ABC has a truly bizarre and disturbing story. Brian Ross reports that a military contractor has encoded hidden New Testament Bible passages on high-powered rifle sites. The contractor is Trijicon, which apparently confirmed the practice.
The biblical references appear as, in one case, 2COR4:6 — an apparent reference to Second Corinthians 4:6 of the New Testament, which reads: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
The company received $660 million under a contract to supply 800,000 sights to the Marine Corps. It has other contracts with the Army.
U.S. regulations prohibits proselytizing of any religion. Moreover, such additions to military equipment should violate the contract which presumably did not ask for biblical citations with gun sights.
The use of biblical citations will only reaffirm the view of many that the U.S. went into Iraq and Afghanistan on a “crusade.” This view was magnified by Bush calling its a crusade and later citing Biblical passages to convince other leaders that this was a worthy, if not divinely ordained, effort. His subordinates appeared to keep Bush in a Biblical mindset by adding prominent quotations from the Bible in reports on the war, here.
In my view, this raises serious legal questions that should result in a review of this contract. As a minimum, the contractor should have to pay for the removal of the citations. We have to able to trust contractors not to carry out their hidden or religious agenda as part of a contract with the American people. Just imagine if these were citation to the Koran. If the company wishes to proselytize it should do so with theocratic governments. Perhaps the Swiss Guards that the Vatican need a few sights and citations.
For the full story, click here.
ThirtyPercenter
“* Quoting from the Torah (a book with instructions for the Jews) instead of the teachings of Christ in order to twist and conceal the actual teachings of Christ”
Quoting Jesus quoting from the Torah and (was it?)Isaiah among others-that’s ok?
Just want to be clear on what’s allowed.
I remember the old joke about the guy who’s going to find out God’s will by flipping through the Bible and landing his finger on a verse.
The first one said ,”And Judas went out and hanged himself.”
The second said, “Go and do likewise.”
The third said,” Whatsoever ye do, do quickly.”
You’re extracting asymmetry from a purely symmetric argument?
Why is it that those condemning the Christian belief on the left, use the same dishonest tactics to discredit it as those on the right use to twist it?
Dishonesty seems to be their only tool.
Well, let’s just get the ball rolling here…
“And the fact that at no time during the early church did Paul ever call for a single person to be killed”…,
No, he just held the jackets of the other guys who were killing Christians.” – Pinandpuller
And behold, yet another example of someone attacking Christianity by twisting the facts.
We were referring to the “Apostle Paul” and his teachings as the Apostle Paul.
Not his pre-Christian Pagan life.
“Paul” never did any such thing.
“Paul” was “SAUL’S” converted name after his vision of the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. Saul persecuted Christians. Paul did not.
ThirtyPercenter
Speaking of Paul, one might wonder why you continue to kick against the pricks.
ThirtyPercenter
Well, let’s just get the ball rolling here…
“And the fact that at no time during the early church did Paul ever call for a single person to be killed”…,
No, he just held the jackets of the other guys who were killing Christians.
“The fact is most of those out there condemning Christianity don’t have the knowledge about the topic, to be doing so. Like the Neoconservatives who twist the scriptures for their own purposes, and misquote and turn to the Torah to condemn the Christians, so to do we see people in blogs across the web twisting the scriptures, misquoting them (as we saw Mespo do the other day, something he’s yet to offer an explanation for) and reading from the Torah to condemn that which they do not understand.”
I’m just gonna take a guess here, but I think that people are saying that since Jesus said “I and my Father are one”, and John says,”The Word was with God and the Word was God,” that the I AM from the Torah is also Jesus of the Gospels.
“The only 4 books in the Bible which contain the instructions of the man who started Christianity, Christ, …. are found in Matthew, Mark Luke and John.”
You know, my aunt converted to Judaeism and at the wedding, in deference to my family, they stomped on a beer can.
I would be interested to know your views about Christians serving in the military. I don’t remember Jesus telling the centurion to quit his day job but I might have missed that part.
If you consider this mocking and abuse then you should consider yourself fortunate-but then again that’s Paul in Acts and I haven’t nailed down your stance there yet, so to speak.
Would we be applauding if the verse cited was Isaiah 2:4?
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Just a thought.
The irony here of course is that for years now the Neoconservatives have been doing the same thing we see this mespo person doing.
* Editing scriptures and removing key parts and context in order to fit their meanings
* Quoting from the Torah (a book with instructions for the Jews) instead of the teachings of Christ in order to twist and conceal the actual teachings of Christ.
Every day Neoconservative preachers and Evangelical loons stand before the pulpit and preach hate, war, prejudice, etc and they do it by ignoring the 4 Gospels, (the only place where Christs instructions for those who would follow him exist) and instead leveraging scriptures from the Torah and of course by misquoting or editing scriptures to fit their meanings.
