I'm late to this party, I realize. Certainly by now you've likely heard of Trijicon, Inc. They make rifle scopes, specifically the kind used by the US military in overseas operations. So far, so good--the military needs rifle scopes; Trijicon provides them. It came to light recently, however, that the company provided just a bit more than quality rifle scopes that shine a light to pinpoint targets.
Etched into the Trijicon scopes were a series of letters and numbers, such as 2COR4:6 or JN8:12, which (for those in the know) refer to biblical scriptures. Respectively the verses are as follows: "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" and "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"
Cute, no? Except that, as we wage two wars in Muslim countries, we're doing our best to dispel the notion that our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan are Christian Crusades against Islam. What better way to undermine that attempt than to inscribe christocentric verse references onto our weapons?
Now, I can perhaps understand soldiers who are Christians wishing to keep a reminder of their faith close to them--a crucifix, a cross, even a reference to some scripture. Let's be clear, though: these aren't comfort scriptures (e.g., "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet" or "When I am afraid I will trust in thee"). These are evangelism scriptures--turn to Jesus, the light of the world. But here's the creepy thing: the references look basically like hidden code, etched right next to other series of numbers and codes. You almost wouldn't know what they mean if you don't know what you're looking for.
I'm not privy to the rationale behind the little easter eggs from Trijicon. I can only guess that someone in the company imagined a scenario in which a backslider or atheist happened to see the reference, recognize it as scripture, and look it up, thereby opening the door to the Holy Spirit's saving influence. Crazy as it may sound, such a narrative resonates exactly with many of the "how-I-got-saved" testimonials of my Baptist childhood.
Instead of converting, however, some soldiers who noticed and recognized the codes notified a group called the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF). Now, at first glance I assumed this group (like many other organizations mobilizing religious freedom rhetoric) supported the Trijicon inscriptions. Quite the opposite turns out to be the case. The MRFF defines religious freedom within the military very strictly, watching for any indication that one religion (i.e., Christianity) be seen as the "official" or "establishment" faith. The MRFF proceeded to contact media groups, who spotlighted the inscriptions. Public outcry (mostly against) followed, followed by military embarrassment (how could they not know this was going on, now?), followed by a declaration by Trijicon that they would cease and desist inscriptions as well as providing "kits" to remove the inscriptions from the 300,000+existing scopes.
Hopefully the foolishness of stamping US gun sights with Christian proselytics goes without saying, and if it doesn't, this first person editorial by Iraqi War veteran Benjamin Busch says it very well. Particularly quotable from Mr. Busch:
"I did not go onward as a Christian soldier. I went forth as an American, a Marine. I was sent by my country to fight a threat, and thereafter with the best intentions of democracy, not theocracy."Stamping military weapons with Christian scriptures sends a chilling message, twisting a mission intended (ostensibly) to prevent attacks into the opening moves of a Christian holy war. Busch ends with a quote from Matthew, Jesus's command to love our enemies, noting that this quote was not inscribed on the rifles.
Meanwhile, segments the political religious right predictably interprets criticism of Trijicon as yet another attack on Christianity itself. Missing from this article is any inquiry about whether gun scopes are the best place for messages about Jesus. Also missing: if this is supposed to be evangelism (as is now claimed), why hide it? I know that evangelicals seek new ways to get their message out in a world they consider increasingly hostile to conservative Christianity. But at what point does the imperative to witness override considerations about tactics? Nothing about this situation makes Christianity look good. It's slimy proselytics, faith passive-aggressively sneaking a coded sales pitch into a mechanism functionally at odds with the task of spreading a gospel of peace and love.
Oh, Christianity...
More tomorrow,
JF
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