“Coded references to New Testament Bible passages about Jesus Christ are inscribed on high-powered rifle sights provided to the United States military by a Michigan company, an ABC News investigation has found.
The sights are used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the training of Iraqi and Afghan soldiers. The maker of the sights, Trijicon, has a $660 million multi-year contract to provide up to 800,000 sights to the Marine Corps, and additional contracts to provide sights to the U.S. Army.
U.S. military rules specifically prohibit the proselytizing of any religion in Iraq or Afghanistan and were drawn up in order to prevent criticism that the U.S. was embarked on a religious “Crusade” in its war against al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents.
One of the citations on the gunsights, 2COR4:6, is an apparent reference to Second Corinthians 4:6 of the New Testament, which reads: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (To read more of this stomach churning story, and the disgrace felt by an American soldier forced to use these weapons, please visit my friend Leah Burton over at God's Own Party?)
The infiltration of the military by the fundamentalist Christians has been widely reported on this and many other blogs. The influence that these groups now have over our young men and women in the armed forces is frightening to behold.
Sending impressionable young Americans over to an Islamic country to fight while clutching weapons emblazoned with biblical passages like "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.", should raise red flags all throughout this country.
George Bush once referred to this conflict as a "Crusade" he was rightfully chastised for that remark. But what does it say about our conflict now if we are sending warriors into combat carrying sayings from the Gospels to battle people of a differing religious faith?
And HOW can this still be happening with Barack Obama in the White House?
Update: Here is Rachel Maddow's segment on this story.
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Last I checked, President Obama was a pretty smart guy, but despite the allegations from the right, he really isn't God and therefore, not exactly able to read the hearts of men. I'm pretty sure he's hearing about this the same time that we are. Since this crap has been going on since 2003, I think we all know whose administration should take the heat. But to defend W, there was a heck of a lot going on in the Pentagon that he didn't know about, and Cheney sure wasn't going to tell him.
ReplyDeleteThat said, my son just was separated from the Army, and from the conversations I've had with him and his fellow soldiers, the Dominionist attitude is alive and well--and most of these guys were NOT Christian of any stripe.
OT: Toad still has a grandson named Trip. www.davispalin.com
ReplyDeleteRachel Maddow just aired a segment on this.
ReplyDeleteOne word. Creepy
ReplyDeleteWho Would Jesus Kill? No one. It's an Old Testament commandment, Thou shall not kill. Hello?
ReplyDeleteThese are the same Christian extremists who insist Obama is Muslim and want to get rid of him.
Killing in the name of the lord is exactly what Muslim terrorists are doing... same sh*t, different deity.
This has got to stop.
Gryphen~
ReplyDeleteThis story was on the Rachel Maddow show tonight. So it's starting to spread.
It is happening because the government is huge and government contracts are very numerous. The President and his staff can't be everywhere at once. It will take years to undo what Bush did.
ReplyDeletePeople are naive if they think the President has total control over the Pentagon and all its practices and policies. I am sure President Obama would find this information as disturbing as the rest of us. Hopefully ABC's and Leah Burton's great work will call a stop to this particular garbage.
ReplyDeleteThe least they can do is use pornographic verses like Ezekiel 23:20.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+23%3A20&version=NIV
Warning! It really IS pornographic.
Bet you didn't know THAT was in the Bible! Family values - uh-huh
WTF is right. What kind of gunsight still costs $825ea after you type 800,000 in the Quantity box? Did someone increase the Quantity and forget to click Recalc?
ReplyDeleteIt really sounds to me like Bush was doing the typing on that order.
Bush's entire "Faith Based Initiative" was his way of breaching the seperation of Church and State. I recall an article that mentioned the troops were short on water during the Iraq War, and there was a pristine "Baptismal" pool on base, the Chaplain refused to allow them to use that water for any other purpose, not even batheing. They were holding prayer services and attendance was mandatory. Now why on earth are they baptising people in the military?
ReplyDeleteI hope President Obama quickly stops this practice. Adding religious divisivness to a war in a muslim country dosen't bode well for our military mission or our reputation in the world.
That's fucked up.
ReplyDeleteGrypen, I mirror your sentiment. WTF? As far as President Obama condoning this, I bet once he knows of this it will stop. I doubt his administration knew this was going on. This has Bush/Cheney written all over it.
ReplyDelete"HOW can this still be happening with Barack Obama in the White House?"
ReplyDeleteThat was my first reaction too. But think about how many issues Pres. Obama has had to contend with in his first year. His INBOX over-flows every day.
We know Bush appointed thousands of fundies into positions who made decisions about issues and contracts like this. Wonder how many of those fundamentalists were "left behind".
Thank God it's out in the open now. Hopefully it won't be over-shadowed by some other crisis. Think about how McCain/Palin would have handled it.
