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Military Bible burning... Obamanation?
LesWVa
Member Posts: 10,490 ✭✭
When I joined the Military in 1980. The military gave each of us in basic training a small Bible. I still have the one given to me today.
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A story hit the media today, stating that the U.S. Military made a choice to burn Bibles sent to soldiers on base in Afghanistan. The military has a policy that unsolicited religious materials are not allowed to be sent or distributed by military personnel. Central Command General Order No. 1 specifically forbids "proselytizing of any faith, religion or practice" and is to be strongly enforced in sectors which are predominantly Muslim, for fear such material distribution will be taken as an attempt on behalf of the U.S. to proselytize and convert the local people. If such actions were perceived in this manner, the military says it could jeopardize the safety of their mission and cause possible harm to come to the soldiers on base as well as the local Muslims who might show interest in another religion.
Afghanistan is a devout Muslim nation. Although there are various Christian organizations that support professional career missionaries in the field, most missionary efforts in the area are not publicized or promoted, for safety reasons. The Bibles that were sent to a Sgt. James Watt on base in Bargram, Afghanistan were a rare find due to the fact that they were written in Pashto and Dari, the predominant languages in that particular region. The church that sent the Bibles saved and held fundraisers in order to afford the cost of the Bibles and shipping. Instead of sending the Bibles back to the church the military officials chose to burn the Bibles, stating that if they sent the Bibles back to the church they feared the church would turn around and send them to another organization within Afghanistan.
A Defense Department Spokesman stated that the soldier who received the Bibles from his church back in the U.S. was unaware of the policies concerning distribution of religious materials and verified that the Bibles were confiscated and eventually burned. Despite regulations, many Christian Evangelical Soldiers gather together on base and continue to pray for ways they can reach out and share their faith, even in such a war-torn situation as this.
Military policy or not, church-goers across the globe are disturbed by the fact that Afghanistan's intolerance for other religions and reputation for persecuting Christians is being tolerated by the U.S. In light of the situation, did the military do the right thing? Should they have sent the Bibles back to the U.S. church rather than burning them? Should the church have been notified and given the opportunity to use the Bibles to reach Afghanistan people in other parts of the world? Or did the military make a sound decision?
Poke here for the story
Surprised the heck all out of me that the Democrat ran national news channels even mentioned it a few times today.
===================
A story hit the media today, stating that the U.S. Military made a choice to burn Bibles sent to soldiers on base in Afghanistan. The military has a policy that unsolicited religious materials are not allowed to be sent or distributed by military personnel. Central Command General Order No. 1 specifically forbids "proselytizing of any faith, religion or practice" and is to be strongly enforced in sectors which are predominantly Muslim, for fear such material distribution will be taken as an attempt on behalf of the U.S. to proselytize and convert the local people. If such actions were perceived in this manner, the military says it could jeopardize the safety of their mission and cause possible harm to come to the soldiers on base as well as the local Muslims who might show interest in another religion.
Afghanistan is a devout Muslim nation. Although there are various Christian organizations that support professional career missionaries in the field, most missionary efforts in the area are not publicized or promoted, for safety reasons. The Bibles that were sent to a Sgt. James Watt on base in Bargram, Afghanistan were a rare find due to the fact that they were written in Pashto and Dari, the predominant languages in that particular region. The church that sent the Bibles saved and held fundraisers in order to afford the cost of the Bibles and shipping. Instead of sending the Bibles back to the church the military officials chose to burn the Bibles, stating that if they sent the Bibles back to the church they feared the church would turn around and send them to another organization within Afghanistan.
A Defense Department Spokesman stated that the soldier who received the Bibles from his church back in the U.S. was unaware of the policies concerning distribution of religious materials and verified that the Bibles were confiscated and eventually burned. Despite regulations, many Christian Evangelical Soldiers gather together on base and continue to pray for ways they can reach out and share their faith, even in such a war-torn situation as this.
Military policy or not, church-goers across the globe are disturbed by the fact that Afghanistan's intolerance for other religions and reputation for persecuting Christians is being tolerated by the U.S. In light of the situation, did the military do the right thing? Should they have sent the Bibles back to the U.S. church rather than burning them? Should the church have been notified and given the opportunity to use the Bibles to reach Afghanistan people in other parts of the world? Or did the military make a sound decision?
Poke here for the story
Surprised the heck all out of me that the Democrat ran national news channels even mentioned it a few times today.