“The biblical verse (JN8:12) must be removed utilizing a Dremel type tool and then painted black.”
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. ~ John 8:12For 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. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:6
Photo Credit: Fox News’ Todd Starnes
Billy Hallowell, TheBlaze — Questions surrounding purported attacks on faith in the United States military continue to abound. Over the past few years, many critics have decried perceived attempts to remove Judeo-Christian values from the ranks. A new report claiming that the Army has mandated that troops remove Bible inscriptions from their weapon scopes will likely only add to the debate.Fox News’ Todd Starnes is reporting that soldiers were recently told to turn in their scopes so that a Biblical inscription purportedly etched into serial numbers could be removed. Active-duty members of the Army at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska, apparently reached out to let the outlet to shed light upon the situation.
Photo Credit: Fox News’ Todd Starnes
Starnes has more about the lengths to which officials went to ensure that these verses were no longer visible:
The scopes were made by Trijicon and referenced New Testament passages in John 8:12 and Second Corinthians 4:6. The verses appeared at the end of the scope serial numbers – “JN8:12” and “2COR4:6.”While the story seems unbelievable on the surface, Starnes reports that an Army spokesman confirmed the report in a written statement.
“The biblical verse (JN8:12) must be removed utilizing a Dremel type tool and then painted black,” read instructions on how to remedy the matter.
After the letters and numbers were scrapped off, soldiers were directed to use apply black paint to ensure the verses were totally covered.
At issue was the notion that the military was purportedly not notified by Trijicon before the verses were placed at the end of series numbers. But the contention seems to stretch beyond that, as spokesman Matthew Bourke also told Starnes that the Bible inscriptions will be removed from all future weapons orders.
Photo Credit: Fox News’ Todd Starnes
“The vendor etched those inscriptions on scopes without the Army’s approval. Consequently, the modified scopes did not meet the requirement under which the contract was executed,” wrote Bourke.
“Some of these scopes had already been fielded. Corrective measures were taken to remove inscriptions during the RESET/PRESET process in order to avoid a disruption in combat operations,” he added. » Source
Read the entire report here.
(H/T: Weasel Zippers)
» TheBlaze
» Billy Hallowell Article Archive
About the Author
Billy Hallowell has been working in journalism and media for more than a decade. His writings have appeared in Human Events, Mediaite and on FOXNews.com, among other outlets. Hallowell has a B.A. in journalism and broadcasting from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York and an M.S. in social research from Hunter College in Manhattan, New York. He is the founder of Pathufind Media and lives just outside NYC with his wife. You can find him on Twitter @BillyHallowell.
Other Breaking News Items On TheBlaze
» Was Watertown’s Door-to-Door Search for Bombing Suspects a Violation of the Fourth Amendment?
» Gosnell Acquitted on 3 Counts of Murder, 5 Counts of Corpse Abuse in Grisly Murder Trial
» Ann Coulter on Bombing Suspect’s Wife: ‘She Ought to Be in Prison for Wearing a Hijab’ and…