Camp Pendleton rejects atheist festival

The rejection of the second 'Rock Beyond Belief' atheist festival by Officials at the Marine Corps base in Camp Pendleton was addressed in a press release issued by Rock Beyond Belief founder and organizer, Justin Griffith.

Griffith, who is also the Military Director for American Atheists, Inc., stated,

"We were extremely disappointed that the second ever atheist festival on a military base was recently rejected by Camp Pendleton. They continue to provide massive support to a single religious sect, the controversial Calvary Chapel and its military arm, ‘Armor of Light’ (AoL). Camp Pendleton is a large Marine Corps base near San Diego, California. The area is also home to the 1000+ churches-strong Calvary Chapel headquarters.

"The Marine Corps mailed the rejection letter to American Atheists headquarters in New Jersey. Perhaps fittingly, the letter seemed so nonsensical that it had to be rescued from the garbage.

"We are pleased to announce that we have now mitigated all of the concerns that Camp Pendleton cited in their rejection letter. We’re not going anywhere. We demand equal treatment, and we’re confident that Camp Pendleton will make the right call.

"We had similar stumbling blocks at Fort Bragg, NC. Fortunately, Fort Bragg leadership came around and gave us equal treatment. Our newest proposal is cordial yet firm where it counts."

Here is an image of the rejection letter, provided by Sgt. Griffith:

Griffith is no stranger to these types of setbacks. However, he maintains that the law is on his side and anticipates the moving ahead with Rock Beyond Belief 2. Addressing the issue in blog on the Freethought Blog Network, Griffith stated,

"Camp Pendleton’s decision to reject our proposal violates federal ethics regulations. This is certainly a huge step in the wrong direction. We’re still willing to work with officials before the San Diego area Marine Corps base is entrenched in a legal battle they can’t possibly win."

Griffith's quest to get the first 'Rock Beyond Belief' was a long and arduous one, but he and his organizers eventually prevailed using the law and sheer determination after a series of setbacks and cancellations.  The first Rock Beyond Belief was held on base at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was billed as a success. Planning for the second event was a given, as Griffith has stated often that there are many more atheists within the United States military than most people are aware of, and they are not getting the equal representation they are entitled to under the law.

Sgt. Griffith is the same person who is responsible for bringing to our attention the issue of the US Army distributing a mandatory survey called an SFT, which stands for 'Soldier Fitness Tracker.' The purpose of this survey was to measure an individual soldier’s competency in four areas, Emotional, Social, Family and Spiritual. Griffith, a decorated soldier, was deemed unfit to serve because he is a non-believer. Griffith, along with the efforts of several national organizations, has effected changes here, as well.

For more information, relevant links, commentary, pictures and screenshots of various documents related to this story, please read Justin's blog at Freethought Blogs, and for updates at the Rock Beyond Belief website.

Al Stefanelli

Al serves on the Board of Directors for The Clergy Project, and is the former Georgia State Director for American Atheists, Inc. He is a retired journalist and the author of "Free Thoughts - A Collection Of Essays By An American Atheist" and "A Voice Of Reason In An Unreasonable World - The Rise Of Atheism On Planet Earth." Al began writing in 1985, starting with the New York Times. In 1993 he joined a McClatchy newspaper, writing a weekly column for ten years. His writing continues to be widely distributed on the Internet and in print. He also produced and hosted a weekly syndicated radio broadcast for three years and was the founder and President of the former United Atheist Front, Inc., which functioned as a civil rights organization. Al is a former Southern Baptist Pastor, having served two churches and as pulpit supply for three counties. Currently, he writes for The God Discussion, hosts his own blog on WordPress, submits content to a variety of publications, and co-hosts "American Heathen Radio" and "Reap Sow Radio." Al lives in Peachtree City, GA., a suburb of Atlanta.

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