Tuesday, May 5, 2009

U.S. military says Afghan bibles have been destroyed

Not the first time Bibles have been destroyed, and it will not be the last. Someday even in North America Bibles will be destroyed, BUT GOD'S WORD WILL CONTINUE ON. jnh


U.S. military says Afghan bibles have been destroyed

A U.S. soldier of the 3rd Platoon Cherokee Troop from the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division patrols in Logar province Reuters – A U.S. soldier of the 3rd Platoon Cherokee Troop from the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division patrols …

KABUL (Reuters) – Bibles in Afghan languages sent to a U.S. soldier at a base in Afghanistan were confiscated and destroyed to ensure that troops did not breach regulations which forbid proselytizing, a military spokeswoman said.

The U.S. military has denied its soldiers tried to convert Afghans to Christianity, after Qatar-based Al Jazeera television showed soldiers at a bible class on a base with a stack of bibles translated into the local Pashto and Dari languages.

U.S. Central Command's General Order Number 1 forbids troops on active duty -- including all those based in Iraq and Afghanistan -- from trying to convert people to another religion.

"I can now confirm that the Bibles shown on Al Jazeera's clip were, in fact, collected by the chaplains and later destroyed. They were never distributed," spokeswoman Major Jennifer Willis said at Bagram air base, north of Kabul.

Military officials have said the bibles were sent through private mail to an evangelical Christian soldier by his church back home. The soldier brought them to the bible study class where they were filmed.

Trying to convert Muslims to another faith is a crime in Afghanistan. An Afghan man who converted to Christianity was sentenced to death for apostasy in 2006 but was allowed to leave the country after an international uproar.

"It certainly is, from the United States military's perspective, not our position to ever push any specific kind of religion, period," chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen told a Pentagon briefing Monday.

(Reporting by Peter Graff)

4 comments:

Faith Baptist said...

Let me get this straight. It's OK for the U.S. to destroy Bibles, but there is nearly a holy war if we deface or destroy a Muslim holy book?

Bro. Jeff Hallmark said...

Pastor Carl, SAD but true.

Bike Penguin said...

Hmm.. we won't allow God's Word to be present, but we want to be praying for God's hand of protection out there? I really don't see why God is obligated to do that especially when we continually reject Him.

Bro. Jeff Hallmark said...

Jesse, I don't think that God is obligated, other then just His mercy. Regena and I have our youngest son there in Afghan with Uncle Sam Army. We pray alot for him and all soldiers, US, Canadian and others.

btw, there have been some Afghans converted and trust Christ, and that is worth the whole world.

Thanks for your comment