Guess what?
US soldiers in Iraq (and other key locations on the “war against terror”) use guns that have bible passages inscribed on them. Let it sink in.
the military says “omg we had no idea this was going on!”
The gun manufacturers- who have signed a multi-BILLION dollar contract (for our tax dollars) by the way- just kinda shrug and say “yup, that’s what we do.”
The maker of these guns, Trijicon, has been putting bible references on their guns since 2003. They signed their contact to supply our military in 2005. You do the math.
I bet the same people who fail to understand that our interests in Iraq have always been based on oil, fail to understand that the United States government, under the leadership of that dumb fuck then-president George Bush declared holy war against Muslims; and here you thought it was about democracy.
I’m not even going to step into the whole “separation of church and state” piece as it relates to these guns AND what is on them, it’s so glaring.
Whether you support the war or not, you have to admit this is unacceptable- and that’s putting it mildly.
Our government insists on a regular basis that religion plays no part in what we do in these Muslim nations. That it’s about safety, capturing terrorists- you know the talking points as well as I.
It’s kind of hard to believe that- as an American, when the guns used by our military have bits of the bible stamped on them. Sure it’s small, sure it’s short handed- but it’s there.
Example: 2COR4:6
I could tell you what that means with my brain tied behind my back: Second Corinthians Chapter 4 verse 6. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness…”
I can imagine if I were a Muslim in Iraq, and I knew what was on those guns- I’d be upset. I’d tell everyone I knew. Everyone. Would that bode well for relations with America?
No.
Read more about this and see pictures of the inscriptions here.
I wasn’t familiar with the practice of inscribing religious rhetoric on guns during the MANUFACTURING process! (I was familiar with American soldiers taping Bible verses on their weapons and helmets once having received their government-issued materials.) THIS is a bit surprising. (Good to know, though.)
My quick reaction would be….as much as I disagree with it…it is consistent with historical European/American colonization and conquest. God, Gold, and Glory. The act of entering foreign lands and introducing “God” to the indigenious populations, while simultaneously taking the “gold” (wealth), and then writing a history that portrays the conquerors (thieves) as “glorious” is age-old. Manifest Destiny.
So, in short, I would say…at least the formula is consistent.
It’s really sad that people fail to see that they are being manipulated under the guise of faith. Christian people should be able to see through this cloud of “all that is Godly is good.”
There is nothing good about leaving future generations with the taste for vengeful blood in their mouth. That is what we’re doing when we align faith and war–we are saying our God is better than your God. You don’t have to be religious to see that that causes a deep-seeded hatred that is religiously based.
Jesus doesn’t belong on a gun no more than he belongs on a hand grenade.
I wish i could share some heavy insight or unique opinion, but i'd be lying if i said any of this surprised me. As far as murder is concerned there's no better way to justify the blood on your hands then to claim you're fulfilling God will (as if it required human malice). And as far as God is concerned, we long ago lost sight of his/her/it's "face" as far as im concerned.
@sah – please share! I know after reading an article in ABC news about this, I was instantly reminded of a knowledge drop from a lecture that I heard that discussed the definition of I.H.S.V. which is an acronym for a greek phrase that means "in this sign (the cross) you will conquer". You better believe that this was no mistake!
Stay focused people!
One!
Trijicon is a pretty small manufacturer. I’m for separation of church and state and as much as the next guy, but it’s not even on the guns; it’s on optical accessories. Swap out the opics and you remove the engraving.