[Vision2020] Onward Christian Soldiers: Christian Supremacists in the U.S. Military

Fri Nov 5 09:16:11 PDT 2010

Good points, Nick.  It's hard for me to understand how people seen as soldier aggressors can be viewed by those whose lands they've torn through as potential pastors . . . How do you "evangelize" with a machine gun on your back, in the company of people who terrify those whose country they occupy?

And, as ever, thanks to all of the honest veterans out there for their courage and sacrifice!

Keely
www.keely-prevailingwinds.com

Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2010 12:52:57 -0400
From: nickgier at roadrunner.com
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Onward Christian Soldiers: Christian Supremacists in the U.S. Military

Good Morning Visionaries:

This is my radio commentary/column for this week. The full version with one outrage after another is attached.

As we prepare to honor our veterans on Nov. 11, let us remember that one of the freedoms that some have given their lives for is the freedom of religion.  This is a comprehensive right that includes the freedom to have an unconventional religion or no religion at all.  As Thomas Jefferson wrote in Notes on Virginia: “It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” 

My next column is on women in the military and then there might be a third about military suicides and poor veterans care.

Thank you Tom and all other veterans on the Viz. for your service,

Nick

ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS: CHRISTIAN SUPREMACISTS IN THE U.S. MILITARY

Sometime in 2008 while serving in Afghanistan Sgt. Jon Watt received a shipment of bibles from his home church. They were obviously not meant for personal use, because they were in the Dari and Pastho language. They had no purpose other than to be distributed among Muslim Afghanis.

Documented on video by filmmaker Brian Hughes, Watt admitted that he had given away bibles while on a previous tour in Iraq. "I bought a carpet and then I gave the guy a bible after I conducted my business. The expressions that I got from the people in Iraq were just phenomenal. They were hungry for The Word."  

Central Command General Order No. 1 explicitly states that “proselytizing of any faith, religion or practice” is strictly forbidden.  In the video Sgt. Watt acknowledges the order but he defends his actions by saying that he was only giving the bibles as gifts.  
Every year the Gideons give out free New Testaments on our campuses, and Sgt. Watt is evangelizing just as much they are. He freely admits that the Iraqis were “hungry for The Word.”  Not only was Watt violating military code, he was also confirming many Muslims’ worst fears that the U.S. is involved in a world-wide crusade against Muslims. 

Gen. Cecil R. Richardson, the Air Force deputy chief of chaplains, believes that there is a distinction between proselytizing and evangelizing.  As he states: "We will not proselytize, but we reserve the right to evangelize the unchurched." 
In an interview with Richardson Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times (7-12-05) learned that proselytizing is “trying to convert someone in an aggressive way, while evangelizing is more gently sharing the gospel.” 

One might argue that is a very fine line to draw.  At church summer camp I felt coerced even by the soft sell that was offered. There are no conflicting freedoms here.  A soldier’s right not to be pressed on religious matters always overrides any chaplain’s right to evangelize.

The issue of evangelical Christians subverting military policy about proselytizing and respecting religious freedom came to light most dramatically at the Air Force Academy in 2005.  A Washington Post (5-13-05) story reported that some cadets complained about “insults aimed at Jews, Roman Catholics and non-evangelical cadets,” and reported a chaplain who declared that any cadet not born again would "burn in the fires of hell."

The Air Force Academy asked a delegation from Yale Divinity School to investigate these complaints, as well as charges of sexual assaults against female cadets.  Yale Prof. Kristen Leslie summarized their findings: "What we found was this very strong evangelical Christian voice dominating. We thought that just didn't make sense in light of their mission, which was to protect and train cadets, not to win religious converts."  The most egregious violation of religious neutrality was the "Team Jesus" banner hanging in the locker room of the Academy’s football team.

Chief chaplain Col. Michael Whittington was not happy with the Yale report, but Melinda Morton, a Lutheran minister and executive officer of the chaplain unit, agreed with the criticisms: “The evangelicals want to subvert the system. They have a very clear social and political agenda.” Whittington removed her from her position and arranged for her to be transferred to Okinawa.

In a June 2005 appearance before the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, Lt. Gen. John Rosa, Commander of the Air Force Academy, admitted that there had been problems with proselytizing and religious intolerance at his institution.  He told author Jeff Sharlet that “restoring constitutional principles to the academy would take at least six years.” 

When Sharlet interviewed Rosa’s successor Lt. Gen. John Regni in 2008, he asked him about First Amendment protections of religious freedom. Sharlet was amazed at the non-answer he received: “Regni consulted with two of his advisers, a colonel and a retired colonel, said they weren't quite familiar with those constitutional things, and ultimately decided to pass on the question.”

A Mormon (who prefers to remain anonymous) left the Marine Corps in the late 1990s primarily because he was tired of his faith being described as “wicked” and “Satanic.”  He received these slurs even from his commanding officers. He has now returned to military service and is training to become a chaplain so that he can minister to soldiers who feel that their religious beliefs are not being respected.

The principal task of a military chaplain is to provide pastoral care to service men and women of all faiths. If ministers want to evangelize, they should be called by a church, become a missionary, or get their own TV show.

Nick Gier taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years.

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