Windy Sydney

I have mentioned this story before, but I came across an article Christopher Hitchens wrote about the topic. It was linked in Christian Nightmares, be sure to check out that website if you haven't already. It's amazing. For the entire article in Vanity Fair, click here.

Some of the things that made me cringe?

...Lieutenant Colonel Gary Hensley, chief of the United States’ military chaplains in Afghanistan. He was telling his evangelical audience, all of them wearing uniforms supplied by the taxpayer, that as followers of Jesus Christ they had a collective responsibility “to be witnesses for him.” Heating up this theme, Lieutenant Colonel Hensley went on: “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. Get the hound of heaven after them, so we get them in the kingdom. Right? That’s what we do, that’s our business.”

Holy Shit, right?

No, Hensley, your job is to fight the war on terror and come home safely to your family and friends. You job is to protect America from those who want to do harm to it.

It is *not* your job to go to other countries and "witness" to people who are already devoutly religious. Do you not see how fucking arrogant that is?



I would like to know this Chaplain's thoughts if a large group of Muslims came to the Unites States and started sharing their word with American children.

No wonder so much of the world thinks our heads are up our asses.

A certain Sergeant James Watt, a candidate for a military chaplaincy, is shown giving thanks for the work of his back-home church, which subscribed the dough. “I also want to praise God because my church collected some money to get Bibles for Afghanistan. They came and sent the money out,” he beamingly tells his Bible-study class. In another segment, those present show quite clearly that they understand they are in danger of violating General Order Number One of the U.S. Central Command, which explicitly prohibits “proselytizing of any religion, faith, or practice.” A gathering of chaplains, all of them fed from the public trough, is addressed by Captain Emmit Furner, a military cleric who seems half in love with his own light-footed moral dexterity. “Do we know what it means to proselytize?” he asks his audience. A voice from the audience is heard to say, “It is General Order Number One.” To this Sergeant Watt replies: “You can’t proselytize but you can give gifts.… I bought a carpet and then I gave the guy a Bible after I conducted my business.”

Again, it shows that they know what they are doing is wrong according to the instructions given to them by the US Military. They just weasel their way around it.

...A Pentecostal chaplain warned cadets that they should accept Christ or “burn in hell.” About the latter incident, the air-force investigative panel decided to be lenient, on the perfectly good grounds that such language is “not uncommon” in this denomination.

I hate religion.

I hate it sooooo much.