It is therefore unfortunate that we see those in liberal leaning blogs doing likewise, in order to condemn Christianity.
Honesty is all it takes when addressing the Gospel of Christ. You don’t have to believe it to be honest about it. But for some reason people struggle with that. Like we see here, with this arms manufacturer twisting scriptures to fit his meanings so he can stamp them on weapons of death.
Mespo.
So the rest of the blog isn’t deceived, you might actually want to post the comment.
You just posted a link to a thread with 365 comments in it.
That’s a good way to bury your deception, by pretending you answered my question.
How about actually posting the comment you’re referring to so people (and myself) don’t have to read 365 comments to figure out what you’re referring to.
You edited Mark 7:10.
You removed the first half of the verse.
Why did you do that?
Mespo:
arguing with 30%er is definitely lite duty. Did you injure yourself recently? Or maybe a fever?
I hope you get better soon.
30%’er:
So the rest of the blog isn’t deceived that I somehow avoided your “question,” I ‘ll reference the reply for them:
http://jonathanturley.org/2010/01/14/pat-robertson-haitians-were-punished-by-god-for-pact-with-the-devil/
“You really need to get out of that religious tizzy you’re in and look in the thread where you asked you rather unlettered question. I can find it for you if your research is limited to only one book.
” mespo
No, you really need to get out of your anti-religious tizzy and explain to me why you edit scriptures, removing key parts to fit your meanings.
You asked me a question first in this thread.
If you need help finding that, I can repost your question.
When you can find the wherewithal to explain why you edited Mark 7:10, removing the first half of the verse to fit your meanings, let me know.
30%’er:
“I’m still waiting for an explanation from you for editing Mark 7:10 and REMOVING the first half of the verse in order to make your point.”
******************
You really need to get out of that religious tizzy you’re in and look in the thread where you asked you rather unlettered question. I can find it for you if your research is limited to only one book.
”
Duh:
“Be careful Mespo. If you don’t agree with 30%er, you’ll soon join the ranks of the neocon trolls.”
**************
It’s a dream I have.” – mespo727272
Well given your troll like bombardment of misquotations and insistence on quoting the Torah to mock Christianity, and the fact that you “edit” verses to fit your meanings, and the fact that you dodge answering, disappearing for days only to return with a new barrage of misdirections and quotes from the Torah to condemn Christians, I’d say you’re making a pretty good effort thus far.
Duh:
And Mespo?
I’m still waiting for an explanation from you for editing Mark 7:10 and REMOVING the first half of the verse in order to make your point.
I’ve been patiently waiting for days now for you to explain your actions there.
So rather than trying to keep moving the goal posts a little further down the field, and trying to play 1000 questions with me, and considering I’ve already painstakingly answered each and every one of your questions thus far, …..isn’t it about time for you to answer that one sole question of mine?
Seems only fair.
So please explain to us all why you removed the first half of Mark 7:10.
Please explain why you cut the verse in half, removing the part that showed Jesus was merely quoting Moses.
30%’er:
“Quoting Deuteronomy, a book from the Law of Moses that contains instructions for Rabbis and Jews as a means to condemn Christianity is like quoting from a Hayne’s manual on a Ford to work on your Chevy.
Two different books. Two different cars.
The Torah is a book for the Jews.
So quoting from the Torah to strengthen your condemnation of Christianity is absurd.”
********************
I thought Christians followed the entire Bible. Now I learn they only have to follow the second half. So it’s the Jews who are really the blood thirsty ones. Now I get it. I need to get a hold of the Pope and the leaders of the various Protestant denominations to tell them about this revelation. They are still laboring under the myth that they must follow the entire thing. I told you I like your version of Christianity the best–less to remember.
With regards to Romans, 1:32, Paul simply spells out many of sins that in his estimation, are “worthy” of death.
He does not “order” their deaths.
He does not “call” for their deaths.
And the fact that at no time during the early church did Paul ever call for a single person to be killed, nor did any of the other Apostles, your attempts to paint that as anything more than Paul expounding on sin is disingenuous at best.
The fact is most of those out there condemning Christianity don’t have the knowledge about the topic, to be doing so. Like the Neoconservatives who twist the scriptures for their own purposes, and misquote and turn to the Torah to condemn the Christians, so to do we see people in blogs across the web twisting the scriptures, misquoting them (as we saw Mespo do the other day, something he’s yet to offer an explanation for) and reading from the Torah to condemn that which they do not understand.
The only 4 books in the Bible which contain the instructions of the man who started Christianity, Christ, …. are found in Matthew, Mark Luke and John.
“You are a soldier looking through a scope to kill your fellow man and you see a biblical verse at the same time?”
NO! There is no verse to be seen. The reference to a bible verse is within what looks like a serial number on the frame of the sight.
If it had the text from the bible on the sight, or in the view, I’d say it would be in direct violation of GO #1. That is not the case.