ABC News, Coded Scriptures on Weapons, and Literalism

It seems that conspiracy theories on conspiracy theories abound today. Some fundamentalists are accusing ABC-News of resorting to conspiracy theories in the story of bible verses on military weapons:

Trijicon of Wixom, Michigan, confirmed to ABCNews.com that it adds the biblical codes to the sights sold to the U.S. military. The company says the practice began under the company founder, Glyn Bindon, a devout Christian from South Africa who was killed in a 2003 plane crash. The company’s vision is described on its web site as, “Guided by our values, we endeavor to have our products used wherever precision aiming solutions are required to protect individual freedom.” (ABC News) Read the Secret ‘Jesus’ Messages on U.S. Military Weapons – ABC News.

ABC used the words ‘coded’ because, well, they are. They are made a part of the weapon’s serial numbers. It would seem that literalism which requires one only to insert their desired culture preference into the text is now bleeding into news articles. A code, in part, is defined as ‘a system for communication by telegraph, heliograph, etc., in which long and short sounds, light flashes, etc., are used to symbolize the content of a message. Seems to me, that the inserting the verses as they did into the serial numbers can fall into that category.

This is what ABC said:

Coded references to New Testament Bible passages about Jesus Christ are inscribed on high-powered rifle sights provided to the United States military by a Michigan company, an ABC News investigation has found. (Read the rest here)

As the verses were inserted into the serial number on scopes used to target people for death, albeit in a military operation, which is contrary to military code, ‘code’ is adequate.

Posted on January 19, 2010 at 11:59 am by Joel · Permalink
In: Religion and Politics · Tagged with: 
  • http://goulablogger.wordpress.com/ Chuck Grantham

    I find the mix of weapons and Christianity strange, though it has always been with us. A number of early “saints” were soldiers (typically martyred for their faith) and it’s a stereotype to say medieval knights thought “those who live by the sword shall die by the sword” a great comfort.

    I can’t say I’ve ever thought deeply on the notion of just war, but obviously the idea can be taken too far. Drawing the line, as usual, is the rub.

  • http://goulablogger.wordpress.com Chuck Grantham

    I find the mix of weapons and Christianity strange, though it has always been with us. A number of early “saints” were soldiers (typically martyred for their faith) and it’s a stereotype to say medieval knights thought “those who live by the sword shall die by the sword” a great comfort.

    I can’t say I’ve ever thought deeply on the notion of just war, but obviously the idea can be taken too far. Drawing the line, as usual, is the rub.

  • Polycarp

    I’m not sure what a ‘Just War’ is either, Chuck, but I would say that it starts with Defense.

  • Polycarp

    I’m not sure what a ‘Just War’ is either, Chuck, but I would say that it starts with Defense.

  • http://goulablogger.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/trijicon-scripture-violence-and-christianity/ Trijicon, Scripture, Violence and Christianity « A ‘Goula Blogger

    [...] Posted by Chuck Grantham on January 19, 2010 Jim West noted this ABC news story, and Joel aka Polycarp took exception to Jim’s take here. [...]

  • http://jwest.wordpress.com/ jim

    it’s not a code- it’s an abbreviation

  • http://jwest.wordpress.com jim

    it’s not a code- it’s an abbreviation

  • http://goulablogger.wordpress.com/ Chuck Grantham

    Yes, but some say the “best defense is a good offense”. In short, where’s the line where “two wrongs make a right” and “two wrongs don’t make a right” divide?

    Old comic book geek example: Lex Luthor wants to drop California in the sea to make real estate profits. If you’re Superman, you stop the nuclear warhead and put Luthor in jail, knowing he may break out and try again. If you’re the Punisher, you put a bullet in Luthor’s brain and sleep undisturbed by dreams at night.

    In short again, no easy answers. Darnit. ;-)

  • http://goulablogger.wordpress.com Chuck Grantham

    Yes, but some say the “best defense is a good offense”. In short, where’s the line where “two wrongs make a right” and “two wrongs don’t make a right” divide?

    Old comic book geek example: Lex Luthor wants to drop California in the sea to make real estate profits. If you’re Superman, you stop the nuclear warhead and put Luthor in jail, knowing he may break out and try again. If you’re the Punisher, you put a bullet in Luthor’s brain and sleep undisturbed by dreams at night.

