Jesus, the US Army, the crusades, and extinguishing the light with a damn good sight and a biblical verse ...

(Above: I like this image so well I thought I'd give it a run to celebrate the impending Australia Day festivities. It was originally attached to a Think. Again advertisement for The Australian, but we're not given to promoting oxymoronic advertising. You can find the original here. Any resemblance to a campaign to make Australia safe for ayrians is entirely coincidental and unrelated to the story of the ongoing crusades below).

Dedicated as we are to eccentricities, the news that American guns are inscribed with bible codes and are being used by US forces, Afghans and their allies to fight the Taliban is just another frisson in the never-ending crusades, begun somewhere around 1095 when Pope Urban 11 launched the First Crusade to re-take Jerusalem from the Muslims.

Or so you might think if you headed off to Daniel Pipes' site to catch up on your Christians versus the Islamics feud.

But back to the weaponry, as reported by that deviant broadcaster Aljazeera in Bible codes in Afghan army guns:

The Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight rifle sights, used by New Zealand troops, carried references to Bible verses that appeared in raised lettering at the end of the sight stock number.

Markings included "JN8:12", a reference to John 8:12: "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life," according to the King James version of the Bible.

The Trijicon Reflex sight is stamped with 2COR4:6, a reference to part of the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians: "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 King James version reads.

Tom Munson, Trijicon's sales director, said: "We don't publicise this. It's not something we make a big deal out of. But when asked, we say, 'Yes, it's there'."

But it's not just the Kiwis, or the US or British forces. Brave Australian lads are also part of the crusade:

"The Department of Defence was unaware of the significance of the manufacturer's serial number," the spokesman said. "The sights were procured because they provide mature technology which is highly reliable, in wide use by our allies and best meet Defence requirements. Soldiers are confident in the utility of the sight and the positive and proven effect which it is having on operations."

... The ADF is investigating how to remove biblical references etched on to gunsights. (Australian Defence Force using bible verse-bearing guns against Taliban in Afghanistan).

Never mind, the notion that it's a crusade and that the weapons are the 'spiritually transformed firearms of Jesus Christ' has plenty of backing in the United States.

Here's a military official defending the notion in the New York Daily News:

U.S. military rules prohibit any service member from proselytizing while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, which are primarily Muslim nations.

But one top U.S. military official defended the inscriptions, saying it doesn't violate any rules.

"The perfect parallel that I see is between the statement that's on the back of our dollar bills, which is 'In God We Trust,' and we haven't moved away from that," said Maj. John Redfield, spokesman for the U.S. Central Command.

"Unless the equipment that's being used that has these inscriptions proved to be less than effective for soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and military folks using it, I wouldn't see why we would stop using that," he said.

The Daily News had the good sense to conduct a poll, and there was a substantial majority who ticked the 'yes' box for this question, with 58% at time of writing:

How do you feel about the fact that U.S. troops are using guns branded with Bible verse?

I am all for it. Our troops need all the support they can get -- God's especially.

Thank the lord. Now will someone tell those deluded Islamics who think god is on their side?

The surly recidivists and malingerers who took a different view could only rustle up 39% for this response:

I am against it. Military rules prohibit proselytizing, and this may offend civilians in Muslim nations.

Well credit where credit is due, it was ABC that broke the news, and if you want to see a transcript of their story, you can find it here, along with a complaint about their bias. And then it turned into an intertubes frenzy:

The Associated Press reported today that Trijicon has been putting the biblical references on the equipment for several decades, apparently with no complaints. "We believe that America is great when its people are good," the company's Web site states. "This goodness has been based on biblical standards throughout our history and we will strive to follow those morals." (Petraeus Tries to Quell 'Jesus' Gun Questions).

I've always thought killing people with unerring accuracy is exceptionally good too. I mean, so much more humane than just winging them and letting them limp through life.

Of course the brightest minds of Fox and Friends gives the issue a thorough going over (and so much for New Zealand helping out the US):

Gee, I wonder if they'll give up their day jobs and start designing rockets some day soon?

Meanwhile, how about this for an alternative inscription? I mean it's still Jesus friendly, but it just refers to the Satanists. No harm there?

Amore donatum, ad malum propulsandum (bestowed in love, to ward off evil).

Or how about that old Knights Templar favourite In hoc signo vinces?

Well I suppose it's more noble than 'die, motherfucker, die', which as any Bart Simpson Sideshow Bob aficionado will know means "the motherfucker the".

Anyhoo, it didn't take long for the company to buckle. Firm will remove Bible references from gun sights, notes the Washington Post (registration might be required):

A Michigan defense contractor will voluntarily stop stamping references to Bible verses on combat rifle sights made for the U.S. military, a major buyer of the company's gear.

In a statement released Thursday, Trijicon of Wixom, Mich., says it is also providing to the armed forces free of charge modification kits to remove the Scripture citations from the telescoping sights already in use. Through multimillion dollar contracts, the Marine Corps and Army have more than 300,000 Trijicon sights.

Dammit, and just when the crusades were cranking up a notch, and I was thinking Australian coppers should start quoting the bible at drunks on Australia day.

Thank the lord it's the weekend, and we can head into it knowing that, in the end, the stupidity of Christians knows no bounds, and is in fact verifiably as dumb as the stupidity of fundie Islamics.

It doesn't make for a happier world, but it does provide clarity and a handy guide for deciphering the squawkings on loon pond ...

Me? I'm voting lamb chop. It's the ayrian way ...