Posted on 08/22/2007 8:09:00 AM PDT by shrinkermd
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."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I am a non-commissioned soldier.
The game, the Bible and other accouterments just don’t seem to interfere with the military’s mission nor do they interfere with morale, leadership and so forth.
What seems to have happened is the powers that be have decided to be nicey nice about the UN and Muslims and to lean backwards in not making pejorative comments.
In war the entire issue boils down to: subject to military necessity.
I agree completely.
“Why don’t you go to a totalitarian state with all atheists and preach your own brand of fascist non-religion religion This country allows people to think for themselves.’
Do I have go, too? I mean, I think for myself, which you are kind enough to allow, however I have thought myself into atheism.
It is also one of the components of a civilization, in our case a great civilization.
As an intelligent employee, who could read between the lines it must be safe to assume you therefore attended prayer breakfast. Good thinking.
No way, I don't give in to ideological or religious coercion. It's unamerican.
As far as the rest of it goes, I agree. However, while the video game may not interfere with the current mission, the Pentagon is probably concerned that it might interfere with future missions.
For example, not in a historical context, but in a modern or future context, how would the Pentagon react if there was a video game in which US soldiers, the good guys, were fighting bad guys who were French, German and British soldiers in an EU army? How about fighting Mexican and Canadian army? Hippie anti-war Democrats and ethnic street gangs?
While it might make for an interesting video game, to say the least, it would really transcend the purpose of recreation in the military, and starts to go places the Pentagon does not want to go.
What if the soldiers were sent video games of them fighting *Christians* in the US, in an anti-Christ, or even a martial law scenario? I suspect that game would be VERY off-limits with severe punishment for use and distribution. (I’m actually surprised some video game company hasn’t thought of that idea already.)
The Pentagon would come down on it like a ton of bricks, for the main reason that it would strongly piss off LOTS of Christian soldiers and the public, and the press would go into a lather hoping to bash both the military *and* Christians.
I kind of agree with the Pentagon that while recreation as a rule is good and useful, if it gets soldiers worked up or angry, it is probably not a good thing. Let them stick to killing zombies and space aliens in their video games. Those two groups, at least, are underrepresented in congress. I hope.
wtf are these bozos?
sophistry: the gasoline vapors of the people.
Christians “proselytize Christianity”.
It is a basic requirement of their religion, that they do so by both words and individual deeds, by acting as examples.
They don’t have any religiously based requirements to kill or forcefully conquer disbelievers of their faith.
They are merely required to make known their beliefs to all they come into contact with.
This heathen says let them be.
Of all the available things anyone can honestly claim to be offended of, a Christian is the very least on the threat list to humanity.
>>But I don’t lay awake nights worrying that my fellow-citizens or our soldiers in Iraq might read those books or play those games either.
It’s called liberty. Give it a try sometime.<<
That wasn’t what I meant - I think should read and play whatever they want.
But I’m not gonna cry because the army won’t help distribute a wretched game under the cover of religion. If they were being deprived of say... World of Warcraft or Oblivion or any game for which there is actually a demand it might be different. But the army has no obligation to help a commercial enterprise for which there is no demand.
There’s a name for that.
If this wasn’t about marketing they could have just sent bibles and cookies to any soldiers they wanted.
>>Sorry, but they’re really really bad books too. LOL.<<
I didn’t like the first book but maybe they get better... I don’t know.
Notice the perjorative “fundamentalist.”
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