Christian Right Infiltrating US Military
LA Times OP-Ed piece about the spreading influence of evangelicals in the armed forces.
Last week, after an investigation spurred by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the Pentagon abruptly announced that it would not be delivering “freedom packages” to our soldiers in Iraq, as it had originally intended.
What were the packages to contain? Not body armor or home-baked cookies. Rather, they held Bibles, proselytizing material in English and Arabic and the apocalyptic computer game “Left Behind: Eternal Forces” (derived from the series of post-Rapture novels), in which “soldiers for Christ” hunt down enemies who look suspiciously like U.N. peacekeepers.
The packages were put together by a fundamentalist Christian ministry called Operation Straight Up, or OSU. Headed by former kickboxer Jonathan Spinks, OSU is an official member of the Defense Department’s “America Supports You” program. The group has staged a number of Christian-themed shows at military bases, featuring athletes, strongmen and actor-turned-evangelist Stephen Baldwin.
But thanks in part to the support of the Pentagon, Operation Straight Up has now begun focusing on Iraq, where, according to its website (on pages taken down last week), it planned an entertainment tour called the “Military Crusade.”
Of course, this is in line with the evangelical takeover of the Justice Department by unqualfied but Certified True Believer graduates of Regent University – and with the views of our Christian in Chief, who reiterated the justification for the New Crusades yesgterday: “The greatest weapon in the arsenal of democracy is the desire for liberty written into the human heart by our Creator.Thank you, and God bless.”
And we can’t make this a Christian vs. non-Christian frame. As someone raised in the church, I’m appalled and embarrassed, and sometimes frightened, by the radical evangelical fundamentalist movement. I can’t even call them Christians. It’s an abhoration. Even a heresy.
Religion has always given God a bad name. You don’t need religion telling you to get right with God. If a connection with God is possible, you’ll know it the first time you take incoming.
or go to prison..
ol Duke Cunningham blubbered about God as they carted his disgracful ass to prison…
Yeah.
Personally, one part I’ve always “loved” is about ‘original sin’. Declare everyone ‘guilty’ at birth and thereby oblige them spend the rest of their lives groveling for salvation in order to get into “heaven” and avoid an eternity in “hell”.
Hmm.
Hah?? What??
What a brilliant marketing ploy!
From the standpoint of religion in this country vis-a-vis our Constitution, individuals are just as free to believe that “shit is Shinola” [any color, too, even 'neutral' or 'oxblood'].
When it comes to our government though, I rebel against the slightest hint of any color shoe-polish!! It is the cyanide of freedom.
PS
No kool-aid, just mometarily pissed at the human race.
jhc, oh-oh, yet another member of the US Senate is turning in the direction of those spineless, weak and defeatist liberals…. go ahead, rationalize this:
Warner calls for troop withdrawal… [video]
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=8c6bce39-fb69-4313-8f36-0da2f8bfe5eb&f=00&fg=email
Sorry – too late to blame the Iraqis!
Warner is suggesting that if the Iraqi’s don’t start making political progress we will stand-down. A calculated shot across their bow, a threat that will hopefully motivate them to move on legislation on the table. Maybe Maliki is getting the message, he’s bypassed his shi’a brethren and is talking directly to sunnis in Tikrit. I have no problem with this. If the Iraqis don’t take advantage of security improvements from the surge, they don’t deserve our continued support. Besides, Petraeus has already hinted at troop reductions for early next year based on improving security conditions and ISF readiness.
And if the troop reductions occur early next year(which they have to;we’re tapped out) what does the history of the last four years tell you will happen when the U.S presence leaves jhc?……. But if the U.S. stands down doesn’t that make Warner a defeatist and a supporter of an upcoming genocide in Iraq? Last December the Iraq Study Group mentioned giving the Iraqis deadlines. It’s too late for alot those serving in Iraq.
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