I recently read of attempts by American soldiers stationed in Iraq to convert the Muslim locals to Christianity. Why am I not surprised at this turn of events. It was only a matter of time before this would happen. The U.S. military has already become a captive force of the American fundies, no doubt with the blessing of their Commander-in Chief, President Bush, who has dialogues with God and has said that his favorite philosopher is Jesus Christ.
An example of this religious zealotry is the takeover of the U.S. Air Force Academy by the Christian right as discussed by Michael Weinstein in his book With God on Our Side published in 2004. Mr. Weinstein found forced proselytizing Christian evangelicals to be rampant at the Academy and called for a stop to this practice. A subsequent report dated 2005 by Kate Randall states that the an investigation of this problem fell short of its job.
Then there is the recently retired Undersecretary of Defense General William Boykin. Boykin made a name for himself during his career by making inflammatory pro-evangelical Christian remarks, preaching in churches while dressed in uniform, which gave the impression that he was speaking for the entire U.S. military.
But it doesn't stop there. An American religious extremist movement called the Christian Embassy is recruiting military officers and civilian leaders to work in its behalf. To see the how these people have subordinated loyalty to America to their movement and the dangerous situation that this has created, click here.
Religious extremism in the military is something one might associate with places like Afghanistan or Pakistan. Who would think America now has its own homegrown counterpart to the Taliban and like the Taliban, hold no sense of duty to their country--just to their fanatical ideals.
