A pagan priest serving in the U.S. Army has been sentenced to seven months jail after being found guilty of willfully disobeying orders.

Specialist Blake Lemoine, 23, from Moraville, La., served a year-long tour of duty in Iraq, but became an outspoken critic of the action, and claims his religious practices were a factor in the case against him.

"I realized the sermons I gave were in direct conflict with what the United States military practices," Lemoine said, according to Stars & Stripes.

Lemoine was court-martialed in Germany for refusing orders, as he sought to leave the Army. Following his service in Iraq, he would reportedly just sit at a desk near the commander's office and refuse to do any work.

"It was simply a slow realization that serving in the U.S. military at this day and time contradicts my religion and to continue to do so would make me a hypocrite," he said.

Lemoine, a mechanic, had stopped working after sending a letter to commanders listing the reasons he should be allowed to quit, including his religious beliefs and rituals. The Army rejected his argument, saying he didn't meet the requirements as a conscientious objector.

His letter also pointed out he has a non-monogamous relationship with his wife, and that he is bisexual, which is against Army policy.

His wife, Alayna, told Stars & Stripes: "If we were any other mainstream religion, the Army would not be doing this. They wouldn't do this to a Jew or Christian. It's a vendetta against pagans. They can't burn us, so they shut us up."

Many pagans in modern society are said to base their beliefs and practices on a connection to nature.

Lemoine had been scheduled to be discharged Feb. 13, but military rules required him to extend his service until mid-October so he could bring his wife to Europe from the U.S.

"The contract with the U.S. Army is a slavery contract," Lemoine told German newspapers. He also blasted alleged Army violence against Iraqis, stating, "Iraqi civilians are often treated worse than animals."

In addition to the seven-month sentence, Judge Col. Denise Lind also ordered Lemoine reduced to the lowest enlisted rank and given a bad-conduct discharge.

Lemoine is said to be continuing a hunger strike for the Army's refusal to let him out, and German peace activists are holding protests on his behalf.