"... following a story published by Max Blumenthal in The Nation, the Pentagon scrapped plans to send so-called "Freedom Packages" to soldiers in Iraq. The packages, put together by the fundamentalist Christian ministry called Operation Straight Up, contained among other things, Bibles and the apocalyptic computer game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces," in which "soldiers for Christ" hunt down enemies of Christianity. " TruthOut
Even though the Bush administration had trouble getting proper equipment to US troops in Iraq they had no problem organizing the shipment of the Religious Right's computer game Left Behind Eternal Forces to every soldier in Iraq ...until somebody made it public & the US army backed down ...but what is important here is this idea that American Troops are engaged in a Holy War ...as the young soldiers move from a fantasy video game to turn it into a bloody & horrifying reality ...one wonders at what point these soldiers might begin to see their enemy i.e. all Iraqis & Muslims as people as human beings ...it is easier on the troops & the American populace to demonize & dehumanize the citizens of Iraq...
To learn more see Left Behind Eternal Forces Homepage
Short teaser for the Video Gamre Leftr Behind Eternal Forces:
And here is a lengthy Promo for Left Behind Eternal Forces Game be warned this could be dangerous to your psychological or spiritual well-being :
When George W. Bush was first elected as President it was feared that as a Born-Again Evangelical Fundamentalist Christian he would be influenced in his policy making decisions by his religious beliefs whether in the matter of abortion -Roe v Wade or Stem cell research & that the notion of the Separation of Church & State was a myth created by anti-Christian liberals & so these fears were realized as he moved on various initiatives such as funding Faith Based organizations which were & are actively proselytizing within the United States or in Foreign countries such as promoting abstinence only rather than sexual education & the use of condoms to slow-down the Aids epidemic etc. And 9/11 gave him the perfect pretext to engage in a Holy War or Crusade though he at times denies this we are told that he continued to seek advice on a regular basis from various Evangelical leaders of the Religious Right & rarely from those religious leaders of liberal or more mainstream Christian organizations .
The article below shows that active proselytizing has been & is going on within the military & the Pentagon by members of the Religious Right / Evangelical Fundamentalist with a Dominionist slant & their organizations which is being not only tolerated but promoted by members of the military which goes against the American Constitutions principle of the Separation of Church & state . This is a disturbing set of circumstances in which not by act of legislation or by rulings by the US Supreme the separation of Church & State is being contravened . If this continues America's military will be in the hands of & under the influence of a radical form of Christian Evangelical fundamentalism whose goal is to create an American form of theocracy . It also shows that many in the Pentagon believe that the War on Terrorism is a HOLY WAR & a Crusade for Christianity spearheaded by America against Islam & other non-Christians whom they depict as evil uncivilized barbarians -
Pentagon Chaplain Accused of Aiding Proselytizing By Jason Leopold t r u t h o u t | Report Thursday 30 August 2007
On the heels of a scathing report issued by the Defense Department's inspector general that took high-level Pentagon officials to task for allowing an evangelical Christian organization unfettered access to the Department of Defense (DOD) to promote its fundamentalist agenda, comes word the Pentagon's top chaplain opened its doors yet again to another evangelical group whose leader recently spent two days at the facility proselytizing, passing out Christian literature, and "saving souls."
According to documents obtained by the watchdog group the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and made available to Truthout, David Kistler, President of Hickory, North Carolina-based H.O.P.E. Ministries International, embarked on a "DC Crusade" along with dozens of members of the evangelical organization for two weeks that included two days inside the Pentagon proselytizing and preaching the "gospel" to government employees and "saving souls."
Kistler is a somewhat controversial figure whose sermons contain apocalyptic messages and bizarre prophecies. He believes certain Democratic lawmakers will burn in hell while "good Christians," such as President Bush, will be swept up into the heavens.
The Rapture will soon vacuum up good Christians, including George W. Bush, to Heaven, he said in a past sermon to his congregation. Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton will not be Raptured up to Heaven. Following The Rapture, the Anti-Christ will appear and children will be "micro-chipped."
A former US Air Force chaplain, who requested anonymity because the chaplain continues to work for the government, said its clear federal laws were broken by having Kistler preach to Pentagon employees.
"The preacher clearly indicates that his purpose was proselytizing," the former chaplain said. "But proselytizing is not a legitimate spiritual need which military chaplains are tasked to meet. Had it been announced that the 'courtyard' was to be reserved for a Christian Evangelical Service - and only for that purpose then such a service - including 'calls to accept Jesus' would be permissible. The denominational perspective of the service would be clearly presented in advance and Pentagon employees could choose to be present at or avoid the service."
The former chaplain added that Kistler's service "was designed to impose itself on Pentagon members who had merely gathered for lunch in the courtyard. That is to say the primary purpose of the courtyard space is for informal social gathering - not religious services. If the Chaplains wish to change the purpose and function of the space they need to inform military members in advance. Setting up an amplified Evangelical service in the midst of a military lunch crowd is an opportunistic approach to 'ministry' and an attempt to proselytize which is not permitted in the U.S. Armed Services."
Mikey Weinstein, the president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said H.O.P.E Ministries' presence inside the Pentagon in 2005 and in June is a blatant violation of the laws separating church and state.
Weinstein said he and his legal staff are still preparing to file a comprehensive federal lawsuit against the DOD for widespread First Amendment and Bill of Rights violations as well as similar violations of Clause 3, Article VI of the Constitution, which prohibits any "religion test" for any position in the federal government.
Weinstein said the lawsuit has been delayed only because of the "overwhelming, non-stop reports of out-of-control Christian fundamentalism his organization has been receiving" from soldiers who indicated to Weinstein's staff that rampant Christian fundamentalism has plagued the halls of the DOD and soldiers on the battlefield in Iraq are being forced by their superiors to accept Jesus Christ as their saviors. Weinstein, a former White House attorney under Ronald Reagan, general counsel H. Ross Perot and an Air Force Judge Advocate (JAG), has called for Congressional hearings into the Pentagon's attempts to "Christianize" the military and the DOD.
Earlier this month, In a story first reported by Truthout, an investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general concluded high-ranking Army and Air Force personnel violated long-standing military regulations when they participated in a promotional video for an evangelical Christian organization while in uniform and on active duty.
The report recommended Air Force Maj. Gen. Jack Catton, Army Brig. Gen. Bob Caslen, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, Maj. Gen. Peter Sutton, and a colonel and lieutenant colonel ..."improperly endorsed and participated with a non-Federal entity while in uniform" and the men should be disciplined for misconduct. Caslen was formerly the deputy director for political-military affairs for the war on terrorism, directorate for strategic plans and policy, joint staff. He now oversees the 4,200 cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point. Caslen told DOD investigators he agreed to appear in the video upon learning other senior Pentagon officials had been interviewed for the promotional video.
" The Army generals who appeared in the video appeared to be speaking on behalf of the military...,( but they in fact were not & so were deceiving the audience )
and so the report ... recommended the taking of "appropriate corrective action with respect to the military officers concerned."
was also highly critical of Pentagon Chaplain Col. Ralph G. Benson, (who knowingly misled ) the DOD when he requested permission ... to film a video inside the Pentagon (which he used)...
to "attract new supporters" to the Christian Embassy, an evangelical organization that evangelizes members of the military and politicians in Washington, DC via daily Bible studies and outreach events.
Take care,
GORD.
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