US Military Burn Bibles/Bodybuilders Flee

Fake

Okay, the return of Vinyl Man who has received thousands of hits on this site.

Leuther, Germany (photo from trekearth.com)

Bibles burned by United States military

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CNN

From CNN:

'UPDATED: 03:32 AM EDT 05.20.09

Military personnel threw away, and ultimately burned, confiscated Bibles that were printed in the two most common Afghan languages amid concern they would be used to try to convert Afghans, a Defense Department spokesman said Tuesday.

The unsolicited Bibles sent by a church in the United States were confiscated about a year ago at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan because military rules forbid troops of any religion from proselytizing while deployed there, Lt. Col. Mark Wright said.

Such religious outreach can endanger American troops and civilians in the devoutly Muslim nation, Wright said.

"The decision was made that it was a 'force protection' measure to throw them away, because, if they did get out, it could be perceived by Afghans that the U.S. government or the U.S. military was trying to convert Muslims," Wright told CNN on Tuesday.

Troops at posts in war zones are required to burn their trash, Wright said...'

'This decision came to light recently, after the Al Jazeera English network aired video of a group prayer service and chapel sermon that a reporter said suggested U.S. troops were being encouraged to spread Christianity.

The military denied that earlier this month, saying much in the video was taken out of context.

"This was irresponsible and dangerous journalism sensationalizing year-old footage of a religious service for U.S. soldiers on a U.S. base and inferring that troops are evangelizing to Afghans," Col. Gregory Julian said.

The military says a soldier at Bagram received the Bibles and didn't realize he wasn't allowed to hand them out. In the Al Jazeera video, which shows the Bibles at the prayer service, an unnamed soldier says members of his church raised money for them.

The chaplain later corrected the soldier and confiscated the Bibles, Wright said.

Military officers considered sending the Bibles back to the church, he said, but they worried the church would turn around and send them to another organization in Afghanistan -- giving the impression that they had been distributed by the U.S. government.

That could lead to violence against troops or U.S. civilians, Wright said...'

'Military personnel threw away, and ultimately burned, confiscated Bibles that were printed in the two most common Afghan languages amid concern they would be used to try to convert Afghans, a Defense Department spokesman said Tuesday.

Hmm, this is a good indicator for my young American friends out there that combining the careers of overseas US military member and aspiring hyper-charismatic radio/televangelist would not be a very good idea.

It is a terrible thing to burn Bibles. I certainly would have found a better answer for the problem even if it meant having Bibles shipped or driven out of Afghanistan.

Imagine if someone did mix the careers of being a member of the US military with being a hyper-charismatic televangelist in training, the prayer towels, holy water, and prayer letters from the mail that would have had to be trashed.

Perhaps burning some books with heretical teaching might not be all bad. But, please understand I would rather collect books with heretical teaching for research than burn them. I have a few in my library (fill in the blank) that could be easily be burned on theological grounds but my fireplace is a gas fire and it would make too much of a mess in the living room and as stated I like collecting books for research purposes.

Also, if one fell over at the hands of a hyper-charismatic soldier, would it be because the person on the ground was healed, stabbed, or shot?

Could the future televangelist in training heal one that he or she just stabbed or shot?

'Troops at posts in war zones are required to burn their trash, Wright said.'

I would never consider Bibles trash.

'Military officers considered sending the Bibles back to the church, he said, but they worried the church would turn around and send them to another organization in Afghanistan -- giving the impression that they had been distributed by the U.S. government.

That could lead to violence against troops or U.S. civilians, Wright said.'
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Hmm, this sounds tricky. This may put quite a few restrictions on evangelism in that area.

Bodybuilders 'split' when they see drug testers

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CBC

From CBC:

'Last Updated: Monday, May 18, 2009 4:00 PM ET

The Belgian bodybuilding championship has been cancelled after doping officials showed up and all the competitors fled.'

Oh no a 'roid' filled bodybuilding competition was cancelled...what a loss.

The Mr. Belgium Pageant was cancelled.

'The bodybuilders just grabbed their gear and ran off when a doping official came into the room, according to officials.

"I have never seen anything like it and hope never to see anything like it again," said doping official Hans Cooman.

Twenty bodybuilders were entered in the weekend competition...

Belgium's bodybuilding federation did not dispute the facts, but said it could not explain why the competitors had suddenly rushed off...

During testing of bodybuilding events last year, doping authorities of northern Belgium's Flanders region found that three-quarters of the competitors tested positive.'
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This would be the result if you mixed dog shows with bodybuilding shows.