[Vision2020] Out of the pan and into the fire!

[Tom Hansen]

Try posting the entire article, Bear.

Courtesy of CNN at:

http://tinyurl.com/AfghanBibles

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Military burns unsolicited Bibles sent to Afghanistan

The unsolicited Bibles sent by a church in the United States were
confiscated about a year ago at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan because
military rules forbid troops of any religion from proselytizing while
deployed there, Lt. Col. Mark Wright said.

Such religious outreach can endanger American troops and civilians in the
devoutly Muslim nation, Wright said.

"The decision was made that it was a 'force protection' measure to throw
them away, because, if they did get out, it could be perceived by Afghans
that the U.S. government or the U.S. military was trying to convert
Muslims," Wright told CNN on Tuesday.

Troops at posts in war zones are required to burn their trash, Wright said.

The Bibles were written in the languages Pashto and Dari.

This decision came to light recently, after the Al Jazeera English network
aired video of a group prayer service and chapel sermon that a reporter
said suggested U.S. troops were being encouraged to spread Christianity.

The military denied that earlier this month, saying much in the video was
taken out of context.

"This was irresponsible and dangerous journalism sensationalizing year-old
footage of a religious service for U.S. soldiers on a U.S. base and
inferring that troops are evangelizing to Afghans," Col. Gregory Julian
said.

The military says a soldier at Bagram received the Bibles and didn't
realize he wasn't allowed to hand them out. In the Al Jazeera video, which
shows the Bibles at the prayer service, an unnamed soldier says members of
his church raised money for them.

The chaplain later corrected the soldier and confiscated the Bibles,
Wright said.

Military officers considered sending the Bibles back to the church, he
said, but they worried the church would turn around and send them to
another organization in Afghanistan -- giving the impression that they had
been distributed by the U.S. government.

That could lead to violence against troops or U.S. civilians, Wright said.

Al Jazeera English, a Qatar-based international news service, said its
reporters tried to get a response from military officials for its story
but were unable to do so.

The U.S. military air base at Bagram is home to thousands of troops from
all branches of the U.S. military. The vast majority of the troops do not
leave the base and are in various support roles for U.S. troops across
Afghanistan.

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Attempting to convert Afghans away from Islam is a crime in Afghanistan. 
But, then you already knew that, right Bear?

As questionable as the tactic that was used in "removing" the Bibles is
concerned, the spirit in which it was intended was justified in my
opinion.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown