Posted on 05/05/2009 11:14:16 AM PDT by mikelets456
The U.S. military is confirming that it has destroyed some Bibles belonging to an American soldier serving in Afghanistan.
Reuters News says the Bibles were confiscated and destroyed after Qatar-based Al Jazeer television showed soldiers at a Bible class on a base with a stack of Bibles translated into the local Pashto and Dari languages. The U.S. military forbids its members on active duty -- including those based in places like Afghanistan -- from trying to convert people to another religion.
Reuters quotes Maj. Jennifer Willis at the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, who said "I can now confirm that the Bibles shown on Al Jazeera's clip were, in fact, collected by the chaplains and later destroyed. They were never distributed."
three soldiersAccording to the military officials, the Bibles were sent through private mail to an evangelical Christian soldier by his church back home. Reuters says the soldier brought them to the Bible study class where they were filmed.
The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, told a Pentagon briefing Monday that the military's position is that it will never "push any specific religion."
(Excerpt) Read more at onenewsnow.com ...
“I can now confirm that the Bibles shown on Al Jazeera’s clip were, in fact, collected by the chaplains and later destroyed. They were never distributed.”
...you’ll NEVER read about Korans being destroyed! Never, ever, never! A##holes!! I’m sick and tired of this shiite!!
Funny... and not in a “haha” sort of way.
If it were Korans in question being used by Muslim members of the armed forces to confirm the locals in their faith, they NEVER would have been destroyed.
Yet somehow it’s okay to disrespect and destroy Bibles? These double standards frighten me.
Of course, we know that our military has given korans to the detainees in Gitmo.
This is a double standard if there ever was one.
So it appears that our government DOES push one religion while oposing another.
Since Islamic jihadists often had no CHOICE in the matter of faith, they should’ve been given access to all religious texts, not just the Islamic koran, while in gitmo. Instead they were encouraged.
Dang, beat me to the post!
I'd respectfully tell my commanding officer to take a hike.
How times have changed. Those bibles could have influenced someone!
Denominations aside, the 20th century was an age of global missionary work worldwide.
So NOW can we acept it is a spiritual war and that our enemy is Satan?
If someone WANTS you to give them a bible, that is not converting. That is being able to give them a bible in their own language.
Army, you’re wrong on this one.
“the Bibles shown on Al Jazeera’s clip were, in fact, collected by the chaplains and later destroyed.”
A tough call for a Christian Chaplain.
“Amrtica is the only nation that has had an impact on peace in the world by sending misionaries out to convert the lost.”
Well, let’s give the Brits their due. The had a heroic missionary effort in their day.
It would probably be best for any future soldiers to be a little bit more secretive about any future Bible studies and be aware of their surroundings.
BTW, the chaplain discussed in the article is Army Chaplain Lt. Col. Gary Hensley. He has been the subject of not a little controversy, having been accused multiple times of trying to encourage soldiers to proselytize the local nationals. Military.com article.
Apparently much of this stuff he's accused of is taken out of context, in an effort to make Christians, the military, and the United States look bad (from Al Jazeerah, the KosKids, and the other usual subjects).
Nonetheless, it appears that prayers are needed for him and his (US GI) flock over there.
Unless the soldiers in question were native Pashto and Dari speakers, these Bibles were not for personal study. The only thing they could be used for is handing out to the locals.
The army has a mission in that area and these soldiers, by bringing in the Bibles, were detrimental to that mission. If they want to come back to the area as missionaries when they are out of the army, then good for them.
What this amounts to is shielding the koran and destroying the Bible. No such thing as neutrality. It looks like we’ve decided which side we’re on.
Sorry but this doesnt pass the sniff test to me. I need to see this on Drudge or Fox before Im convinced.
The U.S. military is destroying Bibles?????? I was ready to throw a rock at my computer when I saw this ping!
The numbers though seem to go to America.
Daily Readings for Tuesday May 05, 2009
http://www.catholic.org/bible/daily_reading/
Reading 1, Acts 11:19-26
19 Those who had scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they proclaimed the message only to Jews.
20 Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch where they started preaching also to the Greeks, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus to them.
21 The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord.
22 The news of them came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas out to Antioch.
23 There he was glad to see for himself that God had given grace, and he urged them all to remain faithful to the Lord with heartfelt devotion;
24 for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. And a large number of people were won over to the Lord.
25 Barnabas then left for Tarsus to look for Saul,
26 and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. And it happened that they stayed together in that church a whole year, instructing a large number of people. It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’.
Gospel, Jn 10:22-30
22 It was the time of the feast of Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter,
23 and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the Portico of Solomon.
24 The Jews gathered round him and said, ‘How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us openly.’
25 Jesus replied: I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness;
26 but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine.
27 The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from my hand.
29 The Father, for what he has given me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father’s hand.
30 The Father and I are one.
Bingo!
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