Is this true? Some US troops told to witness for jesus in Afghanistan

[Arjun]

Source: al Jazeera

US soldiers have been encouraged to spread the message of their Christian faith among Afghanistan's predominantly Muslim population, video footage obtained by Al Jazeera appears to show.

Military chaplains stationed in the US air base at Bagram were also filmed with bibles printed in the country's main Pashto and Dari languages.

In one recorded sermon, Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, the chief of the US military chaplains in Afghanistan, is seen telling soldiers that as followers of Jesus Christ, they all have a responsibility "to be witnesses for him".

"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," he says.
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It is not clear that the Bibles were distributed to Afghans, but Hughes said that none of the people he recorded in a series of sermons and Bible study classes appeared to able to speak Pashto or Dari.
"They weren't talking about learning how to speak Dari or Pashto, by reading the Bible and using that as the tool for language lessons," Hughes said.


"The only reason they would have these documents there was to distribute them to the Afghan people. And I knew it was wrong, and I knew that filming it … documenting it would be important."


Pentagon officials have so far not responded to a copy of the footage provided to them, but the distribution of Bibles in a place as politically sensitive as Afghanistan is bound to cause deep concern in Washington, our correspondent says.
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It is not clear if the presence of the Bibles and exhortations for soldiers to be "witnesses" for Jesus continues, but they were filmed a year ago despite regulations by the US military's Central Command that expressly forbid "proselytising of any religion, faith or practice".
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But in another piece of footage taken by Hughes, the chaplains appear to have found a way around the regulation known as General Order Number One.

"Do we know what it means to proselytise?" Captain Emmit Furner, a military chaplain, says to the gathering.


"It is General Order Number One," an unidentified soldier replies.


But Watt says "you can't proselytise but you can give gifts".


The footage also suggests US soldiers gave out Bibles in Iraq.



http://english.aljazeera.net/news/as...315854832.html

If this claim is true(and there is video supporting this), i think this is one of the stupidest things certain members of the military could do, in places like Afghanistan. on one hand, the military is trying to win hearts and minds, and in the other we get religious fundies trying to spread their religion while in uniform.


Its just going to make more people believe the al-qauida and the Taleban...who have always been warning that this is another "crusade".Even though we know that those claims are balony; with idiots like these doing their missionary work; while in the US uniform,the Average Afgani might have a hard time not believing the Talibans claims. And all of this even after being explicitly ordered not to proselytise.....

[Stavroforos]

If this is true, I'm surprised this is coming from US Army soldiers, though not surprised it's coming from Evangelicals.

[Exarch]

why am i not surprised,
this from america, a predominatly religious christian nutter land

[Admiral Piett]

why am i not surprised,
this from america, a predominatly religious christian nutter land

Studies vary, but I think just about 55% of the US population is Christian. Some studies say it may be around 70% but at least 15% of Christians are do not attend church and are not adamant. The Christian population is steadily falling.

[Exarch]

Studies vary, but I think just about 55% of the US population is Christian. Some studies say it may be around 70% but at least 15% of Christians are do not attend church and are not adamant. The Christian population is steadily falling.

good news
what these sldiers have done is disgusting, they should be forced to prmote a faith other than their own like hmmm wiccan

[Tiwaz]

Studies vary, but I think just about 55% of the US population is Christian. Some studies say it may be around 70% but at least 15% of Christians are do not attend church and are not adamant. The Christian population is steadily falling.

Put it in perspective. Around 90% of Finns belong to church, but mere 2-5% of that actually attend church at any notable level beyond your usual funeral/wedding thingy.

[Last Roman]

why am i not surprised,
this from america, a predominatly religious christian nutter land

sigh...

You clearly dont know the average American.

[justicar5]

sigh...

You clearly dont know the average American.

neither apparently do your politicans if it's not christian nutter land :p

[Last Roman]

neither apparently do your politicans if it's not christian nutter land :p

they like to think they do...

[Stalins Ghost]

Could they be any more stupid? Stuff like this just gives extremists legitimate ammunition in calling America's wars a crusade.

[Visna]

ing idiots.

[Каие]

Looks like they took the advice of Ann Coulter.

[Exarch]

any US soldiers 'witnessing' for christianity should have their eyes torn out with a fork

[Gromovnik]

any US soldiers 'witnessing' for christianity should have their eyes torn out with a fork

You're joking right?

[Dunecat]

You're joking right?

Who knows, IIRC he used to be hardcore Christian.

[Markas]

Wait, did jesus crash his chariot or something?

EDIT- ah right. I should read more than the title next time.

[Fiyenyaa]

This is going to cause problems. People are touchy about their faith, and I doubt this is going to go down well in the rest of the muslim world.

[ginge51]

This is going to cause problems. People are touchy about their faith, and I doubt this is going to go down well in the rest of the muslim world.

lol, i know most of these evangelical Christians are beyond whacks but, it would be nice for a change, given time to see some churches pop up in Muslim lands, see how they like it?
Like they have infested uus all with there mosques, most of us disagreed, yet they carried on and on and on building them.
I'm all for it even though i think religion as a whole im mind-numbingly pathetic and over the top.
Go Christians go

[Central Asian Qaghan]

lol, i know most of these evangelical Christians are beyond whacks but, it would be nice for a change, given time to see some churches pop up in Muslim lands, see how they like it?
Like they have infested uus all with there mosques, most of us disagreed, yet they carried on and on and on building them.
I'm all for it even though i think religion as a whole im mind-numbingly pathetic and over the top.
Go Christians go

If you forgot to read, Pakistan has chruches already from colonial eras and has a minority of Christanity. They do not complain, pay their taxes and live happily.

Last warning here, next time the advocation of murder is brought up it will be worth points. -Pontifex

[Exarch]

absolutely disgusting
these sldiers must give up a kidney or stem cells for research
then they must be placed in the weapons testing division to test new weapons on