That company who makes the sights - Trijicon - coolly said "the complaints are from those who aren't Christians". Complete confidance that they can thumb their nose at the Constitutional separation of church & state. Shades of Cheney / Bush.
Yes, thankfully this was on Rachel's show, so therefore is getting some MSM, well-deserved attention. The fact that the dominionists have infiltrated our armed services and are forcing our men and women to be subjected to this "theology" as something they must "accept" as they are forced into while placing their lives in jeopardy in defending our country is reprehensible in the extreme. I think the first step should be for everyone to contact their representatives in Washington to express our concern for our men and women in uniform.
ReplyDeleteThe influence that these groups now have over our young men and women in the armed forces is frightening to behold.
ReplyDeletebwahahahahaha
you seriously don't have a clue as to what you're talking about.
stick to what you know best, gossip and innuendo...
I am betting the President is like the rest of us: just now finding this out!
ReplyDeleteAnd let's hope he can STOP IT!
anon @ 7:03
ReplyDeleteI doubt that Bush and Cheney knew anything about this. They have nothing to do with ordering military equipment. No - this has Petreaus written all over it.
I first started hearing about the infiltration of the military by the fundamentalist c'ristians a couple of years ago on Thom Hartmann.
ReplyDeleteI was regular Army '63-'66 and I was exposed to none of this.
This CRAP is about as UNchristian as I can imagine.
The "Honor" of those in the military that have allowed and promoted this IS in serious question. It makes ME ashamed and DIShonors ME. I would say that it also dishonors all the rest of the men and women that have served and do not ascribe to this RADICAL c'ristian approach in the military!
I will always wonder if Sarah Palin had been revealed how that would have effected the teabaggers and an election like Brown in Mass. Health Care, gunning with Jebus....
ReplyDeleteWe need to be very concerned with the extent that the Talibangelicals were able to infiltrate the armed forces during W's reign of terror. There are FAR too many who believe that this is the beginning of THE last battle foretold in Revelations. These folks would gladly kill for Jesus.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble is, Jesus doesn't want them to.
Their brand of supposed Christianity is vastly different than what Jesus taught. They take a more militaristic stand on any and all things considered Christian. That's why they are called prayer warriors.
ReplyDeleteMy husband, a retired USMC LtCol, never saw any of t his in his years both overseas and at home. He could not believe it when I told him about the Air Force and its overtaking by the Dominionists. I told him it was all true and to watch his fellow pilots (he's in commercial air) for signs of it. He has and his eyes are wide open.
My god can beat your god. My rifle says so.
ReplyDeleteRachael Maddow has an excellent comment on this congratulating the manufacturer on the recruitment value of the inscriptions - for the Taliban.
ReplyDelete"And HOW can this still be happening with Barack Obama in the White House?
ReplyDeleteGee, Gryphen, I don't know! Maybe he was trying to get health care for every American when he was SUPPOSED to be reading every frigging defense contract that the military has bid in the last seven years. Goodness! How COULD he be so lax about his job?
Take it to the Pentagon. The assholes there are supposed to be watching this particular store. Does the president have to do EVERYTHING?
Egregiously offensive on so many levels! Trijicon should be required to replace every single "Christian" gunsight sold to the US Govt and banned from future military contracts. We need to send a message loud and clear to our leaders in DC.
ReplyDeleteThe "crazy for God" people behind this wave the flag and Bible to defend their interpretation of the Constitution. For them this is a holy war. These folks believe in divine intervention when it's convenient but ignore it when it doesn't. The irony of Glyn Bindon, founder of Trijicon, dying near Gunsight Mt. is lost on them.
http://homernews.com/stories/091103/new_091103new010001.shtml
This is very upsetting news, Gryphen. The separation of church and state is being violated by government employees who think they must spread the word about Jesus while on the job. But what happens when they have been taught in error?
ReplyDeleteMatthew 23:15 KJV
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
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I worked with a woman who tried to witness to me. Fact is, Jesus is my Lord and Savior. But that wasn't enough for her. I didn't believe in her church beliefs, and she read a book about some secret rapture. She got really mad at me when I told her the word 'rapture' was not in the Bible, and that it would be no secret.
Matthew 24:26-27 KJV
-For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
-For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
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That is why I am a strong advocate for the separation of church and state.
Oh, and also, too...
Rev. 16:13-14 KJV
-And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
-For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the east and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Wouldn't this fall under Rumsfeld's responsibilities? And also, mightn't someone underneath Rumsfeld be able to sneak this into the budget without their knowing this particular detail? Who was responsible, I wonder? The site company owner was killed in a plane crash in '03. There's a story in there somewhere, it just needs to stop, now.
ReplyDelete