US Military Accused of Promoting Christianity

By Dr. Aslam Abdullah, TMO Editor-in-Chief

What is the difference between the US military stationed in Afghanistan and the missionaries sent to different parts of the world to spread the words of Jesus as recorded under the dictates of the Roman empire by some his followers, 100 years after his departure from the physical world.The difference is huge. The US military has lethal weapons to force their ideas upon an illiterate population, while the missionaries have a carrot to heal their wounds.

According to well documented news reports, the U.S. Soldiers are being encouraged to spread the message of their Christian faith among Afghanistan’s predominantly Muslim population.   Aljazeera showed Military chaplains stationed in the U.S. air base at Bagram with Bibles printed in the country’s main Pashto and Dari languages.

In one recorded sermon, Lt. Col. Gary Hensley, the chief of the U.S. military chaplains in Afghanistan, is seen telling Soldiers that as followers of Jesus Christ, they all have a responsibility “to be witnesses for him”. “The special forces guys — they hunt men basically. We do the same things as Christians, we hunt people for Jesus. We do, we hunt them down,” he says. “Get the hound of heaven after them, so we get them into the kingdom. That’s what we do, that’s our business.” he asserts.

We, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists and agnostics, pay taxes so that the US military spread the world of Gospel. We are led to believe that we have a form of government where religion and politics are two separate entities and the resources of a state would not be used to serve the interest of one or the other religion. But that is theory and the practice is somewhat different. This practice is an abuse of the US constitution and its resources and it deserves a full congressional hearing.

Congress will act only when it feels the pressure from its constituents. But most constituents are not aware of what is happening in Afghanistan and Iraq in the name of war on terror. Unless this issue is taken seriously and fully investigated, our tax dollars would be spent for purposes they were not meant to be. It is not a Muslim vs Christian issue. It is an issue of abusing power and the national resources. It is an issue where someone is violating the laws of the land and the constitution. As Americans, we must demand that such culprits are brought to justice. If this situation is not stopped, it would have serious impact on the morale of our soldiers belonging to other than Christian faiths. It will divide the military on religious lines and its consquences will be felt by the country as a whole.

Apparently, It is not only the security that the US military is concerned with, it is also the spread of the Christianity that it is being asked to focus. Obviously, in the military manual one would not find any reference to this proselytism, but in the sermons of Chaplains, this is reflected, In several Churches across the US, pastors and preachers describe America as “City on the Hill” or the “Promised Land.” Some even suggest that America was created to destroy false religions specially Islam.

Some even say that non-Christians are infidels and they do not deserve the same rights as Christians do. These small and big town preachers have already contaminated the minds of millions of Church goers. Children are exposed to this message from their childhood. They grow up in a culture of hatred towards others.

From amongst these children come the largest number of soldiers in the army. So when a chaplain encourages them to spread the Gospel, they are not hesitant, because this is what they have heard through life. Since non Christians would not attend these sermons, they would not know what is happening. Moreover, the Bible and the religious literature meant to be distributed is not be stored at the military facilities, rather it is with the missionaries, who would provide all sort of support to such soldiers.

The news reports exposing such religious zealots deserve to be looked into seriously.Our tax dollars are collected not to promote a particular faith but to protect all faiths from such abuses. Now, the abuse is well documented, the Pentagon and the Obama Administration must act in defense of the constitution.

11-20