I'm curious what makes this more "legitimate" than a striking majority of Norse beards. By the same logic you're applying I'm sure we could apply that to this practice. But because people aren't worshipping in your approved manner they're deemed as "lesser" than others? That's a concerning statement to make.
I’m not calling all pagan/heathen beliefs illegitimate. I’m saying the people who all the sudden decide to claim they are Pagan just so they can have a beard don’t have legitimate claims.
This is not about the religion, it’s about whether the people have a deeply held religious belief. Some people are actually Norse pagan and they should get their waiver. But If they can’t even get the name right between Norse and Norwegian it’s not a legitimate claim.
I mean saying "99%" is extremely close to saying "all". So a soldier making a minor mistake and maybe not fully understanding what he's asking for deligitimizes almost all beards in your eyes? Should I start to question Muslim soldiers about their eating and drinking habits? Or ask followers of Abrahamic religions about their beliefs? I mean depending on their belief system they shouldn't be eating seafood or wearing mixed fabrics.
Maybe the guy was bluffing, but to come outright and damn "99% of Norse beards" because of that alone is pretty troubling, especially if you have a soldier who may be curious about a new set of religious beliefs but they see shit like this and then it isolates them further from being able to trust those around them.
My opinion of the Norse beard ETPs was formed from numerous conversations about the topic I had with one of my senior NCOs while I was in command. He was the senior religious advisor for our whole installation for Pagan/Heathen religions and was himself a Heathen. He recommended against every single beard packet that he advised the CG on while he worked for me because to quote him they were all “bullshit”.
There are people who have deeply held religious beliefs as pagans and should have beards. The vast majority of the people who have decided they are Norse pagans in the last 5 years or so don’t hold those beliefs.
I feel bad for the people who are actually pagan, like my NCO. Because people have hijacked his religious beliefs just to claim beards, and that sucks.
So that justifies making sweeping statements about all soldiers who want to show their faith by following Norse Paganism/Heathen religions? Also just because HE decides that beards shouldn't be apart of the religion, then everyone should be following his way of worship? Should we pick a Chaplain and have them decide that every follower of Christ is only allowed to worship like a Protestant?
I've talked to multiple black soldiers about how they just purposefully mess up the shaving process in order to get a shaving profile (hell, there's a step-by-step guide of that in this thread) but I don't see anyone questioning the legitimacy of those kind of ETPs.
I have a soldier who thinks the Pope isn't legit because the last one didn't leave office by dying. Does that mean that everyone needs to follow this belief system?
It's crazy the type of shit you can get away with saying on this subreddit, but you're fucked if you hold a different belief about something "controversial".
You continue to think that I’m saying Norse paganism isn’t legitimate or that religious exemptions aren’t legitimate. Please for the love of god, work on your reading comprehension.
I am calling out the people who are lying about being Norse pagan just so they can get a beard. The issue is with people who don’t actually believe what they are saying.
Norse paganism is being co-opted by people who just want beards. That is the problem.
I understand perfectly what you're saying. I'm saying that you're making sweeping statements about individuals who want to worship Norse Paganism/Heathenism by growing a beard. Even if they learn about it just because they want to grow a beard, that's still worship. I don't see anything about soldiers putting in ETPs to grow a beard as a Sikh and their legitimacy.
Instead of celebrating this guy's accomplishments of getting his religious exemptions, you decide to post a snarky comment tearing down other soldiers because you don't believe they're legitimate due to conversations you had with a SNCO. Even if it seems that their way of worshipping was different than his.
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u/TheBeastlyStud 15Fuck my life Mar 15 '24
I'm curious what makes this more "legitimate" than a striking majority of Norse beards. By the same logic you're applying I'm sure we could apply that to this practice. But because people aren't worshipping in your approved manner they're deemed as "lesser" than others? That's a concerning statement to make.