US defence chiefs have quietly dropped one of the more unusual features of the Bush administration, a Bible quotation on the cover of daily intelligence reports sent to the White House.
The briefings prepared for president George Bush which carried Bible quotes focused largely on the war in Iraq. The quotes apparently aimed to support the president when soldiers’ deaths in Iraq were on the rise, according to the June issue of GQ magazine. But they offended at least one Muslim analyst at the Pentagon and worried other employees that the passages were inappropriate.
On Thursday, April 10th, 2003, for example, the report quoted the Book of Psalms – “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him . . . To deliver their soul from death.” It featured pictures of the statue of Saddam Hussein being pulled down in Baghdad.
“Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand,” read the cover quote two weeks earlier, on March 31st, above a picture of a US tank driving through the desert
The Rev Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State said: “Depicting the Iraq conflict as some sort of holy war is completely outrageous.
“It’s contrary to the constitutional separation of religion and government, and it’s tremendously damaging to America’s reputation in the world.” – (AP)