http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-aslan22aug22,1,3708009.story (“Not so fast, Christian soldiers”)

– points to the effects this crusadifying is already having in the area, Turkey for example:

The extent to which such relationships have damaged international goodwill toward the U.S. is beyond measure. As the inspector general noted, a leading Turkish newspaper, Sabah, published an article on Air Force Maj. Gen. Peter Sutton, who is the U.S. liaison to the Turkish military — and who appeared in the Christian Embassy video. The article described Christian Embassy as a “radical fundamentalist sect,” perhaps irreparably damaging Sutton’s primary job objective of building closer ties to the Turkish General Staff, which has expressed alarm at the influence of fundamentalist Christian groups inside the U.S. military.

Our military personnel swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, not the Bible. Yet by turning a blind eye to OSU and Christian Embassy activities, the Pentagon is, in essence, endorsing their proselytizing. And sometimes it’s more explicit than that.

That certainly was the case with Army Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin, deputy undersecretary of Defense for intelligence. The Pentagon put him in charge of the hunt for Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda in 2003. The same year, Boykin was found to be touring American churches, where he gave speeches — in uniform — casting the Iraq war in end-times terms. “We’re in is a spiritual battle,” he told one congregation in Oregon. “Satan wants to destroy this nation . . . and he wants to destroy us as a Christian army.” The story wound up in newspapers, magazines and on “60 Minutes.” And, of course, it was reported all over the Muslim world. The Pentagon reacted with a collective shrug.

Army chaplain offers baptisms, baths
BY MEG LAUGHLIN
Fri, Apr. 04, 2003
Miami Herald

CAMP BUSHMASTER, Iraq – In this dry desert world near Najaf, where the Army V Corps combat support system sprawls across miles of scabrous dust, there’s an oasis of sorts: a 500-gallon pool of pristine, cool water.

It belongs to Army chaplain Josh Llano of Houston, who sees the water shortage, which has kept thousands of filthy soldiers from bathing for weeks, as an opportunity.

”It’s simple. They want water. I have it, as long as they agree to get baptized,” he said.

And agree they do. Every day, soldiers take the plunge for the Lord and come up clean for the first time in weeks.

”They do appear physically and spiritually cleansed,” Llano said.

First, though, the soldiers have to go to one of Llano’s hour-and-a-half sermons in his dirt-floor tent. Then the baptism takes an hour of quoting from the Bible.

”Regardless of their motives,” Llano said, “I get the chance to take them closer to the Lord.”

A blue-eyed 32-year-old with an abundance of energy, Llano goes out every day to drum up grimy soldiers for his pool.

He talks to truck drivers, tank drivers, computer specialists — anyone and everyone. He goes out to the combat zone to the fighting soldiers and the combat support soldiers who keep them in supplies.

”You have to be aggressive to help people find themselves in God,” he said.

He calls himself a ”Southern Baptist evangelist,” and justifies the war and killing with a verse from the Gospel of Matthew, which he often recites: “Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that
are God’s.

”This means we are called upon by our government to fight and that is giving unto Caesar, as the Bible tells us,” he said.

Earlier this week, word went out that portable showers might be installed here soon, but Llano was undaunted.

”There is no fruit out here, and I have a stash of raisins, juice boxes and fruit rolls to pull out,” the chaplain said optimistically.

What your comment shows me is that you didn’t read up on The Family. If you already are familiar with Opus Dei, then you couldn’t help but to see the similarities. They are not identical, and I didn’t imply that.

I’m open to education, so give it your best shot. However, that one phrase is not at all the gist of what I’m saying here and I’m not interested in debating such a minor point.

Offending members of any religion is one the things that least concerns me. Others of those things include (but are not limited to) politicians of any stripe, corporations, government, military…you get the idea. I don’t enjoy offending people, but sometimes offense is just the fallout when you think something has to be said.