    In short again, no easy answers. Darnit. ;-)

  • Polycarp

    But, then there is Batman who would just beat him silly – still alive, but unable to move.

  • Polycarp

    But, then there is Batman who would just beat him silly – still alive, but unable to move.

  • http://www.twitter.com/robertjwilson Robert

    Chuck– +1 for the Superman analogy. :) That’s awesome.

    Jim– Don’t be daft. It’s an abbreviation combined with a serial/model #, which can fairly be termed a “code”. Either way, the verse references have no business being on U.S. military equipment.

    This whole mess just stirs up the Crusades again and is counter-intuitive to promoting peace between the Middle East and the rest of the world.

  • http://www.twitter.com/robertjwilson Robert

    Chuck– +1 for the Superman analogy. :) That’s awesome.

    Jim– Don’t be daft. It’s an abbreviation combined with a serial/model #, which can fairly be termed a “code”. Either way, the verse references have no business being on U.S. military equipment.

    This whole mess just stirs up the Crusades again and is counter-intuitive to promoting peace between the Middle East and the rest of the world.

  • http://dunedinschool.wordpress.com/ steph

    They are a system of letters and numbers transmitting a message (in this case a biblical verse) surreptitiously embedded in the serial numbers on US military weapons. They are ‘coded references’. Repulsive. Anyone untrained in biblical scholarship or non Christian would not necessarily pick up these biblical verse ‘abbreviations’ which have become ‘coded references’ by means of them being hidden in disguise of serial numbers. Anyway what’s with the silly defence of them as ‘abbreviations’ rather than ‘coded references’? Maybe they’re ‘abbreviations’ which have become ‘coded references’ by means of their position on US military weapons. I hope I never see a day when my immoral secular government convert to Christian morals which consider war to be justified by biblical verses and invading countries and throwing bombs to be justified also. I wonder if US non Christian soldiers have worked out the verse abbreviations which have become coded references in serial numbers on their weapons, and if so, what they think. Repulsive.

  • http://dunedinschool.wordpress.com steph

    They are a system of letters and numbers transmitting a message (in this case a biblical verse) surreptitiously embedded in the serial numbers on US military weapons. They are ‘coded references’. Repulsive. Anyone untrained in biblical scholarship or non Christian would not necessarily pick up these biblical verse ‘abbreviations’ which have become ‘coded references’ by means of them being hidden in disguise of serial numbers. Anyway what’s with the silly defence of them as ‘abbreviations’ rather than ‘coded references’? Maybe they’re ‘abbreviations’ which have become ‘coded references’ by means of their position on US military weapons. I hope I never see a day when my immoral secular government convert to Christian morals which consider war to be justified by biblical verses and invading countries and throwing bombs to be justified also. I wonder if US non Christian soldiers have worked out the verse abbreviations which have become coded references in serial numbers on their weapons, and if so, what they think. Repulsive.

  • http://dunedinschool.wordpress.com/ steph

    and what I find bizarre is the debate over whether they are abbreviations or codes, given their position on weapons. And what I find incomprehensible is not caring that they are there at all!

  • http://dunedinschool.wordpress.com steph

    and what I find bizarre is the debate over whether they are abbreviations or codes, given their position on weapons. And what I find incomprehensible is not caring that they are there at all!

  • http://goulablogger.wordpress.com/ Chuck Grantham

    Well, he’s Batman, after all. He can’t walk on the razor’s edge of morality when no one else can. ;-)

  • http://goulablogger.wordpress.com Chuck Grantham

    Well, he’s Batman, after all. He can’t walk on the razor’s edge of morality when no one else can. ;-)

  • http://goulablogger.wordpress.com/ Chuck Grantham

    Strike that. “He CAN walk the razor’s edge of morality when no one else can.”

    Let your fingers do the walking and no telling what you’ll type.

  • http://goulablogger.wordpress.com Chuck Grantham

    Strike that. “He CAN walk the razor’s edge of morality when no one else can.”

    Let your fingers do the walking and no telling what you’ll type.

  • http://lingamish.com/2010/01/what-bible-verse-would-you-inscribe-on-your-gun/ What Bible verse would you inscribe on your gun? | lingamish

    [...] bibliobloggers mentioning this: Joel, Chuck. [...]

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