talked to me about being confused and that I just needed time to learn to ‘accept the love of Jesus.’”
Amid the mistreatment, Peisel included a letter to his congressman in correspondence with his mother and asked her to forward it. This led to a congressional inquiry into Peisel’s Basic Training company and resulted in Peisel finally receiving a set of dog tags with “Pagan” on them.
About the Defense Department’s news, Peisel wrote: “The people pushing these changes today may tell us that they are only removing unnecessary labels and unused categories. But marginalized faiths do not disappear when recognition is removed. They simply lose protection. They lose visibility. They lose representation. And once that happens, it becomes much easier to force capitulation through peer pressure, neglect, and discrimination, because marginalization itself becomes the weapon.”
Read Peisel’s full story here.
The FFRF Action Fund warmly thanks Peisel for sharing his experience as a pagan service member. It is more important than ever to elevate these stories, and the FFRF Action Fund firmly encourages others experiencing similar discrimination to speak out. Congress must take action against this affront to religious liberty for all service members, including the many who identify as atheists.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.