Soldiers In Afghanistan Given Bibles, Told To "Hunt People For Jesus"

[babylonsister]

Ryan Grim

Soldiers In Afghanistan Given Bibles, Told To "Hunt People For Jesus" (VIDEO)

05/ 4/09 12:05 PM


A U.S. church raised money to send Bibles, printed in the Pashtu and Dari languages, to American soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, a report on Al Jazeera documented Sunday night.

It is against military rules to proselytize -- a regulation one of the soldiers filmed by the network readily acknowledged. "You cannot proselytize, but you can give gifts," says the soldier. It is a crime in Afghanistan to attempt to convert anyone from Islam to any other religion. "I also want to praise God because my church collected some money to get Bibles for Afghanistan. They came and sent the money out." The footage is said to be roughly a year old.

The Al Jazeera report also shows a military preacher urging army parishioners to "hunt people for Jesus."

"The Special Forces guys, they hunt men. Basically, we do the same things as Christians. We hunt people for Jesus. We do, we hunt them down. Get the hound of heaven after them, so we get them into the Kingdom. That's what we do, that's our business," he says.

A White House spokesman referred questions to the Department of Defense, which did not immediately return a call. A military spokesman did tell Reuters, however, that none of the Bibles were, as far as she knew, ever actually distributed.

more/video at link~

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/04/soldiers-in-afghanistan-g_n_195674.html

[NC_Nurse]

1. Oh, THAT's gonna go over well. Winning hearts and minds....

:eyes:

[TankLV]

6. What you said...!!!

x2

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I'd pass on converting Taliban and/or Al-Quaeda. God protects you only so much.

[theoldman]

3. A good way to get some innocent Afghans killed.

Christians from the US have tried to convert Muslims for over 200 years with no success. That shows you they have a very flat learning curve. Many Christians have died in this endeavor.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. Let Jesus do it because we can't?

The "war" is lost in Afghanistan. But, admitting it is the hard part for politicians and generals.

http://watchingamerica.com/News/26197/victory-in-afghanistan-is-impossible/

It is, therefore, time to abandon our illusions. We have neither the power nor the strength to transform Afghanistan into a democratic state. It has taken us seven, long years to realize that fact. When President Barack Obama announced his new Afghanistan strategy several weeks ago, he defined success in the fight as follows: “To disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future.” Democracy? Human rights? Constitutional government? Not a mention.

Obama’s new concept was widely applauded. No one complained about abandoning the nobler goals formulated seven years ago. In view of the West’s usual pompous reasons for its continued presence in Afghanistan, that is astounding. The silence is embarrassing but readily visible; the idea that the West has reached its limit is beginning to come through.

The term “defeat” remains taboo. Why?

That is how defeat will look: The West will swallow it, even if losing global credibility. For the Afghans, on the other hand, the defeat will be bitter, savage and deadly.

[Old and In the Way]

5. This is not good. Like adding gasoline to a fire.

We are already on pretty shaky ground over there now. Giving profile to a quasi-religious military ceremony is not going to make the mission easier if this, in turns, gives the people of the ME a concern that this is becoming another Western Crusade.

[Arugula Latte]

7. "Here, your ridiculous mythology is wrong. You must replace it with our ridiculous mythology."

[4lbs]

8. So, one group of believers in God is trying to convert another group of believers in God into...

believing in God....

Okay......

[Badgerman]

9. The Air Force and...

followed closely, by the Army, have become virtual armies for the 'Evangelicals'. It is so pervasive in the Air Force even enlisted promotions are highly influenced by evangelical officers and seneior enlisted. A few years back the Air Force Acadamy in Colorado Springs had several of its top executive officers replaced, but it was only a bone thrown to the dogs, for within a year things were back to normal and you didn't move on if you didn't belong to the evangelical groups and churches. Colorado Springs remains one of the key evangelical centers. The Army is presently undergoing the same rise in influence as the younger entrants move up the ranks and exert more influence. This is a direct by-product of the all volunteer military. When the draft was in place their was always a wide diversity in the military and cabals though they existed were more isolated and more open to exposure by the majority who did not follow the 'line'. These are facts.

We have more to fear in the mid-term (next fifty years) from 'christianized' military than any terrorist group, or home radicals, in fact I would go so far as to say that no combination of the usual threats to this nation are anywhere near the threat that these 'christian' evangelicals will be when they finish there efforts in the military. at present it is thought that only the Navy has not suffered major encroachment/infiltration of these slimey throw backs to the Dark Ages.

[Dogtown]

10. Well stated, Badgerman

Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Badgerman]

16. thank you both!

[Arugula Latte]

15. Welcome to DU!

:hi: :toast:

[walkaway]

11. NPR just had a really scary interview about the Christian Millitary

Apparently, the armed forces is a hot bed of fundamentalist christians. Non-christians (or even moderate christians) are afraid to talk about it on the record but fundies are taking over all branches.

[Warren DeMontague]

12. Good news-- the Preacher in question was "speaking in general terms".

Therefore, it wasn't necessarily native Afghanis who were to be targets of proseltyzation;

any unfortunate nearby Jews, Atheists, etc. who happen to also be in the US Military, however, are a different story I bet.

[malaise]

13. These fucking people are mad

Take your bibles and get the fuck out of Afghanistan.

[piratefish08]

14. WWJH?

who would jesus hunt?